Tuscan 2 for sale in Tampa, Florida?
Discussion
Gave them a call just to get some info. Not entirely sure they know what they are talking about though. I was told the car had a US title, was imported last year and is registered for road use in the U.S. This I am sure can't be right, can it? I also got the whole "John Travolta's car is the only other car in the US and his one can't drive on the road" sales pitch for good measure 
Apparently he has had offers of US$95-100k, yet the car is still there..
I would have thought this would have been snapped up with it being Florida and all. What say you?
http://www.mirabellamotors.net/vehicledetails.aspx...
Apparently he has had offers of US$95-100k, yet the car is still there..I would have thought this would have been snapped up with it being Florida and all. What say you?
http://www.mirabellamotors.net/vehicledetails.aspx...
I admit I don't know much about U S vehicle law but if it is not allowed as a classic (too new) and not allowed on the road (other regs) then could it be used as a track car for fun/events? Just a thought. Anyone with enough dollars in the savings jar could have a great car of interest amongst the regular boys toys.
Terminator said:
They had on the car on eBay last year, for about a month; from (my fading) memory, bidding reached $130k but never made reserve.
A sports car dealer and TVR specialist I know in Florida, tells me it can't be legal in the US.
Hayes @ Wired wheel?A sports car dealer and TVR specialist I know in Florida, tells me it can't be legal in the US.
It is possible to import the chassis once modified but this car is illegal because of how they imported.
Below is a dated picture (from late 2006), but it shows a TVR Tuscan happily tooling around in Beverly Hills (CA)
http://www.exoticspotter.com/car-pictures/8411/tvr...
For that California-based Tuscan and maybe even this Florida-based one it could be here in the US by way of the show & display permit as issued by the US Dept of Transportation. In which case you can drive that car on US road but "the odometer must not register more than 2,500 miles in a 12-month period" but the intent of that mileage allotment is strictly for "[transportation] to and from nearby displays of similar automobiles."
You can always wait for the EPA/DOT laws to lapse as they have now for the Porsche 959 which can be imported without all the hastle the existed before. April 2010 Insideline "Coming to America in the Porsche 959"
http://www.exoticspotter.com/car-pictures/8411/tvr...
For that California-based Tuscan and maybe even this Florida-based one it could be here in the US by way of the show & display permit as issued by the US Dept of Transportation. In which case you can drive that car on US road but "the odometer must not register more than 2,500 miles in a 12-month period" but the intent of that mileage allotment is strictly for "[transportation] to and from nearby displays of similar automobiles."
You can always wait for the EPA/DOT laws to lapse as they have now for the Porsche 959 which can be imported without all the hastle the existed before. April 2010 Insideline "Coming to America in the Porsche 959"
The optimal way of importing a TVR would be to buy a virgin chassis from one of the firms making them. The added benefit is that some of the new chassis are being made with LSx engines in mind for the race series in mind, so you have easier job mounting a US EPA legal engine and dealing with headers.
If you have a virgin chassis, you can then have all the parts sans engine moved onto the new chassis, and ship it over as a rolling chassis. You can't 'revert' a car with a chassis that has already been sold with a VIN to rolling chassis status according to DoT from my convos with them. In this case you are essentially using the original TVR as a donor car for a brand new car of your own as defined by the new chassis.
Once in the US you install the engine of your choice and you can register as you would any other kit car of your making. Its a bit of extra labor in stripping everything from one chassis to mount on a new one, but a savings when converting to an LSx engine, and a huge savings when compared to the hassle of buying an illegally imported TVR. Different states have their own regulations about registering kit cars and requirements. However, that's a state by state issue, not a federal one.
At least all this is my understanding.
If you have a virgin chassis, you can then have all the parts sans engine moved onto the new chassis, and ship it over as a rolling chassis. You can't 'revert' a car with a chassis that has already been sold with a VIN to rolling chassis status according to DoT from my convos with them. In this case you are essentially using the original TVR as a donor car for a brand new car of your own as defined by the new chassis.
Once in the US you install the engine of your choice and you can register as you would any other kit car of your making. Its a bit of extra labor in stripping everything from one chassis to mount on a new one, but a savings when converting to an LSx engine, and a huge savings when compared to the hassle of buying an illegally imported TVR. Different states have their own regulations about registering kit cars and requirements. However, that's a state by state issue, not a federal one.
