[MyFutureSelfnMe]

From eastcoastrover.com:

Titles:
Remember that to get a "title" is easy, but having a title does not make a Rover road legal for the USA. A vehicle must be titled and should have DOT/EPA and NHTSA approval before you should even consider buying it, or you assume a massive liability and maybe even a vehicle that will not be able to get tags in your state once you get it home. It is very easy to obtain a title in a lot of states. The fact that a vehicle has a title in no way means that it automatically will pass EPA, your states emissions tests or your state inspection. A number of shops will import parts and create a new vehicle out of them. Then get a rebuild or other type of title through one of those easy states. The DOT however clearly states that a vehicle that is created must meet all the standards for the year in which it was most recently built. A lot of hobbyists take the risks and just focus on if a Rover has a title or not and if you are one of them we wish you well, but to the letter of the law it would also have to meet DOT standards. We are not stating you should live your life to the letter of the law, but if you are going to buy one of these vehicles you need to be aware of the ups and downs associated with them. Here again, the good news is that these built up cars are cheap, but when you go to sell they will not bring back what you likely spent.

We even know of a case where a Rover owner bought an illegal import that had a Utah title (and no DOT certification) and drove it around. Sometime later that vehicle had a bad accident where the driver was at fault. Under accident investigation it was found that the Rover was not DOT certified because the police officer investigating the accident could not find a 2001 Defender 110 in his crash estimating books. They also had issues because the Rover had a chassis # that indicated the vehicle was a 2001 Defender 110 (RHD, 300 Tdi) and a VIN that indicated it was a 1975 Series III 109 (LHD, 4 cyl) and the actual vehicle was a Defender 110 (LHD with an EFI V8). The Rover owner's insurance company refused to pay the claims against him. He lost his shirt because he was sued by the others involved in the accident, and he had incorrect insurance coverage, but that won't happen to you... right?

Make sure you have a VIN that matches the vehicle. Don't use the VIN from a 1986 Toyota Corolla. I've heard that at least in NYS, liability claims have to be paid out even if you lie to your insurer. Please try to find a way to insure the vehicle without lying to your insurer. I don't think this is a show stopper, but this should be your *primary* concern - not the government.

I cannot comment with any authority on what will happen if you are caught by US Customs violating the racing vehicle exclusion. I would google for the experience of someone who has had that happen.