Hi Russ, I got here...
Lots of issues going on. I've just been though all the hoops with the DVLA and HM Customs (I gave up and got my car theough a experianced importer). I have also previously been at consultation group meetings with the Policy Unit at the DVLA with Bob Oliver who is head of Policy at the DVLA.
First off - import registrations. In the dim and distant past impoted cars got a registration letter corresponding to year of import. A '55 Chevy imported in 1979 would get a V plate for example. The log book would say "date of import 1979". Then they changed it so that imported cars got a Q plate so you couldn;t import a 5 year old car and register it as a new one, wind the clock back and con people (unscrupulous traders were doing this). You could transfer a private plate onto one of these though. Then they quickly changed it so the car got a registration letter for its year of manufacture. My '66 Buick was impoted in 1991 and has a 1966 D plate - the V5 says "year of import 1991, decared manufactured and registered abroad 1966". Normal rules about number plate transfers apply.
next up - reshelling. YOU CANNOT TRANSFER THE IDENTY OF ONE CAR ONTO ANOTHER. If you reshell a car using a 2nd hand shell the DVLA will issue a Q plate, the V5 will state "vehicle of indeterminate age" and IIRC if its a pre-73 it will no longer qualify for free road tax. The only way to do it is to use the registration document and ID of the "shell" that you are using. Then there is a points system. I don't have the numbers to hand but you need to have at least say 60% or so of the original car (the DVLA scores engine, transmission, front axle, rear axle but not glass or interior). Go over the 40% "other vehcile content" and you get the Q plate again. Of course, theres no reason to tell the DVLA you have rebuilt the car as the VIN plate is the same, the registration is the same, only the engine # will be different and you can claim you just swapped an engine over when you notify them of the change in engine # - this is naughty, but its what I'd do on a major rebuild of a good shell with mechanical parts from elsewhere.
These Q plates cannot be removed. This is done to protect the consumer against stolen or write off cars with "clean" ID's tranferred onto them.
The only way arround this if you reshell using a second hand shell (and this is dodgy so I didn;t say <img src="http://www.zclub.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='
'> ) is to transfer the chassis plate from your rotton car to your shell car and no-one is any the wiser. Dunno about Datsuns but on most classic American cars they are rivetted in place and can be removed and refitted. Make sure you cut up the old rotton shell to stop it from resurfacing later as someone elses project.
None of this applies if the shell, engine, etc. you are fitting is brand new. (EG MGBs with Herritage bodyshells). you can practically build a brand new MG and so long as you hold the V5 for the old car you can transfer the ID over to the new one. Again the old car must be fully destroyed in this case.
Next up - importing a car.
finding a good car in the USA is a tricky one. Assuming you want a running, driving car you are relying on the honesty of the vendor unless you use an independant appraiser to view it for you and this costs $$$. I was priced at about $300 for an inspection. Just because it isn;t rusty doesn;t mean it hasn;t been in a bad accident and is twisted...
Also just because its in California now doesn;t mean it hasn;t spent 30 years in New York rusting to hell before coming to California 2 years ago... Also some cars described as "southern state" are from Florida or other humid places. I have a friend who is born & bred Florida swamp rat. Apparently cars rust out from the inside out there... Beware.
Assuming you can find a car you trust... You need to obtain a CLEAR title to the vehicle. This is difficult in some southern states where they do not require a title on cars over a certain age!!!!
This is why its good to go through an importer. They will get all the paperwork correct (in many states you have to go through a Notary Public to get the pink slip in your name, kind of like going to a sollicitor here). US Customs are really clamping down on cars being exported without the right paperwork as a lot of stolen cars are going out of USA to South America and Europe.
If you don't go through an importer then at least use a proper shipping agent who will prepare all the customs paperwork both ends. They charge extra for this so make sure its in the price they quote. Also make sure they've quote for dock handling fees and storage.
Once your car is at UK customs you have to pay up the tax and duty. Duty is 10% of the vehicle invoice cost, and if they are suspicious of your invoice price they are legally able to make their own price up to reflect "current UK market price". The you have to pay VAT on the cost of the car, the cost of the duty and the cost of the shipping. You can, if you are REALLY clever get a 5% duty rate for a "historic" car, but when I tried to get 5% rate for a 1970 Plymouth with a production run of only about 5000 of that type I was told "no".
So on a $1500 (£1000) car, you pay say £1200 shipping and fees, £100 duty and £400 or so in VAT. Making £2700.
To register the car in the UK you will need, a current MOT (the MOT station puts the VIN number in the registration number section), all your customs clearance paperwork toprove the duty and VAT has been paid and the US registration document. If the customs paperwork or the US registration is missing then they will not register the car. No, not that it gets a Q plate, it WILL NOT be registered at all. I've seen modern cars being broken for parts because they were imported without the right paperwork.
You *may* be able to slip a really old car though by saying its been in the UK since before 1984 (when they computerised the records) and was previously UK registered but that both the V5 and the original plate shave been lost. In which case after thorough examination they may release an age related plate to the car. (and they look for signs like bright threads to show the plates have recently been removed!<img src="http://www.zclub.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='
'> This is also dodgey (fraud and misrepresentation, can get you 10 years max sentense) but it can be done that way.
By far the easiest and surprisingly cost effective way of doing it is using an importer. AP Inc, have been mentioned and I've got a car with Califirnia Classic Imports in Stockport and I cannot fault them (so far, not picked the car up yet...) All the paperwork done, full MOT, and all basic faults with the car put right prior to me picking it up.
Due to the number of cars they ship they get discount shipping which means they've got me the car and made a profit for themselves for the same price as me doing it myself and potentially cocking it all up and defiitly saved me a huge headache and laods of stress.