At least all this is my understanding.
[quote=Wild]
If you have a virgin chassis, you can then have all the parts sans engine moved onto the new chassis, and ship it over as a rolling chassis. You can't 'revert' a car with a chassis that has already been sold with a VIN to rolling chassis status according to DoT from my convos with them. In this case you are essentially using the original TVR as a donor car for a brand new car of your own as defined by the new chassis.
quote]
If the chassis is remanufactured thus becoming the product of a new manufacturer, new VIN can be assigned. The chassis has to be up to DOT/FMVSS standard for a chassis. Quite a bit of correct paperwork will need to accompany the chassis to and as you have stated a EPA cert engine needs to be installed.
If however you are importing to Florida they have no smog/emissions test and you can get anything titled there
If you have a virgin chassis, you can then have all the parts sans engine moved onto the new chassis, and ship it over as a rolling chassis. You can't 'revert' a car with a chassis that has already been sold with a VIN to rolling chassis status according to DoT from my convos with them. In this case you are essentially using the original TVR as a donor car for a brand new car of your own as defined by the new chassis.
quote]
If the chassis is remanufactured thus becoming the product of a new manufacturer, new VIN can be assigned. The chassis has to be up to DOT/FMVSS standard for a chassis. Quite a bit of correct paperwork will need to accompany the chassis to and as you have stated a EPA cert engine needs to be installed.
If however you are importing to Florida they have no smog/emissions test and you can get anything titled there
RJDM3 said:
Wild said:
If you have a virgin chassis, you can then have all the parts sans engine moved onto the new chassis, and ship it over as a rolling chassis. You can't 'revert' a car with a chassis that has already been sold with a VIN to rolling chassis status according to DoT from my convos with them. In this case you are essentially using the original TVR as a donor car for a brand new car of your own as defined by the new chassis.
quote]
If the chassis is remanufactured thus becoming the product of a new manufacturer, new VIN can be assigned. The chassis has to be up to DOT/FMVSS standard for a chassis. Quite a bit of correct paperwork will need to accompany the chassis to and as you have stated a EPA cert engine needs to be installed.
If however you are importing to Florida they have no smog/emissions test and you can get anything titled there
How does that impact registering it in a state that does have smog test requirement? As for remanufacturing a chassis, in a way I assume that is a trade off of work in order to demonstrate it was sufficiently remanufactured vs the cost of a new chassis and stripping down the original car. I never looked into the idea of remanufacturing a chassis. It wasn't brought up as an option by the gentleman in charge of such things at the DoT years back. I'll admit I don't know the regulations that guide what can be accepted as 'remanufactured'. I presume that is where a lot of the paperwork is required. quote]
If the chassis is remanufactured thus becoming the product of a new manufacturer, new VIN can be assigned. The chassis has to be up to DOT/FMVSS standard for a chassis. Quite a bit of correct paperwork will need to accompany the chassis to and as you have stated a EPA cert engine needs to be installed.
If however you are importing to Florida they have no smog/emissions test and you can get anything titled there
Since it can be a bit fiddly from all reports to convert a TVR to an LSx engine, both mounting and dealing with exhaust, I wonder if going with a brand new chassis from some place like: http://www.tvrmonster.co.uk/, might still not be more affordable and reliable long term in order to have a housing that'll fit your new powerplant properly.
Regardless, I was pleased to hear about those new chassis a year ago. I wish I had heard of them five years back when I was looking into importing one myself.
I may look back into it again in a couple years. We'll see. Good luck with your own endeavors.
Silence...
I suppose this is where things are sensitive, as likely there is minimal modification to the chassis. Though, its possible that modifying it to support an LSx engine might constitute remanufacturing. I'd have to reach back out to the DoT though.
In reality, the option sounds more appealing if you wanted to create a rolling chassis from an S1 Elise. Can't get a 'new' Elise chassis, and was more of a fan of the original S1, particularly early years before it began to bloat. Given the availability of new chassis for TVRs, that seems a cleaner and less peril fraught path for creating a rolling chassis for a kit car.
Regardless, good luck to all. If you do go that path, post pics
I suppose this is where things are sensitive, as likely there is minimal modification to the chassis. Though, its possible that modifying it to support an LSx engine might constitute remanufacturing. I'd have to reach back out to the DoT though.
