I’m thinking of purchasing a certain vehicle (which I don’t want to identify just yet), but I’m confused by the rules regarding which class it would run in.
In the 2012 Rule Book (I believe these rules were new in 2011), at the end of first paragraph for the 5.D Modified Category (on page 66), it states: “If the car was produced and sold with 2 seats on some models and 4 seats (including jump seats) on other models, the car will be classified as a Coupe and Sedan. Examples include Honda CRX, Ford Mustang GT 350’s, Porsche, Nissan Z 2 + 2, etc.”
Then, on page 73 (still in the Modified Category), at the start of the rules for the 5.D.4 Modified Sports classes, it states: “This class is intended for production sports cars as accepted for GT class…”
So, if we go to the second paragraph of rules for the GT class in 5.E.3, on page 80, it sounds much like what was stated under the Modified Category rules, as it states: “Body styles produced with jump seating for more than two people like a Datsun 280Z 2+2, Porsche 911 or Honda CRX even though they may have only two seats will be considered a coupe and sedan and must run in that class.”
Here’s the deal – the car I’m looking at is a small, closed European-built sports-type car, that’s normally thought of as a 2-seater. However, the car was available with what was called an “occasional rear seat”. This was a fold-down rear jump seat for two, which was a dealer-installed option. Dealer-installed options on this vehicle were common and included wire wheels, an AM radio, wooden shift knob, oil cooler, luggage straps, etc.
So, it sounds to me like this vehicle (after an engine swap and other modifications) should be classified as a Comp Coupe. Is there any way it could be run as a Modified Sports?