Pantera SI und GT5-S in die USA ?

wie bekommt man einen Pantera SI und einen GT5-S in den USA zugelassen ?

Kennst sich jemand damit aus ?

Für den SI muß man wohl die ganzen Show und Display Regulations der DOT durchlaufen.

Wie bekommt man das hin ?

Und wie sieht es für einen GT5 -S aus ?

Hallo croissant,

kennst du schon Pantera SI und GT5-S in die USA ? (Anzeige)? Dort ist vieles zu finden.

De Tomaso Ersatzteile (Anzeige) | De Tomaso Tuning (Anzeige) | De Tomaso Uhren (Anzeige)

wie bekommt man einen Pantera SI und einen GT5-S in den USA zugelassen ?

Kennst sich jemand damit aus ?

Für den SI muß man wohl die ganzen Show und Display Regulations der DOT durchlaufen.

Wie bekommt man das hin ?

Und wie sieht es für einen GT5 -S aus ?

Ich glaube einen echten Si bekommt man drüben gar nicht zugelassen. Der Mickey Maus Si ist kein echter Si!

Ich glaube einen echten Si bekommt man drüben gar nicht zugelassen. Der Mickey Maus Si ist kein echter Si!

Ich glaube einen echten Si bekommt man drüben gar nicht zugelassen. (...)

Jaguar XJ 220, Porsche 959, Ford RS200, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, McLaren F1,...

Auch der Lamborghini Diablo GT war offiziell nie zulassungsfähig in den USA, aber heute gibt es dort bereits mindestens 2 Stück hoch offiziell auf den Strassen.

@ croissant:

"Canepa" ist ein Porsche-959-Importeur, welcher noch heute die 959er für die USA zulassungsfähig macht.

Link: http://www.canepa.com/

Link: http://erntheburn.tripod.com/autos/959/95911.htm

Für den "street-legal" McLaren F1 war die Firma "Ameritech Advertising Services Legal Department" zuständig. Such mal im web unter Ameritech McLaren F1.

Das Prozedere für Show-and-Display ist gar nicht soooo schlimm...na ja, relativ,...

HOW TO IMPORT A MOTOR VEHICLE

FOR SHOW OR DISPLAY

July 7, 2003

A rule permitting entry of nonconforming motor vehicles for purposes of show or display became effective on August 13, 1999. If you wish to import a vehicle for show or display, you must apply to NHTSA for permission to do so and establish that the vehicle is of such historical or technological significance that it is in the public interest to show or display the vehicle in the United States even though it would be difficult or impossible to bring the vehicle into compliance with the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. This provision is intended to facilitate the importation of historically or technologically significant vehicles that were never certified by their manufacturer for sale in the United States.

If you would like to know before purchasing a foreign vehicle whether NHTSA would determine that it is eligible for importation for show or display, you should submit an Application for Determination That a Motor Vehicle is Eligible for Show or Display and provide the information set out below in item 6d of the section entitled How You May Apply for Permission to Import. If NHTSA decides the vehicle is eligible for importation, you may then purchase the vehicle and submit a formal application containing the other information required. You should also consult the approved/disapproved listing at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/ShowDisplay to learn which vehicles the agency has already determined eligible for show or display and which vehicles it has determined to be ineligible.

VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY

In determining whether a vehicle is eligible for importation for show or display, NHTSA will consider the following factors, among others:

1. Whether a vehicle of the same make, model, and model year was manufactured and certified for sale in the United States.

2. Whether a vehicle of the same make, model, and model year has been determined eligible for importation pursuant to 49 CFR Part 593.

3. Whether the vehicle is currently in production.

4. Whether more than 500 of the vehicles were produced.

5. Whether the vehicle is a kit car, replica, or special construction vehicle.

If the answer to any of the above is affirmative, you should not expect NHTSA to grant permission for importation. If the answer to item 4 is affirmative, the applicant must establish that the vehicle is of exceptional technological and/or historical significance.

