How the FFCobra Community Kept Me From Becoming a Felon
By: Damian Torres (1/2 of DTorresBrothers)
It was a cold, brisk Saturday morning. I had decided to get up early and take the Cobra to the local NTB (National Tire and Battery) store to have a front wheel alignment done. At this point of the build stage we had the car near completion. With the exception of a few body alignment issues, paint and carpet, the car was virtually done. Oh, by the way, did I mention the car was not registered yet? A minor detail though, or so I thought.
So the car was not registered, big deal. I did what any red-blooded American car enthusiast, who did not have access to a car transport trailer, would do. I took an extra license plate I had from my 1999 Trans Am (which I had refused to put it on the front of the car) and slapped it on the back of my Cobra. Yes, I know what you are thinking, but it's not as bad as it sounds. I DID have insurance, and I DID have my registration forms with me. I just hadn't been able to convince the fine people at the Harris County courthouse that I indeed had everything I needed to complete the registration process. I was waiting on an updated Certificate of Origin from Factory Five (another topic to maybe discus in a future article) to complete the process.
So there I was, with my collegiate (Texas A&M University) license plate reading "FASTAG" on my way to NTB in my un-registered Cobra. I was working out the story in my head, as to what I would say to an officer if I got pulled over. It sounded so convincing, even to me. I was not worried, not in the least. I had finally made it safely to NTB. Four hours later, and after hearing over fifty times "man this is a difficult alignment", I was on my way home. Happy as I could be. Now the car was driving straighter than it ever had before.
I was on the home stretch, about 1.5 miles from my house, when in the rear view mirror I saw my work nightmare - a Harris County Constable, with his lights on! I began rehearsing my story again, to ensure I got it right. I quickly signaled, and pulled into the neighborhood on my right. I killed the ignition, and then unlatched my seat belt. As soon as I turned to open the door, two more police cars arrived. I slowly stepped out of the vehicle, and approached the officer who was walking towards my car. We went through the usual semantics - "can I see your license, insurance, AND registration?". Yipes, no registration! I proceeded dispensing my story.
Me: Officer, I am in the process of getting my vehicle registered. I have just returned from NTB where I was getting the front end aligned (I then produced my NTB receipt, and all my notarized registration papers).
Officer: I ran your license plate while you were stopped at the light, and the plates came back registered to a 1999 Pontiac Trans Am, can you explain that?
Me: Yes, Officer, Sir, that is the license plate from my other vehicle. I did not want to drive around without a plate on the vehicle. And, since I am still in the process of registering this one (again, I produced my papers), I do not have legitimate plates for it.
Officer: Sir, do you realize it is a FELONY to drive a car with plates that do not belong to it?
Me: Really? (duh!) But the plates do belong to me. (ok, I am playing stupid at this point).
The officer then requested I stand by the vehicle, while he ran my drivers license and insurance. At this point, I am pretty concerned about having to explain to my wife why I am going to jail, and what kind of story I tell my employer when I don't make it to work on Monday. Sadly though, my biggest concern was, if they tow my car, what kind of tow truck will they use? Would it be a flatbed? Yep, it would have to be a flatbed! I'd be sure of that.
The officer returned and politely handled me back my license and insurance card. I put out my hands, closed my eyes and waited for the handcuffs. The next words out of his mouth caught me off guard.
Officer: Do you by any chance work at Acura Southwest? I know of a guy who works there who is building a couple of these cars.
Shocked! I knew who he was talking about - it was Carl McClellan. He had done some work on my car the weekend before to fix a pesky engine problem. I had been introduced to him by Bill
Peirce, administrator of the FFCobra forum. I began to smile, thinking I may be in the home stretch of getting out of this dilemma.
Me: You are talking about Carl McClellan, who lives down past Sugar Land, right? Fort Bend I think.
Officer: Yes...
At that point the conversation went blurry for me. I believe he told me his brother knew Carl, and had even come out to help him on his Cobra builds, or something like that. I didn't really care so much, other than the fact that I had made a connection that could save me from going to jail! I listened politely as he told me his story. He then asked me where I was heading, I told him home. He told me to be careful, and not to make it a habit of driving the car around without having it registered. I was in the clear. I had dodged the bullet!
We spoke for a few minutes, he and the other officers asked questions about the car. I joked with them, and even asked them if they wanted to take the car for a spin. They all declined, but thanked me for the offer. I strapped myself in, and drove straight to my house.
Some lessons I learned:
1. Don't drive you car on any public roadway, unless it is fully registered and legal.
2. Don't put any license plate on your car that is not registered to it. It is a felony in Texas, and probably in your state too!
3. If you do decide to do #1 and/or #2 (which I am not endorsing nor recommending), make sure you have all relevant paperwork with you - especially insurance.
4. Always have your story ready and well rehearsed.
5. Make sure you remember all the names of the great people you have met through the forum. Through association, they may keep you from going to jail!
Email: Damian Torres
Our Build Site: The
Last Change Garage
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