Mike D.

The Mini, Yaris, and many other modern cars pass crash -test standards. I do not consider them big.

They used the “Chicken Tax” to remove light trucks on the 80s, not emissions issues.

Ford used to skirt the law by having Transits made in Europe shipped to the US as passenger vehicles. Once in the states they would recycle the seats and replace the rear windows with panels.

Most of these cars start as non-running junkers. Racers can sell parts off the car and add to the budget but must keep track of it all.

The big investment is time. Looking for cheap parts, making the car reliable, etc.