This study provides an architectural framework and a comprehensive examination of how the combination of threshold key management, privacy-enhancing technologies (e.g., homomorphic encryption, secure multi-party computation), and decentralised ledger technologies (DLT) enhances the security and privacy of vehicle ad-hoc networks (VANETs). We also examine the challenges of existing VANET structures, with a particular focus on trust, privacy, and scalability concerns. Our proposed architecture shifts from centralised to decentralised systems, highlighting the advantages of a decentralized ledger framework, specifically in ensuring the robustness, strong availability, integrity, and resilience of data against various cyber security threats. The architecture uses Layer 2s instead of Layer 1s as Layer 2s is much cheaper and faster. Furthermore, we explore how the aforementioned advanced cryptographic mechanisms are utilized in VANETs for improving key management, the distribution of trust, and data privacy, together with privacy-preserving data analysis, aiming to achieve resilient vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication and privacy-preserving data analysis. We conclude by highlighting potential future directions for more secure, efficient, and resilient VANET systems in the era of 5G and beyond.