ON-ROAD USE

A vehicle eligible for Show or Display may receive NHTSA approval to be driven on the highway. The odometer must not register more than 2,500 miles in a 12-month period. NHTSA approval of limited on-road use is to allow the vehicle to be driven to and from nearby displays of similar automobiles. Another reason permission is granted is to maintain the vehicle’s engine, braking, lighting, and other dynamic systems in good working order. The vehicle is still required to meet EPA requirements. If the original engine in the vehicle will be replaced with a non-original engine to meet EPA requirements, it must be identified in your application since it may impact on the technological or historical significance of the vehicle.

HOW YOU MAY APPLY FOR PERMISSION TO IMPORT

Your signed application must include, at a minimum:

1. Your name, address, phone number, and FAX number.

2. Vehicle identification – make, model, model year, VIN or chassis number, engine number, date of manufacture and mileage.

3. Location where you will store the vehicle in the United States.

4. Statement describing use on the public roads, if intended. If on-road use is requested, identify the Independent Commercial Importer (ICI) that will modify the vehicle to bring it into conformity with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency.

5. Basis for the application.

6. Attachments:

1. Photographs – ¾ frontal, ¾ rear, interior, odometer reading and special features (if appropriate).

2. Document from manufacturer or recognized historical source, identifying total production (production verification).

3. Proof of insurance conditioned on limited on-road use (not more than 2,500 miles accumulated in any 12-month period).

4. Identification of vehicle’s:

1. Technological significance – You must identify (be specific) the technology, engineering, and construction features of the vehicle that are advanced and of an unusual nature not commonly found in motor vehicles manufactured in the same time period; or

2. Historical significance – You must identify the historical significance of the vehicle. If a person of historical significance owned the vehicle, you must submit proof that this person owned the vehicle. If the vehicle was the first or last vehicle of a particular model, you must establish this through the manufacturer’s documentation or, if this is not available, through a recognized historical source. If the vehicle was "one of a kind," you must establish this also.

Items of significance must be numerically listed followed by the reason why the item is of significance.

You may then mail the application to:

Import and Certification Division

Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (NVS-223)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

400 7th Street SW, Suite 6111

Washington, DC 20590

Link: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/

Link: http://www.suninternational-usa.com/sn_nhsta.html

Doch! Mit der "Show and Display"-Methode geht das schon:...

Dann ersetze "gar nicht" durch "regulär nicht".

"Show und Display" erfordert bestimmte Voraussetzungen. 959 hat diese erfüllt, 959 S aber nicht. Ebenso XJ220: erfüllt, XJ220S: nicht erfüllt.

Es gibt etliche Autos die von der NHTSA abgelehnt wurden.

Deshalb meine gezielte Frage, ob sich jemand damit auskennt.

Canepa kann man nicht ernstnehmen. Die verlangen 30-50.000$ f.d. Chose OHNE Garantie, daß es klappt. Die gehen einfach davon aus, daß man wohl mehrere Autos desselben Typs in die USA bringen will und schlagen kräftig drauf.

Man sehe sich einfach mal an, wie lange Canepa bereits den Bugatti 110 stehen hat. Deren Preisaufschlag hat dazu geführt, daß das Auto sich schon über 5 Jahre die Reifen plattsteht dort.

Die beiden XJ220 S, die sogar auf öffentlichen Strasssen in Kalifornien von einem Zahnarzt herumgefahren werden, haben niemals die Zulassung der NHTSA über Show und Display erhalten (siehe NHTSA Webseite: cars NOT eligible for show and display) (s.a. ferrarichat.com)

Dasselbe gilt für andere Extremautos (auch für die Diablo GT´s ??? m.W.n. nur drei in den USA ).

