ianashdown Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 What is the consensus on how difficult it could be to import a 1966 Lotus 7 UK car, not licensed for 20-30 years, and now resident in France, in pieces, to California? It seems like it would not have the paperwork to export from France but it could possibly be taken back to the UK and exported from there. With Brexit even that may be a PITA! Ship it in several shipments as ‘parts’? Seems like this could be tough, long winded and expensive! Thoughts, comments? Mockery?! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted August 19, 2023 Share Posted August 19, 2023 No mockery here - kudos for the imagination to take on such a worthy challenge! Can I clarify - is it in pieces now or assembled? How long has it been in pieces? If it is assembled and you want to disassemble to bring it into CA then no go. Federal rules are pretty clear on once it is together then it stays together as a car. You may want to bring it in as pieces but you cannot classify it as parts then as it was a car before you disassembled. Of course lots of people do exactly this but you only have to check out what happened to the Nissan Skyline GTR folks to know the consequences. You can still bring the pieces in declared as a car restoration project. God help you with the Customs inspection though - my experience was they are not the brightest - so a lot of hand holding will be needed by your import agent. Now if it were in bits in France then that is another issue. To get it from France to UK you would need to inventory everything down to the individual screw/bolt types. Then expect to pay UK import tax on it plus potentially French taxes of some kind. Brexit has made a mess of it sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesG Posted August 19, 2023 Share Posted August 19, 2023 If the car is imported to the US as a complete car, CA will consider it a gray market car and it would have to be brought into compliance with CA rules to be registered. CA does not recognize the 25 year rule for imported cars. Ask me how I know this. For a 1966 car, that may not be too difficult, but you may want to do some investigating before you attempt importing the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianashdown Posted August 19, 2023 Author Share Posted August 19, 2023 4 hours ago, Croc said: No mockery here - kudos for the imagination to take on such a worthy challenge! Can I clarify - is it in pieces now or assembled? How long has it been in pieces? If it is assembled and you want to disassemble to bring it into CA then no go. Federal rules are pretty clear on once it is together then it stays together as a car. You may want to bring it in as pieces but you cannot classify it as parts then as it was a car before you disassembled. Of course lots of people do exactly this but you only have to check out what happened to the Nissan Skyline GTR folks to know the consequences. You can still bring the pieces in declared as a car restoration project. God help you with the Customs inspection though - my experience was they are not the brightest - so a lot of hand holding will be needed by your import agent. Now if it were in bits in France then that is another issue. To get it from France to UK you would need to inventory everything down to the individual screw/bolt types. Then expect to pay UK import tax on it plus potentially French taxes of some kind. Brexit has made a mess of it sadly. Hi, Thanks for your response. The car is in pieces as was disassembled 20-30 years ago. It has an old style buff UK log book, but not the current style document. It was never registered in France I believe. Here’s the real surprise . . It’s is a confirmed one owner car! It’s a project to be sure, and a big one given some of the modifications. Its value as it sits is not great and I think the degree of difficulty and potentially cost to import it probably makes it a non-economic project for me, not like that should be the only criteria, but there will be others who could take this on without the additional burden. I love projects like this, but one 7 is more than enough! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatManDo Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 As far as the feds go there should be no problem as it is over 25 years old. If in pieces it may be easier to get someone with an import license to bring it in as used parts. I would try a caterham dealer for that. Getting it registered may be a problem in CA so I would probably title it in an easier state and transfer from there. I am in WA and have titled several vehicles with no bill of sale or title. All it takes here is letting the state police inspect to make sure it has a VIN or serial number on the frame and then buying a registration. The only draw back is they don't give you a title for 3 years. I've done this with garage finds and mecum sales, no hassle. Check around,other states may be easier. If you try WA I can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesG Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 1 hour ago, CatManDo said: As far as the feds go there should be no problem as it is over 25 years old. If in pieces it may be easier to get someone with an import license to bring it in as used parts. I would try a caterham dealer for that. Getting it registered may be a problem in CA so I would probably title it in an easier state and transfer from there. I am in WA and have titled several vehicles with no bill of sale or title. All it takes here is letting the state police inspect to make sure it has a VIN or serial number on the frame and then buying a registration. The only draw back is they don't give you a title for 3 years. I've done this with garage finds and mecum sales, no hassle. Check around,other states may be easier. If you try WA I can help. You are correct about the 25 year rule for Federal import requirements, however CA does not recognize that rule. If the car is imported as a complete car, it is considered a grey market vehicle. Titling the car in another state will not work. I just went through this with my car. It had been titled and registered in two other states and was denied registration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnifeySpoony Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 How are all the JDM cars getting reg'd in CA then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesG Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 If they are brought into compliance with CA emission standards, the the car could be registered. I was referred to a facility in Santa Ana to have my car modified to CA standards, but it would have been too expensive, and I felt it would have ruined the value of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatManDo Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 I think the complete car is the issue. Bring it in as parts and title as a kit. If you title in WA and get a state issued VIN plate how would CA know what it was or where it came from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianashdown Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 I’ve declined to move ahead with this car, despite it being a great project with a one owner history etc. If I were able to be in France to load it on a truck and drive it to Arch for repairs, re-skin etc it would be a no- brained, but trying to do this from CA by remote, not understanding the French export requirements to the UK, they don’t like the UK so much anymore, and so on, it’s just too much hassle. I need to focus on my two projects and not bring home any more strays . . .!! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now