How to import an Evo IV to the US
Dec 27, 2012, 12:52 AM
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OK, here's the long and the short of it. I have done my homework... I am not some kid, and I have actually gone through the process. We did it on a 2000 Ferrari F360, and it cost as much to go through the process as the car itself. It was not financially worth it, and we knew this from the get-go. We did it for purely sentimental purposes.
To legally bring the car to the US, you have to have it meet federal crash standards, and EPA standards.
We were lucky, the 360 was available as a US car, so all we had to do is drop it off at Ferrari Classico in Modena, and have them update the car to US standards. Door beams were installed, the airbags were changed, all of the glass/plastic in the car was changed from E code to DOT equivalents, foam was added to the bumpers, the exhaust was changed, and the computer was re-calibrated. Ferrari then provided us a letter in both english and italian that the car has been updated to all federal standards for model year 2000.
We then drove the vehicle to London, where it was handed over to the RI (Registered importer), who put the car on a boat to Miami. The car then sat in Miami for 6 weeks while customs denied importation 2xs without looking at the paperwork provided (because the VIN was not a US registered VIN#) the RI appealed the customs decision twice, until finally it was released for cleaning and inspection, then finally released so the car could be shipped to TN.
It was a headache, it was stressful, and while the car had sentimental value, I still don't think it's worth it as the car has sat in a garage since then under a cover because the owner is too upset to actually see the car.
Now, as the Evo IV was never imported to the US. The RI has more work to do....
You must buy 5 cars. (at least). 1 must stay in Japan till the others have been approved by the Feds to meet crash test standards.
1st, the emissions must meet standards for the model year of the vehicle. This will not be easy as it was made after 1996, so the car must have an ODBII computer system, which the IV does not.. If the vehicle does not have an evap canister, one must be adapted to the system. If it does not have a recirculating PCV system, one must be adapted. Then the computer must be calibrated for 91 octane fuel, and it must meet EPA standards for Co2, NOX, CO, and HC. The airbags must be changed to model year 2000 high impact airbags. Luckily, you should be able to take mirage airbags for this process. (finally something cheap)
After all of that has been done, the first two cars must be subjected to low speed front and rear impact testing, then high speed front and side impact testing. This will destroy the first two cars. Based off of the data obtained from the destruction (and failure) of the first two cars in testing. The next two cars must be modified with structural enhancements that will hopefully enable the vehicles to pass future testing. Once all modifications are done. The vehicles must once again go through front and side impact testing. If you are lucky, the car will now pass testing. If they still fail, you must bring in another pair of cars, change impact protection once again, and go through testing ONCE AGAIN... this process must be repeated till the cars pass impact testing.
Off hand, I think the name of the company that is willing to do this is JK tech in Maryland... I am guessing the cost will be somewhere in the 200K-250K range. I believe the R33 process cost Motorex around $1M
Then, you can bring the final car over to the US. Pay the customs bond, and for the next 90-120 days, your car will be modified to the standards determined by the above testing, will be issued a US title, then you have it registered in your home state.
Now, as for parts availability.... your problem is not finding the part numbers. It's that the dealerships in the US are not in direct communication with Mitsubishi in Japan. All orders go through MMNA (Mitsubishi Motors North America). MMNA will not purchase parts that are not applicable to US destined cars, as they have agreements with the US Feds that all parts brought in have already met crash and emmissions requirements. Therefore if it did not go through the process I listed above.... it is not going to come in through MMNA, and thus not through your dealership.
Now, there are many "Grey Market" ways of bringing the car into the US... disassembling the car, bringing it over in parts, and reassembling it, and titleing/registering it as a kit car... cutting it in half, and then re-welding it in the US, and so on... however this is considered a "ship of theseus" fraud, and is punishable on a federal level, which means if caught, the car gets impounded, and crushed, and you get some jail time.
The only way of actually doing it, is to convert a us titled mirage chassis into an Evo IV.
Whew.... I need to get a life, because I had way too much time to type that all out.....
To legally bring the car to the US, you have to have it meet federal crash standards, and EPA standards.