Viele Sammler decken sich mit europäischer Ultra-Exotic Feinkost ein, OHNE die Autos in den USA zuzulassen. Offiziell "fahren" sie dann eben nur auf Rennstrecken. (s Detomaso Guara, der auch OHNE Zulassung herumfuhr).

aus irgendeinem Grund ist die NHTSA Seite offline und nur noch über den Google Cache abrufbar:

http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:_66S6j0aYsgJ:www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/ShowDisplay/sdlist06202005.html+NHTSA+Show+Display+%22not+eligible%22&hl=de&ct=clnk&cd=1

Auch der Smart ist als "NOT eligible" gelistet und fuhr schon im vergangenen Sommer in Kalifornien herum.

Das Thema ist also verzwickt, und es bedarf eines Profis, der sich mal der Pantera SI und GT5-S annimmt. Das Käuferpotential in den USA ist ohne Zweifel enorm.

Dehalb gehe ich davon aus, daß die Hürden bisher nicht überwunden werden konnten.

Wie ist es mit der Alternative, als Europäer sein Auto dort für etwa 3 Jahre mit hinzunehmen ?

Wer kann FUNDIERTE Infos hierzu liefern ?

Canepa kann man nicht ernstnehmen. Die verlangen 30-50.000$ f.d. Chose OHNE Garantie, daß es klappt.

Ich erinnere mich auch, dass ein Amerikaner seinen EU-Ferrari-F50 ganz legal als Rennwagen mit Strassenzulassung eingeführt hat. - Wäre das eine Möglichkeit? - Immerhin wird der Si ja tatsächlich im Rennen eingesetzt...!?!?

Also zumindest für Bill Gates hat die Firma Canepa tatsächlich einen 959 street-legal gemacht. Mittlerweile haben sie auch weitere 959er legal auf die US-Strassen gebracht.

Ich erinnere mich auch, dass ein Amerikaner seinen EU-Ferrari-F50 ganz legal als Rennwagen mit Strassenzulassung eingeführt hat. - Wäre das eine Möglichkeit? - Immerhin wird der Si ja tatsächlich im Rennen eingesetzt...!?!?

Ja mit dem Portemonnaie von Billy Boy kann man als Kunde bei Canepa auftreten.

Genau das scheint ihre Klientel zu sein.

Dennoch steht der Bugatti schon 5 Jahre und länger.

Deren Preise sind einfach utopisch.

Die Rennwagensache klingt interessant.

Wo gibt dazu Infos ?

Mit den ganzen amerikanischen Import Bestimmungen kenn ich mich natürlich auch nicht im Detail aus.

David Adler, langjähriger "Pantera International" Präsident, hat jedenfalls lange Zeit versucht einen Pantera Si zu importieren.

Trotz jahrelanger Berufserfahrung als Anwalt in LA, guten Beziehungen und noch mehr Kohle, ist auch er gescheitert. Aus Frust darüber hat er sich in Italien vor 2 Jahren dann den Gruppe C Pantera von Auto Elite in Modena gekauft.

Ich würde sagen wenn er es nicht geschafft hat, wird es auch so schnell kein anderer schaffen, einen Si in den USA "road legal" hinzubekommen.

Derzeit gibt's definitiv keinen dort.

Nur den orangen "Micky Mouse" Si, der aber unter der Hülle ein stinknormaler 1972er US Pantera ist.

Mit dem GT5-S dürfte es dagegen keine Probleme geben, da er ja nur ein Facelift der US Panteras ist.

Es wurden in den 80er Jahren auch etliche Neuwagen in die USA importiert.

Kirk Evans zum Beispiel hat rund 25 bis 30 Neuwagen ohne Motor und Getriebe in die USA gebracht. Andere wieder, wie George Stauffer oder George Kryssing dagegen haben komplette neue Fahrzeuge über diverse europäische De Tomaso Händler importiert. Letzterer hat in den 80ern zum Beispiel 5 neue GT5 über den Wiener Importeur nach Amerika gebracht.

Für den Guara gilt übrigens das selbe wie für den Si. Not "road legal" in the US.

Hallo croissant,

schau doch mal hier zum Thema De Tomaso (Anzeige)? Eventuell gibt es dort etwas Passendes.

