Carfanatix

Porsche 911 vs Cayman.....experts chime in......what are your thoughts?

Importing a car legally.......

No matter what auto forum you are on there is always a thread about cars that people want but never made it to the US.  There are stories of the Nissan Skyline that were imported and then seized by the goverment.  People are always asking how do I do it?  Here is an example of someone who did it.

 

Draconian import restrictions make it difficult, but not impossible, to bringlustworthy foreign cars never sold in the U.S. to our shores. Do it wrong and the Feds will take your ride. Here's Mike Solo's instructions for doing it right. — Ed.

My adventure in introducing America to the most legendary and finest product to ever come out of Sochaux, France began in Afghanistan. My 4th tour started to stretch into interminable lengths, to where I spent much time perusing the used car ads in Britain. I began looking for something bizarre and awesome to bring back with me to the US, asmy three year assignment to Germany was coming to an end.

I gave my British friends a mission; find me a unique, 25-year old car that has never been sold in the US, all for £3000. Ford Fiesta XR2iʼs, Escort XR3iʼs, Triumph Dolomite Sprints and many others passed my eyes, yet I fell in love with a little white 1986 205 GTI 1.6 (with 1.9 wheels). Two days later, the little super baguette was purchased and stored in Sheffield, Yorkshire awaiting my return.

The Peugeot 205 GTI made me a better driver. In itʼs native environment, the little Pug encourages you to fling it around wet bends ignoring the hedgerows about to swallow you whole. Yet, when in an new environment never exposed to such a legendary hot hatch, the Pug encourages you to become hyper aware of your surroundings, ready to avoid the next obstacle, lest the now looming pick-ups and SUVs smash your French biscuit tin into a metallic paste to be scraped off the American Interstate.

Never drive your heroes, unless they contain both "205" and "GTI" somewhere in the label. It truly lives up to all the hype ever bestowed upon it. Tricky to drive smoothly, but rewarding in every regard, I spent many, many laps at the Nurburgring finding exactly what its limits were.

If I had a bad day at work, I would ditch my SEAT Toledo V5, hop in the Peugeot, and 30 seconds later would be on track with all my cares gone. Everything about the 205 GTI communicates to you exactly what how the car reacts to the road. The little shudders through the floor pan, the tugs on the wheel, the back end sliding ever so slightly, warning you not to lift all add up to a driving experience never to be replicated in a modern car deadened by weight and power gizmos.

So regretfully, when it came time to leave my home of three years in Nurburg, I began the long process of exporting the Peugeot. Having attained an age of 25 years in August of 2011, the 205 finally met the age to get around all the NHSTA FMVSS restrictions. I had to check one box on the HSV-7 Importation Form, declare the age, provide proof of the age (date of manufacture or date of first registration), and take it to the port in
Wittlich, Germany.

Picking a registered importer remains the most crucial part in exporting a car. Get a bad one, and you are faced with fees, paperwork, and other myriad details, and a possibility your car will be refused entry. Choose the right one, and the whole process becomes fairly easy. I choose Transcar GMBH, a German based firm with the backing of the US Government. Their quote of $2600 (size and weight are the determining factor) seemed a bit higher than the others, but with a guarantee of delivery to Dallas with no hidden fees sealed the deal.

On a rainy day in November 2011, the Peugeot was delivered to the exporter in Wittlich clean and sparkling. Damage inspection and paperwork took 45 minutes, and I left the car to be loaded on a truck to Bremerhaven. It would then board a ship, and two months later, arrive in Georgia to go through customs. After clearing customs, the importer would load it onto a truck for transport to the final Vehicle Processing Center in Dallas, TX.

This February, I was notified of my Pugʼs arrival, and after a short flight from Midland to Dallas I collected the car. True to their word, the process took less than 30 minutes, and I was on my way back to Midland in a UK-plated Peugeot 205 GTI (the original plates serve as temporary ones for 30 days).

The roads are straighter, wider, and full of ginormous trucks, but the hot hatch proved no less fun than on the roads in Europe. Yet, once home in Midland, the largest problem of importation came to a head, the process of obtaining a Texas Inspection Certificate.

A full afternoon of arguing with the regional headquarters in Odessa about what constitutes federal exemption (to where I literally had to read to them their own highway code), I left BMW of the Permian Basin with a sticker attached, a clear US Title, and Texas Plates.

