Warning - Rant ahead!
While I understand that a collapsible column may be safer, I am still angry when it is demanded that I/we have to modify a car in other ways that are unrelated to the modifications we are doing.
The column met the standards of the time, which are used to determine if it is legal.
If there is a more powerful engine in the car, so what? How does that make any difference in an identical impact AT THE SAME SPEED OF THE ORIGINAL TEST.
The old argument of "It's safer, so you have to do it." is a never-ending list until you end up with a brand new car.
I have a more powerful & heavier engine, so I also upgraded the brakes, suspension, & everything connecting them all together. Seats are now modern, on rails instead of a forward-folding hinge. It's all been engineered, inspected & approved. That's where it ends.
The engineers or bureaucrats that demand that an old car be modified so that everything is modern need to justify why they are making the decision, as IMHO they are just on a power-trip.
As a ludicrous & fictitious example - Model-T Fords do not require seatbelts. Put LED lights on a Model-T and suddenly someone says; "Ahh, sorry mate, you have to install seatbelts & disc brakes now. Oh, better add crumple zones, & air-bags. Did I say air-bags? Might as well include steel wheels too, those wooden spokes look a bit flimsy."
Yes, I have a bee in my bonnet over this. It started when my heavily modified car got rejected for having one of those loud red air-horns you get from Super-Crap. Single compressor, single horn. I had to put the tiny asthmatic original horn back on to get it passed. When they pick on stupid stuff like that because it's "Not standard", then turn around 10 secs later & tell you that you have to modify something AWAY from standard, it really sticks in the mind. So what was the standard item they didn't like? The tiny accelerator pedal.
Rant over.
Finally, thanks Bennjamin for the info on the column.
At some stage in the future I might contact them to get one for my car.
But, but, but.... you just said above.... but.......
Forcing someone to modify a car away from original & LEGAL specs is bad, but allowing someone to do so to make it safer is good. I'd like a shorter column so I can fit a Mountney removable steering wheel, which are locked on with a key, & street legal. If it becomes a little safer by doing so, then that's great.