Attempts to Import a Tamora to the USA
Discussion
V8 GRF said:
As far as I'm aware there is no way to get a complete car into the USA and they will confiscate it if you try to do something dodgy.
I believe a Sagaris that was sent over to the US by the two american jokers who NS 'sold' TVR to was impounded as the customs didn't believe it was going to be sent back to it's rightful owner in the UK is still in a customs warehouse.
However.
I understnd that the two Tuscans out there were imported less engine, gearbox and other bits and then re-assembled out there and that allowed them to be classified as kitcars or similar and thus avaid the regs. I think Noble did/do the same thing with the bodies being imported from SA and then the engines etc added while over there.
Mike Vernon (who looked after the Swordfish and Looney Tunes cars) went out there to make the Miami one roadworthy after some US garages had made a mess of the job. So mayeb it's worth investigating that route.
this is the sag u are taking about and it was sent back to its owner in 07I believe a Sagaris that was sent over to the US by the two american jokers who NS 'sold' TVR to was impounded as the customs didn't believe it was going to be sent back to it's rightful owner in the UK is still in a customs warehouse.
However.
I understnd that the two Tuscans out there were imported less engine, gearbox and other bits and then re-assembled out there and that allowed them to be classified as kitcars or similar and thus avaid the regs. I think Noble did/do the same thing with the bodies being imported from SA and then the engines etc added while over there.
Mike Vernon (who looked after the Swordfish and Looney Tunes cars) went out there to make the Miami one roadworthy after some US garages had made a mess of the job. So mayeb it's worth investigating that route.
http://homepage.mac.com/farquasi/TVRCCNA//TVRNUS/i...
celm said:
this is the sag u are taking about and it was sent back to its owner in 07
http://homepage.mac.com/farquasi/TVRCCNA//TVRNUS/i...
Ah good. Didn't realise that I thought it was still stuck in the UShttp://homepage.mac.com/farquasi/TVRCCNA//TVRNUS/i...
The Miami car is questionable in terms of its plates/tags. But it was all done in South Florida as far as I am aware so no real surprise 
I have done a fair amount of research myself on this trying to get a car into NY and Miami. I might be wrong but if you have any other visa than a visitor visa/waiver then the car can't be brought in under this HS-7 temp import scheme.
I have done a fair amount of research myself on this trying to get a car into NY and Miami. I might be wrong but if you have any other visa than a visitor visa/waiver then the car can't be brought in under this HS-7 temp import scheme.
I'm in a similar situation however I'm already over here on a Green Card and my Tuscan is still back in the UK. I've done a lot of research on this and in short, it can be done however it's not easy. The two easiest ways are:
1. By importing the rolling chassis and putting a different engine and drivetrain in it. It's then deemed as sufficiently altered to be classified as a kitcar/hot rod so can be registered as such.
2. If you want to keep it original, import the rolling chassis (as an assemblage), and importing the engine and drivetrain in separately (as parts) and then reassembling it. You then have to change the glass, lights, wheels/tyres and brake lines to US DOT market items. So far so good and not all that hard to achieve. The tricky bit is you then have to get a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MSO) stating the manufacturer (not TVR, but from someone) and that it complies with the relevant standards for that type of vehicle (a custom vehicle). You then register the vehicle as newly manufactured, so have to pay the sales tax on it. This is how Noble's are brought in, except they're branded as "Rossion" cars over here. Budget on $25-30k for this route.
The two above routes are not subject the restrictions placed upon manufactured motor vehicles by the EPA, FMVSS and NHSTA as they explore the hot-rod/custom vehicle regs.
PM me for more info as I intend to bring mine over once funds allow and we're properly settled.
FYI that Miami car was brought into the country piecemeal and has gone through some sort of title laundering process (easy to do in FL) to get it on the road.
1. By importing the rolling chassis and putting a different engine and drivetrain in it. It's then deemed as sufficiently altered to be classified as a kitcar/hot rod so can be registered as such.
2. If you want to keep it original, import the rolling chassis (as an assemblage), and importing the engine and drivetrain in separately (as parts) and then reassembling it. You then have to change the glass, lights, wheels/tyres and brake lines to US DOT market items. So far so good and not all that hard to achieve. The tricky bit is you then have to get a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MSO) stating the manufacturer (not TVR, but from someone) and that it complies with the relevant standards for that type of vehicle (a custom vehicle). You then register the vehicle as newly manufactured, so have to pay the sales tax on it. This is how Noble's are brought in, except they're branded as "Rossion" cars over here. Budget on $25-30k for this route.
