Don't exactly know what the difference is?

 

How did some of the RHD cars I have seen around get over here to begin with? I have two friends in Atlanta that have RHD vehicles, one has a Mini and the other has a couple series 2 88 inch Land Rovers.

 

talk to the military, thats what i say.

 

I knew I could count on you Dan!

 

So this is the "dismantle, ship, reassemble" method in action? Or is it ship, dismantle, reassemble?

 

XS-

You should save that pic for the next time someone asks "How can I Turbo charge my NA without buying a 951?"

LOL

 

Most, if not all, of continental Europe has left hand drive cars like North America. The Brits are the ones with RHD, along with Australia, New Zealand and Japan. As I said, I don't think this issue would be a killer, but it is easier to tell where you are in the road lane if you are driving a LHD car on right hand lane roads. As well as seeing what cars are coming at you if you are about to pass. Some of the parts are different between the cars as the steering wheel and controls are on the other side and battery in the rear so would be easier to obtain those parts in the US if you have a LHD car.

There are some lighting requirement differences but those should be easy enough to resolve to make it pass import inspection.

 

Not having a USA recognised VIN means not much chance. Check with the DOT/EPA regarding this.

 

Another thing you can do Cory, call up some places that ship cars over here and tell them you are interested in doing this and would like to know what has to be done. They should be able to point you in the right direction for any inspection or caution I would think. I am not sure about the rhd compared to lhd but I do know that the rear bumper sits to low and the side markers need to be addressed. After that, the car really won't be a euro car anymore either, changing everything; unless you put it all back after the inspection but you didn't hear that from me....

 

GMS, the car still has a VIN number, so that would need to be addressed by DOT as well, but that won't be a big deal at all. At most, they would have to enter the info into the DOT records and pay a fee for it.

 

If the car does not have a US spec vin it won't be allowed to be registered (licensed) unless it's over 25 years old...witness all the "over 25 years old" Minis arriving into the US. Check with DOT/EPA first.
If the car does not comply with US spec and have a US vin ( WPOAA---- or similar) it is not on the computer and cannot be licensed without major expense.

 

Back in the early 80's there were a lot of 'Grey Market' euro cars brought in. Several companies would 'Federalize' the car for use in the USA, doing such things as adding 5mph bumpers, removing the adjustable headlight system, etc. You the DOT would then approve the car for use on US roads. Porsches were commonly brought over, and the strong dollar/weak Mark as well as import tarriffs made this a reasonable thing to do. There are a goodly number of gray market 928s and 911s. Eventually the Feds made the federalization process more difficult and now it's quite uncommon and very expensive. It'd be a lot easier to ship over parts and hang them on a car with a US VIN.

There was a great article about a collector who imported a euro only 1992 928 GTS into the USA. Oh man, I'd rather indian wrestle a flaming porcupine than go through that mess.

-Joel.

 

I know someone who imported a Nissan Skyline AWD Turbo. He bought it in Japan, had it all registered in Japan, and drove it in Japan. Then when he came over he, he put it on a boat for Cali, then had it shipped to NY. He does not have ANY registration papers. He owns his own dealership and uses the car for carshows, track events, and sometimes he drives it around on his dealer plate. (which I assume is VERY illegal!) He was able to import it with no registration paperwork or inspections what-so-ever, but technically he can not drive it. So, if you are looking for a museum display or conversation piece, then maybe this is an affordable option.

 

Very interesting (scratches head)

 

For bringing in a car that is less than 25 years old, the easiest way I have heard of is a "personal import". If you have a friend with dual residency or dual citizenship in the U.S. and the country from which you want to import, such people are allowed to bring one vehicle over a given period of time from their other country into the United States and title/register it to themselves and legally drive it. They are free to sell it into the general public after a rather brief period of time, and it has a normal title. I knew several Esprit and Elise owners who did this in the 1990s - early 2000s. I don't know much more than that, but I'd guess this is the means by which military also bring their vehicles. (?)