We were lucky, the 360 was available as a US car, so all we had to do is drop it off at Ferrari Classico in Modena, and have them update the car to US standards. Door beams were installed, the airbags were changed, all of the glass/plastic in the car was changed from E code to DOT equivalents, foam was added to the bumpers, the exhaust was changed, and the computer was re-calibrated. Ferrari then provided us a letter in both english and italian that the car has been updated to all federal standards for model year 2000.
We then drove the vehicle to London, where it was handed over to the RI (Registered importer), who put the car on a boat to Miami. The car then sat in Miami for 6 weeks while customs denied importation 2xs without looking at the paperwork provided (because the VIN was not a US registered VIN#) the RI appealed the customs decision twice, until finally it was released for cleaning and inspection, then finally released so the car could be shipped to TN.
It was a headache, it was stressful, and while the car had sentimental value, I still don't think it's worth it as the car has sat in a garage since then under a cover because the owner is too upset to actually see the car.
Now, as the Evo IV was never imported to the US. The RI has more work to do....
You must buy 5 cars. (at least). 1 must stay in Japan till the others have been approved by the Feds to meet crash test standards.
1st, the emissions must meet standards for the model year of the vehicle. This will not be easy as it was made after 1996, so the car must have an ODBII computer system, which the IV does not.. If the vehicle does not have an evap canister, one must be adapted to the system. If it does not have a recirculating PCV system, one must be adapted. Then the computer must be calibrated for 91 octane fuel, and it must meet EPA standards for Co2, NOX, CO, and HC. The airbags must be changed to model year 2000 high impact airbags. Luckily, you should be able to take mirage airbags for this process. (finally something cheap)
After all of that has been done, the first two cars must be subjected to low speed front and rear impact testing, then high speed front and side impact testing. This will destroy the first two cars. Based off of the data obtained from the destruction (and failure) of the first two cars in testing. The next two cars must be modified with structural enhancements that will hopefully enable the vehicles to pass future testing. Once all modifications are done. The vehicles must once again go through front and side impact testing. If you are lucky, the car will now pass testing. If they still fail, you must bring in another pair of cars, change impact protection once again, and go through testing ONCE AGAIN... this process must be repeated till the cars pass impact testing.
Off hand, I think the name of the company that is willing to do this is JK tech in Maryland... I am guessing the cost will be somewhere in the 200K-250K range. I believe the R33 process cost Motorex around $1M
Then, you can bring the final car over to the US. Pay the customs bond, and for the next 90-120 days, your car will be modified to the standards determined by the above testing, will be issued a US title, then you have it registered in your home state.
Now, as for parts availability.... your problem is not finding the part numbers. It's that the dealerships in the US are not in direct communication with Mitsubishi in Japan. All orders go through MMNA (Mitsubishi Motors North America). MMNA will not purchase parts that are not applicable to US destined cars, as they have agreements with the US Feds that all parts brought in have already met crash and emmissions requirements. Therefore if it did not go through the process I listed above.... it is not going to come in through MMNA, and thus not through your dealership.
Now, there are many "Grey Market" ways of bringing the car into the US... disassembling the car, bringing it over in parts, and reassembling it, and titleing/registering it as a kit car... cutting it in half, and then re-welding it in the US, and so on... however this is considered a "ship of theseus" fraud, and is punishable on a federal level, which means if caught, the car gets impounded, and crushed, and you get some jail time.
The only way of actually doing it, is to convert a us titled mirage chassis into an Evo IV.
Whew.... I need to get a life, because I had way too much time to type that all out.....
Dec 27, 2012, 01:01 AM
#32
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OK, here's the long and the short of it. I have done my homework... I am not some kid, and I have actually gone through the process. We did it on a 2000 Ferrari F360, and it cost as much to go through the process as the car itself. It was not financially worth it, and we knew this from the get-go. We did it for purely sentimental purposes.
To legally bring the car to the US, you have to have it meet federal crash standards, and EPA standards.