The two above routes are not subject the restrictions placed upon manufactured motor vehicles by the EPA, FMVSS and NHSTA as they explore the hot-rod/custom vehicle regs.
PM me for more info as I intend to bring mine over once funds allow and we're properly settled.
FYI that Miami car was brought into the country piecemeal and has gone through some sort of title laundering process (easy to do in FL) to get it on the road.
Justices said:
The Miami car is questionable in terms of its plates/tags. But it was all done in South Florida as far as I am aware so no real surprise
I spoke to Mike Vernon last week and as far as he is concerned/aware the kit car import 'loophole' is still open. The chap who employed him to sort the Tuscan out knows all the processes and could potentially assist. It may well be that Miami/South Florida is the easiest state to register a car in but it is all legal.
DonkeyApple said:
Seems to strike me that so long as someone importing doesn't mind switching engine and drivetrain to something like an LS then it's remarkably easy to import a modern Tiv to the US then?
Not remarkably easy, but not all that hard. Although it will have to be titled as a specially constructed vehicle, and you'll need an MSO for the chassis, or a donor vehicle title where you're taking the drivetrain parts from.Noble/Rossion and Ultima do it using an MSO for the newly manufactured chassis. But an MSO is obviously not available from TVR, and a suitable donor vehicle is uneconomic to source making the exercise tough to justify.
dvs_dave said:
V8 GRF said:
You don't have to change the drivetrain, the Miami car still has its Speed 6.
That's because it's been misrepresented at some point and gone through what appears to be a title laundering process to make it appear legal.dvs_dave said:
That's because it's been misrepresented at some point and gone through what appears to be a title laundering process to make it appear legal.
what powers the car has no bearing on getting it titled. i title grey (euro and JDM )car all the time.i will say part of the process the state does ahve to do an inspection on the carcelm said:
dvs_dave said:
That's because it's been misrepresented at some point and gone through what appears to be a title laundering process to make it appear legal.
what powers the car has no bearing on getting it titled. i title grey (euro and JDM )car all the time.i will say part of the process the state does ahve to do an inspection on the cardvs_dave said:
I'm in a similar situation however I'm already over here on a Green Card and my Tuscan is still back in the UK. I've done a lot of research on this and in short, it can be done however it's not easy. The two easiest ways are:
1. By importing the rolling chassis and putting a different engine and drivetrain in it. It's then deemed as sufficiently altered to be classified as a kitcar/hot rod so can be registered as such.
2. If you want to keep it original, import the rolling chassis (as an assemblage), and importing the engine and drivetrain in separately (as parts) and then reassembling it. You then have to change the glass, lights, wheels/tyres and brake lines to US DOT market items. So far so good and not all that hard to achieve. The tricky bit is you then have to get a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MSO) stating the manufacturer (not TVR, but from someone) and that it complies with the relevant standards for that type of vehicle (a custom vehicle). You then register the vehicle as newly manufactured, so have to pay the sales tax on it. This is how Noble's are brought in, except they're branded as "Rossion" cars over here. Budget on $25-30k for this route.
The two above routes are not subject the restrictions placed upon manufactured motor vehicles by the EPA, FMVSS and NHSTA as they explore the hot-rod/custom vehicle regs.
PM me for more info as I intend to bring mine over once funds allow and we're properly settled.
FYI that Miami car was brought into the country piecemeal and has gone through some sort of title laundering process (easy to do in FL) to get it on the road.
Don't know where you got your info but the EPA specifically states that you can't disassemble, ship then reassemble. That route was closed years ago. Nobles aren't imported this way - Roisson is a wholly US operation. And while it may be state specific, the TVR S6 is not EPA compliant so that's a non starter too.1. By importing the rolling chassis and putting a different engine and drivetrain in it. It's then deemed as sufficiently altered to be classified as a kitcar/hot rod so can be registered as such.
2. If you want to keep it original, import the rolling chassis (as an assemblage), and importing the engine and drivetrain in separately (as parts) and then reassembling it. You then have to change the glass, lights, wheels/tyres and brake lines to US DOT market items. So far so good and not all that hard to achieve. The tricky bit is you then have to get a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MSO) stating the manufacturer (not TVR, but from someone) and that it complies with the relevant standards for that type of vehicle (a custom vehicle). You then register the vehicle as newly manufactured, so have to pay the sales tax on it. This is how Noble's are brought in, except they're branded as "Rossion" cars over here. Budget on $25-30k for this route.
