Hmmm - never seen any P1's or 2 door Scoobs over there

Will contact the guy to see whats possible

Might be more hassle than its worth

At least decent fuel is available on the cheap - 116 Ron for $5 a gallon aint bad. (76 fuels? brand) or the normal 93 (Ron+Mon/2) superunleaded we have for about $1.60 for 3 quarts (our gallon is 4 quarts!)

US drivers are not interested in Turbo's - they prefer big litre cubic capacity - I attended a 'beat the heat' police event last July which had tonnes of 1200bhp cars all driven by Police!

Made the Black car in the 'Fast and the Furious' look amateur....

At least importing in a conmtainer to the States should only cost about £600 - dont know what the import duties are though... cant believe the 2 year rule

[Edited by steve McCulloch - 7/5/2002 11:11:16 PM]

 

What dya think of the Silver Arch in St Louis - totally out of place......... nice though - like driving into a sci-fi movie when you go across the Interstate bridges

Probably be in Springfield in the next 12 months....

Tried to use the North American US website - but it was not user friendly.. - registered but dont seem to able to post at all- perhaps I'll send an email to the administrator!

[Edited by steve McCulloch - 7/5/2002 11:27:37 PM]

 

Well, yes and no. It originated in Springfield, Massachusetts, not Springfield, Illinois. There are a number of Springfields scattered across the US, with the most famous being the one the Simpsons reside in! Actually, my home town has a large (but non-nuclear) power plant, and there is a Shelbyville about 40 miles from here. I think I know where Matt Groening got his inspiration...

BTW, Springfield, Massachusetts was also famous for the fact that Rolls Royce once had a factory there. It was intended to serve the US market for their cars, but I believe the Great Depression led to its demise.

Steve, you'll have to let me know when you're going to be in Springfield. I'll buy you a beer and give you a go in my woefully underpowered Impreza!

[Edited by Mike M - 7/6/2002 12:10:19 AM]

 

Just a question...

Not considered it till now but...

I may have to move to the states for business - may only be for a few years...

does anyone know how I might go about finding out if I can take my P1 ???

thanks in advance !!

 

Very doubtful that you would be able to import the car into the US for normal road use.

The major issue would be emissions. I seriously doubt if the P1 would ever meet the very stringent US regulations.

Also, I'm not certain that the 2-door coupe body was available in the US (did the 2.5RS use it?). If not, then you would have to provide the relevant authorities in the US with a car for crash testing purposes!!!!

It is possible to import the car for motorsport usage, but even then it's pretty difficult to do.

I looked into this when I was considering importing my Evo6 into the US, but gave it all up as a bad job.

Andy.

 

Ring American Car Imports and ask to speak to Tony Cohen. They do this sort of thing with Yank Tanks all the time which are often worth more stateside or back for restoration. Shouldnt cost you more than a couple of grand.

 

do you have a number for them or a www addi ?

thanks in advance

 

www.americancarimports.co.uk

Tony Cohen is a decent bloke and is very knowledgeable on SVA, type approval, emissions etc.

 

Hasnt Bill Gates still got a 959 impounded in customs in the states because it wasnt allowed in ?

Rich Squires tried to take his 22B back to the states and hit the same regulations.

Subaru US have a 22B I think but it has to exported or crushed after 2 years if memorty serves me correctly.

 

Well, we definitely have 2-door Imprezas over here (I own one!), but I don't think you'll stand much chance of getting your P1 in. Even if you could prove to the Department of Transportation that it was substantially similar enough to the US-spec cars to meet their safety requirements, you would then have to deal with the Environmental Protection Agency to get the emissions certified. Without major work, this would likely never happen.

As for the 2-year rule, it's actually a 1-year rule. Manufacturers are allowed to bring nonconforming cars into the US for a period of one year, for use as promotional tools. (Write-ups in car mags, appearances at shows, etc.) However, after one year, the car either has to be taken back out of the country or crushed under the supervision of government reps. No parts can be scavenged, and I've never heard of extensions being allowed.

If I were you, I'd leave the P1 in storage and try your hand at something that you can't buy in the UK while you're here. I'm not a big American car guy, but I've always had a soft spot for V8 Mustangs....

 

Springfield - whats that like - been to Jacksonville near there and St Louis (MO)

Unfortunately based in Cininatti most of the time - but prefer it to St Louis!

Have seen plenty of the 218ps 4 door Scoob Turbo's - but no real performance cars - Well I dont call a Dodge Viper a true drivers performance car - hows that compare to the Mustang?

 

Well, the Viper has quite a bit more horsepower than the Mustang, but it's also a lot more expensive. I'm not partial to any particular engine type (turbo, S/C, N/A), but there is something attractive about the rumble of a big V8, that's for sure.

As for Springfield, it's not a bad place. It's the state capital, and we have lots of tourist stuff centering around Abraham Lincoln. The only home he ever owned is here, as is the statehouse he served in, his old law office, and the train depot that he departed from when he was elected President. Oh, and he's buried here as well. Springfield's not very big, only about 110,000 people, but it's alright.

What do you do that takes you to Cincinnati, St. Louis and Jacksonville?

 

Mike M

$70,000 for a Viper.........

Mustang - you can hire one of these from Avis......

Reason for going to those places - I've been to most places in the states... - Yellow School buses!! - First Student... school buses

 

Sorry for O/T but... Mike, wasn't Springfield the city where basketball originated ?

 

I doubt US fuel will do ur engine good there, even if u managed to get the car registered there.
The octane ratings are different, but US fuel has much higher Sulphur content than European fuels, & this may damage the engine.
US fuels are cheap due to low taxes, but they are also of worse quality than fuels refined in Europe or Singapore.

 

told you my memory is bad 1 year instead of 2 suppose in Springfield tradition D'OH

 

Clarence

What dya mean - worse quality - yep does have higher sulphur, but Octane wise there about the same
High octane is also fairly easy to buy in bulk and is a similar price to ordianry UK fuel.

Mike M -I'll retain your email details and send a mail (if your still on the same mail address!) - even if I'm in Cincinatti - it gets me out and about at the weekend

(Enjoyed the Indy 500 several weeks ago - even if the result was controversial - yep I was there - Us UK people get out and about - more fun and a lot cheaper than Silverstone)

 

Hey !
Thanks for all the information - I am in the US currently in Springfield, MA would you believe !!

Anyway - I am guessing that it's more trouble then it is worth - guess I will either leave it with a trusted friend so it does get out once in a while or I will put it into storage.

if I were to leave it with a friend - and that friend say pays half the finance and insurance payment etc etc - anyone know where the legal things would stand - car ownership etc etc - would the finance company need to know - has anyone done this before and can you help me out with some advice ???

cheers...

 

I would have thought as long as the finance and insurance company get their money I dont think they would be bothered. If the car is stored at a different address then they would have to know obviously.

 

would he need to be a named driver on mine or have his own policy ?

 

Do u know Sulphur is very bad for engines? Especially engines that are made out of aluminium alloy. I don't know what material Subaru uses to line the cylinders, but if they use Nikasil then the Sulphur will cause the engine to wear out very quickly (in some cases less than 10k miles).
That is the reason why BMW did not sell the E36 M3 Evo there (the one with 321bhp), they had an engine specially designed for the US market.
If Sulphur does not affect the environment or engine performance, then y does the EU have limits for them in fuel?