We were lucky, the 360 was available as a US car, so all we had to do is drop it off at Ferrari Classico in Modena, and have them update the car to US standards. Door beams were installed, the airbags were changed, all of the glass/plastic in the car was changed from E code to DOT equivalents, foam was added to the bumpers, the exhaust was changed, and the computer was re-calibrated. Ferrari then provided us a letter in both english and italian that the car has been updated to all federal standards for model year 2000.
We then drove the vehicle to London, where it was handed over to the RI (Registered importer), who put the car on a boat to Miami. The car then sat in Miami for 6 weeks while customs denied importation 2xs without looking at the paperwork provided (because the VIN was not a US registered VIN#) the RI appealed the customs decision twice, until finally it was released for cleaning and inspection, then finally released so the car could be shipped to TN.
It was a headache, it was stressful, and while the car had sentimental value, I still don't think it's worth it as the car has sat in a garage since then under a cover because the owner is too upset to actually see the car.
Now, as the Evo IV was never imported to the US. The RI has more work to do....
You must buy 5 cars. (at least). 1 must stay in Japan till the others have been approved by the Feds to meet crash test standards.
1st, the emissions must meet standards for the model year of the vehicle. This will not be easy as it was made after 1996, so the car must have an ODBII computer system, which the IV does not.. If the vehicle does not have an evap canister, one must be adapted to the system. If it does not have a recirculating PCV system, one must be adapted. Then the computer must be calibrated for 91 octane fuel, and it must meet EPA standards for Co2, NOX, CO, and HC. The airbags must be changed to model year 2000 high impact airbags. Luckily, you should be able to take mirage airbags for this process. (finally something cheap)
After all of that has been done, the first two cars must be subjected to low speed front and rear impact testing, then high speed front and side impact testing. This will destroy the first two cars. Based off of the data obtained from the destruction (and failure) of the first two cars in testing. The next two cars must be modified with structural enhancements that will hopefully enable the vehicles to pass future testing. Once all modifications are done. The vehicles must once again go through front and side impact testing. If you are lucky, the car will now pass testing. If they still fail, you must bring in another pair of cars, change impact protection once again, and go through testing ONCE AGAIN... this process must be repeated till the cars pass impact testing.
Off hand, I think the name of the company that is willing to do this is JK tech in Maryland... I am guessing the cost will be somewhere in the 200K-250K range. I believe the R33 process cost Motorex around $1M
Then, you can bring the final car over to the US. Pay the customs bond, and for the next 90-120 days, your car will be modified to the standards determined by the above testing, will be issued a US title, then you have it registered in your home state.
Now, as for parts availability.... your problem is not finding the part numbers. It's that the dealerships in the US are not in direct communication with Mitsubishi in Japan. All orders go through MMNA (Mitsubishi Motors North America). MMNA will not purchase parts that are not applicable to US destined cars, as they have agreements with the US Feds that all parts brought in have already met crash and emmissions requirements. Therefore if it did not go through the process I listed above.... it is not going to come in through MMNA, and thus not through your dealership.
Now, there are many "Grey Market" ways of bringing the car into the US... disassembling the car, bringing it over in parts, and reassembling it, and titleing/registering it as a kit car... cutting it in half, and then re-welding it in the US, and so on... however this is considered a "ship of theseus" fraud, and is punishable on a federal level, which means if caught, the car gets impounded, and crushed, and you get some jail time.
The only way of actually doing it, is to convert a us titled mirage chassis into an Evo IV.
Whew.... I need to get a life, because I had way too much time to type that all out.....
To legally bring the car to the US, you have to have it meet federal crash standards, and EPA standards.
We were lucky, the 360 was available as a US car, so all we had to do is drop it off at Ferrari Classico in Modena, and have them update the car to US standards. Door beams were installed, the airbags were changed, all of the glass/plastic in the car was changed from E code to DOT equivalents, foam was added to the bumpers, the exhaust was changed, and the computer was re-calibrated. Ferrari then provided us a letter in both english and italian that the car has been updated to all federal standards for model year 2000.
