Insane And Mandatory Vehicle Inspection!

The next time you think you have problems with a motor vehicle inspection, check out this craziness from Germany.

motor vehicle inspection

This 1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV is about to get shaken like a good martini — after its tires are checked for a 130 mph speed rating.

The guy who posted this to YouTube had to take his ’76 Lincoln Continental Mark IV to a German motor vehicle inspection shop, a mandatory every-other-year ordeal. Not only does it have to pass a smog test, but it must be inspected for rust, functioning lights, turn signals, and as you’ll see, pass a test where the car is shaken (not stirred) to ensure the front end, axles, etc., are in tip-top working condition.

The car is powered by a 460 V8 (7.5-liters) and actually appears to be in pretty remarkable condition. According to the owner, it is an original California car and is in exceptional shape. The white with white seats/green carpet interior and landau top is pretty spiff and we kind of want one just like it after watching this.

motor vehicle inspection

Even before the smog test, the brakes are tested.

The owner took it to the traffic authority, which is called Technischer Uberwachungs Verein (TUF), — translated as Technical Supervisory Association (please don’t ask us to pronounce it).

Much like California’s infamous smog check, the guy who owns the car complains the cost of the test gets more expensive every year, and he paid 170 euros, which is $197.74 as of this writing. Unlike a smog check, however, this car is being run through the mill: First a brake check, then the lights, etc. Yes, it has dual exhaust (not stock), but it passed the smog check anyway.

motor vehicle inspection

Yes, the big 460 must pass a sniffer test to be legal in Germany.

German cars usually have amber turn signals, but old American cars get a pass since they only came with red lenses. Even nuttier is the tires much be speed rated for 130 mph — way outside this Mark’s job description, well certainly that of the brakes. Watch the video as the car gets put in the air, checked for rust, then gets shaken like a good martini.

This reminds me of the old motor vehicle inspection I had to go through in New Jersey as a kid. It was not easy. Did the Mark IV pass? Watch the video and see.

About the author

Jim Campisano

Jim's had a wildly varied career, from newspaper, magazine, and Internet writing to TV production and YouTube videos. Now, he's back at his first love: Automotive content creation because words matter.
Read My Articles

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