In reality, the option sounds more appealing if you wanted to create a rolling chassis from an S1 Elise. Can't get a 'new' Elise chassis, and was more of a fan of the original S1, particularly early years before it began to bloat. Given the availability of new chassis for TVRs, that seems a cleaner and less peril fraught path for creating a rolling chassis for a kit car.
Regardless, good luck to all. If you do go that path, post pics
the current title isnt its first UK to FL title, it had a Fl title beofre its currnt FL title
https://www7.hsmv.state.fl.us/vehiclecheck/
his the link and plug the acrs vin # in it
https://www7.hsmv.state.fl.us/vehiclecheck/
his the link and plug the acrs vin # in it
There is no way I would touch any imported car in the USA that wasn't originally sold in the US without a complete, traceable, and legal paper trial from the country of origin/importer, the documentation from the exporting companies DMV equivalent to show the car was legally exported, and originals of all the importation paperwork that covers the EPA forms and customs form through to US DMV registration and title issue.
Anyone who is prepared to overlook this paperwork is potentially asking for a LOT of trouble from US authorities, re insurance claims, and risk having the car impounded etc.
I imported a 1968 Triumph when I moved to the US and it was not smooth sailing doing that. The import agency mixed up a couple of digits on the VIN and the DMV refused to register it until I had the documented corrected, and the DMV wanted to see EVERY piece of paperwork showing the car was legally imported.
The US FMVSS and DoT websites clearly list all vehicle makes and models that have previously been approved for import and last time I looked a TVR was NOT on the list.
Anyone who is prepared to overlook this paperwork is potentially asking for a LOT of trouble from US authorities, re insurance claims, and risk having the car impounded etc.
I imported a 1968 Triumph when I moved to the US and it was not smooth sailing doing that. The import agency mixed up a couple of digits on the VIN and the DMV refused to register it until I had the documented corrected, and the DMV wanted to see EVERY piece of paperwork showing the car was legally imported.
The US FMVSS and DoT websites clearly list all vehicle makes and models that have previously been approved for import and last time I looked a TVR was NOT on the list.
geeman237 said:
There is no way I would touch any imported car in the USA that wasn't originally sold in the US without a complete, traceable, and legal paper trial from the country of origin/importer, the documentation from the exporting companies DMV equivalent to show the car was legally exported, and originals of all the importation paperwork that covers the EPA forms and customs form through to US DMV registration and title issue.
Anyone who is prepared to overlook this paperwork is potentially asking for a LOT of trouble from US authorities, re insurance claims, and risk having the car impounded etc.
I imported a 1968 Triumph when I moved to the US and it was not smooth sailing doing that. The import agency mixed up a couple of digits on the VIN and the DMV refused to register it until I had the documented corrected, and the DMV wanted to see EVERY piece of paperwork showing the car was legally imported.
The US FMVSS and DoT websites clearly list all vehicle makes and models that have previously been approved for import and last time I looked a TVR was NOT on the list.
that is just your personal preferance,some people dont careAnyone who is prepared to overlook this paperwork is potentially asking for a LOT of trouble from US authorities, re insurance claims, and risk having the car impounded etc.
I imported a 1968 Triumph when I moved to the US and it was not smooth sailing doing that. The import agency mixed up a couple of digits on the VIN and the DMV refused to register it until I had the documented corrected, and the DMV wanted to see EVERY piece of paperwork showing the car was legally imported.
The US FMVSS and DoT websites clearly list all vehicle makes and models that have previously been approved for import and last time I looked a TVR was NOT on the list.
The car probably does have a Florida title.
I'd ask to see the DOT and EPA releases showing that it's been legally imported.
I was a car dealer in Florida for years, if you're clever you can get a title for most anything there. I somewhere still have a Florida title for a car I once owned and kept in the UK. The car never set a single tire in the USA.
I know of several cars that are over here now illegally, including a BMW 530d touring.
A US title means, to use British English, sweet F.A.
I'd ask to see the DOT and EPA releases showing that it's been legally imported.
I was a car dealer in Florida for years, if you're clever you can get a title for most anything there. I somewhere still have a Florida title for a car I once owned and kept in the UK. The car never set a single tire in the USA.
I know of several cars that are over here now illegally, including a BMW 530d touring.
A US title means, to use British English, sweet F.A.
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