We then drove the vehicle to London, where it was handed over to the RI (Registered importer), who put the car on a boat to Miami. The car then sat in Miami for 6 weeks while customs denied importation 2xs without looking at the paperwork provided (because the VIN was not a US registered VIN#) the RI appealed the customs decision twice, until finally it was released for cleaning and inspection, then finally released so the car could be shipped to TN.
It was a headache, it was stressful, and while the car had sentimental value, I still don't think it's worth it as the car has sat in a garage since then under a cover because the owner is too upset to actually see the car.
Now, as the Evo IV was never imported to the US. The RI has more work to do....
You must buy 5 cars. (at least). 1 must stay in Japan till the others have been approved by the Feds to meet crash test standards.
1st, the emissions must meet standards for the model year of the vehicle. This will not be easy as it was made after 1996, so the car must have an ODBII computer system, which the IV does not.. If the vehicle does not have an evap canister, one must be adapted to the system. If it does not have a recirculating PCV system, one must be adapted. Then the computer must be calibrated for 91 octane fuel, and it must meet EPA standards for Co2, NOX, CO, and HC. The airbags must be changed to model year 2000 high impact airbags. Luckily, you should be able to take mirage airbags for this process. (finally something cheap)
After all of that has been done, the first two cars must be subjected to low speed front and rear impact testing, then high speed front and side impact testing. This will destroy the first two cars. Based off of the data obtained from the destruction (and failure) of the first two cars in testing. The next two cars must be modified with structural enhancements that will hopefully enable the vehicles to pass future testing. Once all modifications are done. The vehicles must once again go through front and side impact testing. If you are lucky, the car will now pass testing. If they still fail, you must bring in another pair of cars, change impact protection once again, and go through testing ONCE AGAIN... this process must be repeated till the cars pass impact testing.
Off hand, I think the name of the company that is willing to do this is JK tech in Maryland... I am guessing the cost will be somewhere in the 200K-250K range. I believe the R33 process cost Motorex around $1M
Then, you can bring the final car over to the US. Pay the customs bond, and for the next 90-120 days, your car will be modified to the standards determined by the above testing, will be issued a US title, then you have it registered in your home state.
Now, as for parts availability.... your problem is not finding the part numbers. It's that the dealerships in the US are not in direct communication with Mitsubishi in Japan. All orders go through MMNA (Mitsubishi Motors North America). MMNA will not purchase parts that are not applicable to US destined cars, as they have agreements with the US Feds that all parts brought in have already met crash and emmissions requirements. Therefore if it did not go through the process I listed above.... it is not going to come in through MMNA, and thus not through your dealership.
Now, there are many "Grey Market" ways of bringing the car into the US... disassembling the car, bringing it over in parts, and reassembling it, and titleing/registering it as a kit car... cutting it in half, and then re-welding it in the US, and so on... however this is considered a "ship of theseus" fraud, and is punishable on a federal level, which means if caught, the car gets impounded, and crushed, and you get some jail time.
The only way of actually doing it, is to convert a us titled mirage chassis into an Evo IV.
Whew.... I need to get a life, because I had way too much time to type that all out.....
However, the Evo IV does have these items bolded.
Dec 27, 2012, 01:10 AM
#33
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I completely agree with you Hatesposers. Since I do want to ship my Evo IV over to the states. I know it wont happen. Unless I rip the whole car apart and do the mirage conversion. Im sure the OP just wanted a pricing to it.
I have done a lot of research on this myself. You just had the time to type it out. Just sucks with US import laws.
I have done a lot of research on this myself. You just had the time to type it out. Just sucks with US import laws.
Dec 27, 2012, 12:25 PM
#34
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P.S. speeding =violation
Altering VIN = felony
Dec 27, 2012, 03:49 PM
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Good thread.......good thread.
There is a guy on here who got his VI TME stateside legally (the military was involved at some point), he just has to trailer it to the track if he wants to drive it.
I presume OP wants to drive his car on the road?
There is a guy on here who got his VI TME stateside legally (the military was involved at some point), he just has to trailer it to the track if he wants to drive it.
I presume OP wants to drive his car on the road?
