[Porsche-O-Phile]

True 'dat. No doubt it's about the money, but it's presented to the public as if it has something to do with air quality.

The one that absolutely slays me is this bull about your having to have all original emissions equipment on the car to pass smog. Who the f*ck cares. If what you've got coming out of your tailpipe is within limits, who gives a crap if you're doing it with or without a cat, with or without an EGR valve or AIR pump or whatever. If (as they claim) it's really about emissions, why not just test emissions - oh yea, because they can make more money by making people pay for visual inspections.

I 100% agree it's about the money - the CARB smog Nazis insist that any vehicle having ANY aftermarket part without a CARB "exemption number" stamped on it fails the visual inspection and is therefore ineligible for operation on CA roads. I checked into what it takes to obtain a CARB exemption number - whaddya' know - a big giant fee. That's it. Don't believe me? Look it up yourself on their web site.

So long story short, if you want to be able to sell your open-block Chevy big-block engine "conversion kit" that blows unburned fuel and what-not into the atmosphere, our gallant defenders of air quality will let you do it and issue you a CARB exemption number as long as you're willing to pony up the fee to get their approval. That's all it takes - deep pockets. It has nothing to do with air quality. Kind of like how speeding tickets have nothing to do with safety. That's the state of our government - use whatever convenient rationalization exists in order to justify sucking more money out of the public. There's little "service" left in "public service" other than "self-service". CARB is living proof.