Are you a Texan with a dune buggy? If so, there has been some bad news brewing for some time – and things have come to a head now. Texan authorities started revoking titles and registrations of dune buggies and sand rails, citing their lack of "key safety components" or "a body at all". It's almost like a cease-and-desist note for dune buggies driven on the road, as the question isn't merely about newly built or future buggies, but vehicles that have already been titled years before registering them started to be troublesome in 2013.

As Hemmings reports, Texas DMV has alerted buggy owners that their titles have been revoked and instructing that the original title, windshield sticker, and license plates were to be handed over to the DMV. In the state's eyes, these vehicles are "designed for off-road usage and may not be legally operated for use on Texas streets or public roadways."

As the president of the Manx Club, Vincent Parisien, said to Hemmings, dune buggies have been unfairly singled out. "We're not about making the streets more dangerous. Our members are willing to go through all the same safety standards as other cars", said Parisien. As a result, Parisien says, some owners have sold their buggies out of state or simply decided not to use them at all; Parisien also sees this as a possible slippery slope regarding the future of specialty vehicles. Some owners have started campaigns to turn the legislation around; the GoFundMe fundraiser Save The Texas Dune Buggy / Kitcar is nearing its $6,000 goal.

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Dune buggies face an uncertain future in Texas originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Nov 2017 19:30:00 EST.