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They are really hard to find in Canada at all and I have never seen a used coupe for sale here. Importing from the US isn't really a difficult process but the requirements for the specific vehicle narrows the playing field considerably.

I'm not sure if anyone has ever imported a Speedster that's titled as a 1955 VW for instance and just got it registered with the paperwork and no car. I'd be VERY specific with my insurer about what I have though (replica, modified etc).

WNGD posted:

I'm not sure if anyone has ever imported a Speedster that's titled as a 1955 VW for instance and just got it registered with the paperwork and no car. I'd be VERY specific with my insurer about what I have though (replica, modified etc).

I brought my first Intermeccanica into Canada just that way.  It took a lot of research and preparation, and an understanding customs agent, but it was done.

Bob: IM S6 posted:
WNGD posted:

I'm not sure if anyone has ever imported a Speedster that's titled as a 1955 VW for instance and just got it registered with the paperwork and no car. I'd be VERY specific with my insurer about what I have though (replica, modified etc).

I brought my first Intermeccanica into Canada just that way.  It took a lot of research and preparation, and an understanding customs agent, but it was done.

The question of absolute legality comes up here sometimes, but I've never been asked to see the car (which doesn't have to be there obviously since it's not registered) so if the title says "1968 VW", that's what you're registering I suppose. But as I said, I'd be very sure my insurance company knows the car is severely modified including engine or you really don't have insurance.

It took a lot of time to decipher the regulations re: importing a replica into Canada.  Kit cars have a distinct government classification, at least they did back then.  There was a degree of confusion and seemingly conflicting rules/regulations.  I had to do a lot of investigation to determine how to approach this, what proof I would need, what the rules were regarding customs, etc.  I found it almost impossible to get a straight answer from anyone in government in terms of what I needed to do.  I even visited the closest office to get clear answers, but that was fruitless.

I bought the car from a fellow in Detroit.  I drove there to inspect it, and bought it the same day.  I then had to have him arrange (he was a SOC member back then) to bring the paper work to a Detroit customs site three days before the car was going to be brought in to Canada.  There are U.S rules about exporting cars, and he had to follow all those.

I had to have documented proof of the selling price of the car, the registration, etc.  I printed off all required documentation - and more - ahead of time, as I still had not gotten any straight answers from the Canadian bureaucrats.  

I arranged for a local flat bed fellow to drive to Detroit to pick the car up, and to bring it to U.S. customs.  At customs, we had to go through their security checks (x-rays of trucks, etc.).  

At the Canadian side, I presented all the documentation, registration as a ? year VW (I can't remember what year it was registered as) to a young lady at the counter.  She looked over all the papers, then glanced outside and saw not a VW, but a Speedster on the flat bed.  At that point, she got irritated, and started to turn negative about the situation.  I simple reiterated that it was a VW with a modified body, and showed her all the documentation.  I did not back down.

She got pissed at that point.  Thankfully, an older customs officer overheard what was going on, and came over.  He looked outside at the car, looked at all the documentation, and said, "I know what you are doing, and all is fine". 

As long as the paper work was legal, what the car looked like was unimportant.  They have done their job, and it's the paper work that gets filed away.

So, that's why I might not do this again, unless it's easier these days.

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