The two above routes are not subject the restrictions placed upon manufactured motor vehicles by the EPA, FMVSS and NHSTA as they explore the hot-rod/custom vehicle regs.
PM me for more info as I intend to bring mine over once funds allow and we're properly settled.
FYI that Miami car was brought into the country piecemeal and has gone through some sort of title laundering process (easy to do in FL) to get it on the road.
Sorry to piss on your chips but it's not as easy as you've been lead the believe.
celm said:
what powers the car has no bearing on getting it titled. i title grey (euro and JDM )car all the time.i will say part of the process the state does ahve to do an inspection on the car
You can title any car in Florida, they dont give a s
t. If you use the speed 6 its a chance you take. But it is NOT on the EPA list of known configurations and so it is not a legal road use engine. Saying that i dont ever see that being an issue in most states, its just knowing which loops to jump through
RJDM3 said:
You can title any car in Florida, they dont give a st.
If you use the speed 6 its a chance you take. But it is NOT on the EPA list of known configurations and so it is not a legal road use engine. Saying that i dont ever see that being an issue in most states, its just knowing which loops to jump through
Off the top of my head I can't remember the exact name of the chip/ sensor but you need one on your engine and TVR did not invest in it. Without it the EPA do not allow it. The S6 is a non-starter over here for a long term driver. And besides, what are you going to do when it breaks? I've had a horrendous time with my Roller to the point where I'm now fitting an LS3, replacing the brakes and suspension with US parts. And that's a whole lot cheaper than getting any parts of it fixed over here.t. If you use the speed 6 its a chance you take. But it is NOT on the EPA list of known configurations and so it is not a legal road use engine. Saying that i dont ever see that being an issue in most states, its just knowing which loops to jump through
dvs_dave said:
What sort of cars specifically (do they have US versions or not?) are you talking about, and what do you title them as? Kits, special construction, re-manufactured? I know there's plenty of loop-holes but finding the right one that doesn't leave you at risk of being deemed as unlawful is the tough part.
the car gets titled with it correct make,year and factory vin #. i had a renault spider a few years back,titled as a renault. the JDM cars dont have 17 digit vin #`s, there titled with it non 17 digit vin # . how you get deemed as unlawful?DOT even states there not responsible for titling a car,thats the responisbility of the state.
fatbutt said:
RJDM3 said:
You can title any car in Florida, they dont give a st.
If you use the speed 6 its a chance you take. But it is NOT on the EPA list of known configurations and so it is not a legal road use engine. Saying that i dont ever see that being an issue in most states, its just knowing which loops to jump through
Off the top of my head I can't remember the exact name of the chip/ sensor but you need one on your engine and TVR did not invest in it. Without it the EPA do not allow it. The S6 is a non-starter over here for a long term driver. And besides, what are you going to do when it breaks? I've had a horrendous time with my Roller to the point where I'm now fitting an LS3, replacing the brakes and suspension with US parts. And that's a whole lot cheaper than getting any parts of it fixed over here.t. If you use the speed 6 its a chance you take. But it is NOT on the EPA list of known configurations and so it is not a legal road use engine. Saying that i dont ever see that being an issue in most states, its just knowing which loops to jump through
Parts wise the TVR world is well catered for what with the internet and parts not being expensive. A far cry from trying to source old roller parts that's for sure! Also TVR's are simple things so are not hard to fix or maintain. Again the internet makes this a lot easier.
Edited by dvs_dave on Monday 2nd July 06:12
fatbutt said:
Don't know where you got your info but the EPA specifically states that you can't disassemble, ship then reassemble. That route was closed years ago. Nobles aren't imported this way - Roisson is a wholly US operation. And while it may be state specific, the TVR S6 is not EPA compliant so that's a non starter too.
Sorry to piss on your chips but it's not as easy as you've been lead the believe.
Indeed it does. However if you make certain minor alterations to it and re-manufacture it in the USA with an appropriate MSO you can then sell/buy it as a "new" car. Roisson are a wholly US operation who just happen to get their parts from Noble and assemble them with a locally sourced engine and their own MSO.Sorry to piss on your chips but it's not as easy as you've been lead the believe.
fatbutt said:
the TVR S6 is not EPA compliant so that's a non starter too.
I spy an S6 
This cars been in the US for a while now as has this one ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTvcB-1dRUw
which sounds like an S6 to me.
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