1976 Is it a 49 state or Cali car? Options

[gnomefabtech]

Car came from Nevada but I can't tell if it was originally a California car. It still has injection but doesn't have a cat or smog pump. Doesn't look like it ever had either but I'm wondering since I'm going to try and register it here in California. Thanks in advance!!

Here is the Vin:

[JeffBowlsby]

Got proof or is that speculation? We’ve heard that the emissions reqs ran with the model year, not calendar year. Here in CA, 76s require bi-annual smog cents, even though made in calendar 75.

[type47fan]

Got proof or is that speculation? We’ve heard that the emissions reqs ran with the model year, not calendar year. Here in CA, 76s require bi-annual smog cents, even though made in calendar 75.

VIN 4762903947 MFG 12/75

Supplemental driver door silver label states "1976 model year".



Based on the chassis tag (5029038) in the driver side door jamb, my car probably began assembly on Tuesday, December 16, 1975, during the final week of formal assembly for the model.

California had a 30 year rolling exemption for smog certs that was discontinued in 2006. Hence, the 30 year old model year (MY) 1975 California 914s made the cut in 2005, but the MY 1976 didn't for 2006, and beyond.

Info from BAR:

"Collector cars that are model-year 1976 and newer require a Smog Check. Because Smog Check stations do not have the equipment necessary to inspect collector cars, collector cars are eligible for an abbreviated inspection performed by a Smog Check Referee. For more information, visit https://bar.ca.gov/consumer/smog-check-prog.../collector-cars page or https://asktheref.org/."

"All vehicles that are model-year 1975 and older do not require a Smog Check."

" . . . while California law requires the Smog Check Program to focus on high-polluting vehicles, the Smog Check Program also does not require older vehicles to meet the same emissions standards as newer vehicles. Smog Check emissions standards consider the vehicle type and model year so that a vehicle is never held to a standard that applied when the vehicle was originally manufactured."