Lotus:eBay Motors (item 330354879073 end time Aug-31-09 18:27:37 PDT)
who bidding on this i want this so bad but i dont think i can bring it into Canada
who bidding on this i want this so bad but i dont think i can bring it into Canada
So who's bidding on this?
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1,269 Posts
Awesome! Not sure I would tout is as "the ultimate Track Car and one you can drive to work too." It has no roof. So it gets a bunch of negative points for practicality.
IMHO, there are only a handful of track cars that are practical for daily driving:
Z06
GTR
Porsche GT3
and of course Exige/Elise
The Exige and Elise being the least practical.
IMHO, there are only a handful of track cars that are practical for daily driving:
Z06
GTR
Porsche GT3
and of course Exige/Elise
The Exige and Elise being the least practical.
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291 Posts
I slipped in a bid. Immediately outbid. Doh.
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725 Posts
Just because he has a Utah title, doesn't mean it is legal to operate on the roads according to EPA and NHTSA. Having tricked his local DMV is no big challenge, but the consequences can be severe.
This car has identical status to the numerable R34 GTR's that were snuck into the country via several methods. As federal code reads, they have the choice of the crusher or immediate exportation upon discovery. (If...)
The other option is that he's swapped the VIN for a Fed S2 Elise, that is a class C Felony.
Anyone know if that's a legit 340R VIN?
The 340R was specifically denied to even be imported under the Show/Display clause (can be filed for due to unique pedigree or extreme rarity)- so this is as black market as it gets. No shades of grey. Perhaps silly laws but they are on the books. For example, you can currently import a RHD e30 BMW M3 Sport Evo, but not a LHD!
This car has identical status to the numerable R34 GTR's that were snuck into the country via several methods. As federal code reads, they have the choice of the crusher or immediate exportation upon discovery. (If...)
The other option is that he's swapped the VIN for a Fed S2 Elise, that is a class C Felony.
Anyone know if that's a legit 340R VIN?
The 340R was specifically denied to even be imported under the Show/Display clause (can be filed for due to unique pedigree or extreme rarity)- so this is as black market as it gets. No shades of grey. Perhaps silly laws but they are on the books. For example, you can currently import a RHD e30 BMW M3 Sport Evo, but not a LHD!
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725 Posts
That car will be legal to drive in the USA in 2025, unless the laws change (they won't change to make it earlier, that's for sure). But first, it needs to be exported and then re-imported.
Only 16 more years to go...
This is when a car is considered "classic" by age for the purposes of EPA and NHTSA.
Only 16 more years to go...
This is when a car is considered "classic" by age for the purposes of EPA and NHTSA.
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725 Posts
Too bad this wasn't an Lotus Opel Omega - at least it could be legally driven on the road!
Here's the most recently published list...
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/sdlist040109.pdf
Here's the most recently published list...
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/sdlist040109.pdf
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2,793 Posts
Now I'm intrigued... The Sierra Cosworth RS500 is legal for show importation? How hard is getting road legality(2,500 miles) for those?
I've been looking at converting an XR4, or Sierra shell with an XR vin to an RS500 replica... but I never knew about that.
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1,114 Posts
There has been numerous discussions on the legality and registering cars not legal for street use in the US. Most recent, at least that I participated in was one started by RoadDad.
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f120/340r-dmv-crack-75333/
This thread has a lot of speculation and some factual info.
Bottom line is that the 340R - even if registered as a street car in Utah - is illegal (federal law) to drive on the street in the US. When a car reaches 25 years of age the NHTSA doesn't car anymore, and when a car is 20 years old the EPA doesn't care anymore (both only applicable for importing cars). The 340R on ebay was imported as a track only car and therefore will never be eligible for road use in the US (unless - as I interpret - it was exported, then re-imported as a street car after it was 25 years old). 340R's that have never been imported can be legally imported and driven on the street when they are 25 years old.
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f120/340r-dmv-crack-75333/
This thread has a lot of speculation and some factual info.
Bottom line is that the 340R - even if registered as a street car in Utah - is illegal (federal law) to drive on the street in the US. When a car reaches 25 years of age the NHTSA doesn't car anymore, and when a car is 20 years old the EPA doesn't care anymore (both only applicable for importing cars). The 340R on ebay was imported as a track only car and therefore will never be eligible for road use in the US (unless - as I interpret - it was exported, then re-imported as a street car after it was 25 years old). 340R's that have never been imported can be legally imported and driven on the street when they are 25 years old.
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THe Lotus Omega/Carlton do get the NHTSA waiver, but still need to pass EPA, which is a significant expense, however they are only a few years away fron the 20 year EPA exemption, so a little patience could really pay off in 2011. (though I am not completely sure when the earliest cars were produced)
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1,114 Posts
Don't know about Canadian rules, but I suspect they are similar to and possibly more restrictive than the US
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Close to same rules in canada: Any car more than 15 years old can be imported no hoops to jump through. Cars younger than than CAN be imported if they pass the appropriate regulations AND if the manufacturer has applied to Transport Canada to be placed on the list of cars that can be imported. (the list is fairly easy to find on the Transport Canada web site) Lotus has generally not put any of its cars on that list to protect the fragile dealer network here from cheap imports from the states. (Fragile due to size of market)
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Less restrictive, actually. Anything over 15 years is open game in Canada. 6 more years, folks!
Many provinces have put a temporary ban on registering RHD cars because of widespread issues with theft and VIN foul-play from where the cars originated (thank you, Nissan crowd). RHD cars already registered can be replated.
However, my brother just imported a 1992 Corrado SLC from the States and he had a headache trying to get it plated, work including rewiring DRLs and disabling the automatic seatbelt function. I'll have to ask him why it didn't fall under the 15 year law, but it may be because it was treated as a domestic market 'Rrado.
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1,114 Posts
So from this the 340R (which the ebay ad says is a 2000) could be legally imported into and driven in 2016?
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