The locals seem to be very receptive to the French transplant, and are most amused by the steering wheel on the right hand side. I get many thumbs up and will appear in several Facebook photos. Yet the long wait, and massive amount of paperwork were all worth the effort at bringing the French version of the Mustang over.

 

 

Jalopnik

F10 M5 vs Nissan GT-R

Ok not your natural match up but considering the similar HP ratings why the hell not?  Although the M5 will always be one of my favorite GT's........the Nissan GT-R is the only car to date that has given me a "Holy Mary mother of god" moment........yeah it's like that!

2012: RUF Rt 35 Anniversary

I've always been a fan of RUF ever since seeing "Yellow Bird" on the cover of Road & Track in the late 80's. Now RUF is back! RUF Automobile has come to the 2012 Geneva Auto show with a very powerful hand as we have reported in a previous discussion, but this magnificent green-metallic tribute to the 77' 3.3 Turbo has to be the apple, or shall we say the "Green" apple of our eyes.

The Rt 35 Anniversary is based on the Porsche 991. Its Turbo power-train is offered only in rear wheel drive. The engine produces 630 hp and is available with the PDK transmission ensuring outstanding performance and driver comfort. The name is derived from RUF's 35 year history and expertise with turbo-charged engines.

Displayed beside the Rt 35 Anniversary is the 1977 RUF Turbo 3.3. The 3.3 litre engine produced 303 hp and was mated to RUF's own 5‑speed transmission. This specific car was the original one tested by the German car magazine, Auto Motor and Sport. This car was bought back and restored by RUF Automobile.

Technical Data Rt 35 Anniversary

• Power at 630ps/464kW @ 6500
• Torque at825 Nm @ 3000 1/min
• Displacement: 3800 cm³
• Transmission: Double clutch gearbox
• Top Speed: 330 km/h

TechArt Program for the 991

One glance at the newly designed front end and you immediately recognise the sporty character of the vehicle. The two-part TECHART front spoiler with an integrated splitter fits perfectly into the design of the sports car and allows the front to sit even closer to the ground. In addition, two Aero Wings, which are integrated into the front air inlet vents, lend the car a new and dynamic shaft outline.

There is a clear TECHART statement on the rear of the Porsche 911: the fixed rear spoiler with a striking trailing edge and an integrated third brake light, which assimilates with the line of the roof and reflects the overall sporty impression from every angle. As your gaze continues downwards, the TECHART rear diffusor and the TECHART side skirts on the wing of the vehicle complete the exterior range. Subtle trim panels for the front headlights as well as side mirror panels provide further highlights that come with an assured sense of style.

Thanks to the new TECHART exhaust system with valve control including EC-type approval, as well as the dual oval tubes, the Porsche 911 combines its visual appearance with an impressive and attractive acoustic.

 For unique exterior design, TECHART offers its customers the classic and elegant TECHART Formula 5-spoke light alloy wheel in 20- and 21-inch sizes for the new Carrera and Carrera S. Similarly, the TECHART Formula III forged wheel with five dynamically designed double spokes is available in 20 and 21-inch. This wheel offers a weight advantage of up to 15 % compared to a cast wheel and the connected reduction in unsprung mass contributes to an immediate increase in driving dynamics.

Salon-Auto

Ferrari dreaming...........F12 Berlinetta

A wet dream...................

Aston Martin's Stratstone Edition DB9

Aston Martin is one of the few bespoke manufactures that allow you to customize everything in the car all the way down to the thickness of the stiching in the interior.  Back in Dec they announced a limited edition of 60 Stratstone Edition DB9 that will have special touches which can only be Aston Martin.

Retro Quilted headliner

Crystal buttons

Piano Black Veneer

@InsideFerrari What good can come from a 599 GTO and a tunnel?

@Toyota is Hybrid TS 030 the new Batmobile?

So I've been seeing videos of the the Toyota Hybrid TS 030 which will make its debut at the 24hrs at Le Mans this year.  When watching the car leave the pit the first thing that came to my mind is the Batmobile from the 70's.  Just dont take my word for it listen for yourself........Just paint this thing all black and Batman has his new ride!

Now here is the Batmobile.........

BMW having fun in the snow...............@Audi @BMW @BMWCCA

Ok so there has always been a rivalry between Audi and BMW depending on what forum you're on you will hear why one is better than the other.  They both have their pro's and con's however, lately I've been hearing a lot about how bad BMW's are in the snow even bad mouthing the Xdrive.  Here's a video of a BMW having fun in the snow!