A month or so ago I posted the question "How does one import a
Canadian TR6 into the US". After getting the run-around from various
bureaucracies for a few weeks I finally got it done. Thanks to all who
responded with suggestions...
What I've learned:
1) The "proper" way to do it is to contact the US offices of the
Rover Group, who will deal with their counterparts in England to determine
if the particular car met the US EPA & DOT standards for the year it was
manufactured, and, if not, what modifications would be required (based on
commission number)
2) #1 takes a long time
3) the 'U' at the end of my commission number either means 'US-type
market' or 'Left hand drive'. (I, of course, emphasised the first
interpretation)
4) different customs inspectors interpret the law differently
5) you can drive for quite a while without license plates & not get
pulled over
6) 'Federal' on the commission plate does not necessarily mean US.
What I finally did (as someone suggested), was drive the car to a
customs inspection station and have an inspector look at the car. Since the
car is older than 20 years, the EPA requirements were not an issue. The
inspector initially gave me the 'you need a letter from the manufacturer'
line, but as I persisted in showing him the Bentley manual & owners manual
which support #3, he agreed to have a look at the car. He looked at the
commission plate & told me 'Federal does not mean US'; he then found the
EPA sticker on the left front fender, saw 'meets all US and California
requirements', and, feeling superior for having found what I'd missed, said
"that's what I needed to see" and signed me off. I quickly shut the hood
and neglected to remind him that he was looking for DOT compliance, not EPA
compliance (though, perhaps, one does imply the other).
Thanks again for all the suggestions, now I can start fixing it up...
-Brendan O'Shea
73 TR6 CF1680U
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