Lucky Cat USA Roadtrip

ProjectPuma

Help Support ProjectPuma:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DradusContact

Active member
Joined
Mar 10, 2008
Messages
2,487
Done a search for this but can't see a post for it. Has anyone seen this guy on YouTube who shipped his puma over to America and drove it from Detroit to San Francisco?
 
:lol: I was thinking about this only yesterday, as I'm trying to formulate a plan to head to the States for Sebring 12hour sportscar race in March next year, and thought it would be a blast (impossible dream) to get my Puma over there. I recalled this guy taking his Puma to the USA, but haven't heard anything since.

I imagine getting Parts would be a logistical nightmare, so any issues may result in the little car getting scrapped - even over here they are becoming a little harder to source sometimes.
 
https://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=30369&p=356907&hilit=usapuma#p356907
 
Here is the youtube page for him

https://www.youtube.com/user/chrisjamesbehan

He makes it to San Fran then recreates the original advert there. Is he not on here or anything? He must be on one of the puma forums surely.

Edit: Ah i had a feeling there might be a post about it. I did search 'detroit' 'america' 'usa' etc but couldn't see anything.
 
:lol: :lol: :lol:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5bRmSfhOKk[/youtube]

Absolutely brilliant - well done that man! :thumbs:
 
The full thread is on Puma People, as far as I’m aware, it had to be scrapped at the end as was prohibitively expensive to put back on a boat to blighty
 
XAF said:
[post]367535[/post] The full thread is on Puma People, as far as I’m aware, it had to be scrapped at the end as was prohibitively expensive to put back on a boat to blighty
What an absolute waste. I bet there must be a car enthusiast or collector over there who would of been made up with it. America is so big though I guess it's being close to one that would be the issue.
 
DradusContact said:
[post]367538[/post]
XAF said:
[post]367535[/post] The full thread is on Puma People, as far as I’m aware, it had to be scrapped at the end as was prohibitively expensive to put back on a boat to blighty
What an absolute waste. I bet there must be a car enthusiast or collector over there who would of been made up with it. America is so big though I guess it's being close to one that would be the issue.

The issue was that it was too ‘new’ to qualify for official importing, so the only way to drive it over there is on a 12 month temporary importation permit. After that you have to prove it’s left the country or that it’s been scrapped. You can’t even legally park it up and not use it
 
XAF said:
[post]367546[/post]
DradusContact said:
[post]367538[/post]
XAF said:
[post]367535[/post] The full thread is on Puma People, as far as I’m aware, it had to be scrapped at the end as was prohibitively expensive to put back on a boat to blighty
What an absolute waste. I bet there must be a car enthusiast or collector over there who would of been made up with it. America is so big though I guess it's being close to one that would be the issue.

The issue was that it was too ‘new’ to qualify for official importing, so the only way to drive it over there is on a 12 month temporary importation permit. After that you have to prove it’s left the country or that it’s been scrapped. You can’t even legally park it up and not use it

I never knew that, XAF - what is the age thing? Can 'official importing' only happen for cars of a certain age? I know that the McLaren F1 had to be specially imported (not sure how) in order to be legal on the US roads. I'm assuming that the US don't have a SORN equivalent? What if you are in the middle of a 5-year restoration - do you still have to tax it?
 
I’m sure the manufacturers get away with it somehow, but the US have cracked down lately too with ‘old’ Defenders and Mini’s being seized and crushed as they were imported using old VINs from a donor car. Obvious when you see a 2000 era multi-point Mini wearing a 1976 number plate.

This is the section:

A motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old can be lawfully imported into the U.S. without regard to whether it complies with all applicable DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Such a vehicle would be entered under Box 1 on the HS-7 Declaration form to be given to Customs at the time of importation. If you wish to see that form, you may download a copy from our website at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import.
 
I think the issue for a car under 25 years old is whether it conformed to US standards when it was originally on sale / if it was ever for sale in the US as a new model.

Things like certain standards of bumpers, lights, reflectors - even crash-testing - might be necessary to conform to the standards. Plus making newer cars harder to import protects the US car industry...

So - it’s a problem for a modern classic like the Puma which was never sold in the US in the first place.

I have a dream one day to retire to Florida. My Puma will be considerably older than 25 by then (more like 40) so, in my dream, there is no issue preventing it coming with us :)
 
Interestingly, you would only have to, technically, cross just 75 miles of sea to get from the UK to the USA.
 
Wasn't there something called the '911' law or something? Bill Gates had a porchse but couldn't get it imported for years or something I seem to remember.
 
Jealous :oops:

I was toying with this a few years back after I'd toured Europe, drive to America & then dump/scrap the Puma there after touring.

The plan was far too ambitious for me & that idea was scrapped after I got as far as Russia & couldn't see any real detail in the roads or if it was even possible to get to the Bering Staight at the shortest crossing point into Alaska :lol:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top