Dec 27, 2012, 04:02 PM
#36
you and US auto stores are a lost cause . 
by the way
evo 4gsr fr pads oem part number MR389549 (149.8 x 47.5 x 16) although they list 2 different sizes of rotors they only list one set of pads
http://www.camskill.co.uk/smsimg/881...c44250-881.jpg
Dec 27, 2012, 05:14 PM
#38
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Now, just because I have done this legally does not mean that I do not have an intimate knowledge of the grey market processes as well. For example... let's just say that 3 rally cars came over in a container from Japan. 2 competition Evo Vs, and one R32 Skyline.... It would be a shame if that R32 was destroyed in competition and sold for parts in the US... THEN the parts R32 was re-assembled, and titled in New Mexico where they will title a big wheel if you ask them to... then titled in Arizona as an "out of state" vehicle where the qualifications for an AZ title are much less stringent... Then insured by haggarty as a collector car. Then used the insurance to qualify for the "collector or special use" clause in the Arizona registration process...
This could mean that there might be an R32 GT-R sitting in a garage in Arizona, Texas, or FL that is STATE titled and registered. However, if the car is ever looked into or discovered by the Feds, it would get confiscated and crushed.
Dec 27, 2012, 05:59 PM
#41
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seized and crushed
seized and crushed
seized and crushed
The 'Feds' are not going to hop out of the bushes and grab your car.
The DOJ and ICE(Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have been sending letters out to owners, and seizing vehicles – Guilty before proven innocent – thank you for due process. We appreciate it, big bad, Kevlar clad, gun toting agents, going after car owners with as dangerous things as a speeding ticket on their record.
Dec 27, 2012, 06:28 PM
#42
The GTR is a high profile car that is known to be illegally imported. Early model Evos registered and insured as mirages are not. A quick search on these very forums will yield you many US members who have owned and operated Evo I-VI for years. Is there a risk, sure. But its not really fair to base your fears on the motorex scandal.
Last edited by nemsin; Dec 27, 2012 at 06:32 PM.
Dec 27, 2012, 06:56 PM
#43
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The GTR is a high profile car that is known to be illegally imported. Early model Evos registered and insured as mirages are not. A quick search on these very forums will yield you many US members who have owned and operated Evo I-VI for years. Is there a risk, sure. But its not really fair to base your fears on the motorex scandal.
It has nothing to do with high profile or not. Evo I-VIIs here in the US are grey market and illegal, and are subject to the same laws that have seized and crushed the Skylines.
As you say "Early model Evos registered and insured as mirages..." This is Fraud plain and simple. If they are VIN swap frauds or "ship of Thesues" frauds, it is still Fraud and punishable on a federal level. If you choose to take the risk, that is fine. But understand the consequences of your actions if caught.
Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Dec 27, 2012, 07:07 PM
#44
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Look... It seems that we are getting into a "can it be done" vs "can it be done legally" debate.
The reality is, that the legal means of importing an Evo I-VII is highly cost prohibitive, and not worth it for such a car.
The car can be brought over illegally (I have even given a detailed road map for someone to do so), but there is punishment for doing so, and as of yet, I have heard of no lawyer that has been able to save a car discovered by ICE.
The reality is, that the legal means of importing an Evo I-VII is highly cost prohibitive, and not worth it for such a car.
The car can be brought over illegally (I have even given a detailed road map for someone to do so), but there is punishment for doing so, and as of yet, I have heard of no lawyer that has been able to save a car discovered by ICE.
Dec 27, 2012, 07:15 PM
#45
If you were to ever receive a seizure letter you could 1) strip the car down to its component parts (since owning parts is completely legal), or 2) drive the car out of state/ country while your attorney gets involved.
Is the juice worth the squeeze? Well that is an individual question. Its simple risk/reward. Similar to speeding, downloading movies/music, or smoking weed. I am not advocating for or against anything. Just pointing out that where there is a will, there is a way.
Is the juice worth the squeeze? Well that is an individual question. Its simple risk/reward. Similar to speeding, downloading movies/music, or smoking weed. I am not advocating for or against anything. Just pointing out that where there is a will, there is a way.