Bonnet mascots - legal or not?

[joebongo]

Got a 2001 vintage jag sov with a leaping cat on the bonnet - a mate's told me this is illegal - is this true?

At work now so sorry if I can't reply to replies til later tonight.

[SSBB]

I don't know, but common sense says if fitted by manufacturer from new then legal, otherwise illegal these days as they wouldn't pass crash regs?

[ajb85]

Some snide garages who want to impress VOSA would fail the mot on it. Others wouldn't bat an eyelid!

[Ari]

Illegal or not, the thought of the damage one of these would do, even at low speed, to someone that accidentally walked in front of the car doesn't bear thinking about...

[C.A.R.]

Ari said:

Illegal or not, the thought of the damage it would do, even at low speed, to someone that accidentally walked in front of the car doesn't bear thinking about...

Exactly this. It would be cat-astrophic.

[CampDavid]

Ari said:

Illegal or not, the thought of the damage one of these would do, even at low speed, to someone that accidentally walked in front of the car doesn't bear thinking about...

Indeed.

Jaguar were prevented from fitting them due to crash test laws, however existing cars could keep them. Unsure how you'd fare fitting it yourself or if your insurance would be happy if you maimed someone with it.

I'd remove it because

A. It looks st

B. It's dangerous

[SLCZ3]

This iirc is the reason,
"Jaguar stopped putting the leaping cat on their cars in 1978 due to the introduction of legislation which demanded that all mascots be spring-loaded to prevent injury. Spring-loading the cat proved too problematic and so was dropped".

[Baryonyx]

OP, your friend must be thinking of the offence of using a vehicle with a dangerous mascot. In which case, yes, I would agree. Fixed Jaguar mascots are the very example I was given when I was told about that offence.

[king arthur]

I think they look ridiculous on the Jags that aren't built with them anyway.

[Rude-boy]

king arthur said:

I think they look ridiculous on the Jags that aren't built with them anyway.

Agreed, worse still are the horse mascots and so on you see Lady Likessmellypitsandstableboys you see on some RRS's and the like

[Bayerischer]

I think this has the makings of an excellent thread

[Regiment]

Ari said:

Illegal or not, the thought of the damage one of these would do, even at low speed, to someone that accidentally walked in front of the car doesn't bear thinking about...

The car manufacturer or the driver can't be blamed for the clumsiness of pedestrians. If it impales them, it impales them.

[Ari]

Regiment said:

The car manufacturer or the driver can't be blamed for the clumsiness of pedestrians. If it impales them, it impales them.

What a stupid stupid comment.

[GroundEffect]

Regiment said:

Ari said:

Illegal or not, the thought of the damage one of these would do, even at low speed, to someone that accidentally walked in front of the car doesn't bear thinking about...

The car manufacturer or the driver can't be blamed for the clumsiness of pedestrians. If it impales them, it impales them.

wot.

[ED209]

There is a specific offence of having a dangeours mascot, whether a mascot is dangerous will ultimately be for the court to decide.

[Japveesix]

C.A.R. said:

Ari said:

Illegal or not, the thought of the damage it would do, even at low speed, to someone that accidentally walked in front of the car doesn't bear thinking about...

Exactly this. It would be cat-astrophic.

They'd definitely be feline a lot of pain, that's for sure.

[mat205125]

Ari said:

Regiment said:

The car manufacturer or the driver can't be blamed for the clumsiness of pedestrians. If it impales them, it impales them.

What a stupid stupid comment.

Not to mention nieve, given that we live in the era of the "no win, no fee, ambulance chaser"

[GoneAnon]

mat205125 said:

Not to mention nieve, given that we live in the era of the "no win, no fee, ambulance chaser"

Think Evian, but backwards...

[300bhp/ton]

king arthur said:

I think they look ridiculous on the Jags that aren't built with them anyway.

[BigBen]

king arthur said:

I think they look ridiculous on the Jags that aren't built with them anyway.

A lot of Jags in the USA still have 'leapers' on the bonnet so I think that they have all been built with them, just not for some markets.