Der V16 Motor zum Selberbauen (Anzeige) ist auch genial.

Interessante Details. Werde mal probieren Mr Adler zu kontaktieren.

Ich frage mich, wie und warum der Guara und zB auch die beiden XJ220-S in Kalifornien herumfahren können, obwohl sie nicht street legal sind.

Evtl einfach nach dem alten Motto: wo kein Kläger, da kein Richter ?

Mit Kirk Evans habe ich letztes Jahr mal telefoniert, weil er einen VECTOR kaufen wollte.

Guara gibt's zwei in Amerika.

Ein rotes Coupe gibt's an der Ostküste, der wird aber nur auf der Rennstrecke bewegt.

Ein gelbes Coupe gibt's in Kalifornien. Dieses Fahrzeug, übrigens ohne Fahrgestellnummer, wurde in Einzelteilen von Steve Wilkinson in die USA gebracht. Möglicherweise fährt der mit Händler Kennzeichen?

Guara gibt's zwei in Amerika.

Ein rotes Coupe gibt's an der Ostküste, der wird aber nur auf der Rennstrecke bewegt.

Ein gelbes Coupe gibt's in Kalifornien. Dieses Fahrzeug, übrigens ohne Fahrgestellnummer, wurde in Einzelteilen von Steve Wilkinson in die USA gebracht. Möglicherweise fährt der mit Händler Kennzeichen?

Es gibt aber noch einen blauen (Cabrio?), der vor etwa 3 Jahren auf einem Concours stand.

Es gibt aber noch einen blauen (Cabrio?), der vor etwa 3 Jahren auf einem Concours stand.

Der Rote von der Ostküste war bis vor rund 2 Jahren Blau.

Es ist das erstgebaute Coupe mit der Fahrgestellnummer 800001, war De Tomasos Showcar auf diversen Austellungen und ist dann noch in Blau metallic nach Amerika verkauft worden.

und hier noch in blau:

http://img85.exs.cx/img85/1902/detomasoguara25uj.jpg

http://img85.exs.cx/img85/7792/detomasoguara41te.jpg

Ich dachte allerdings, er sei himmelblau gewesen, als ich ihn vor ein paar Jahren sah.

und hier noch in blau:

Ich dachte allerdings, er sei himmelblau gewesen, als ich ihn vor ein paar Jahren sah.

Das ist nicht der aus den USA.

Der ist aus Perth, Australien, du kannst es hinten sogar lesen auf der Tafel.

Siehe auch den Guara Thread.

Na endlich, ich hatte die ganze Zeit einen interessanten Beitrag zum Thema US-street-legal gesucht...

...und nun auch wiedergefunden. Hier geht es um die nachvollziehbare Argumentation zum Import eines Bugatti EB110 in die Staaten:

http://www.carpassion.com/de/forum/509324-post55.html (klick)

aber das bezieht sich ja auf einen Antrag des Herstellers, also nicht Show&Display Legitimation.

Bei S&D muß man darlegen, daß das Fzg von automobilhistorischem Wert ist.

Warum zB 959 u XJ 220 zugelassen, 959-S u XJ 220-S jedoch abgelehnt wurden, wäre interessant.

Ebenso interessant ist, daß zB vom McL F1 zunächst nur die ersten beiden Jahrgänge (94/95) zugelassen wurden und heute aber auch spätere Jahrgänge zugelassen sind.

Wie mir jemand erzählte, ging es hier um die unterschiedliche Auslegung des elektroischen Diagnosesystems.

Warum nun also der Pantera SI noch nicht zugelassen und aber auch nicht als "not eligible" gelistet ist, oder gar die ganze NHTSA S&D Seite derzeit nicht abrufbar ist, bleibt wohl vorerst ein Rätsel.

Hier ist wirkliche Detektiv-Arbeit gefragt.

Na ja, das kenn ich ja schon.

Ich bleib dran...

(...) Ebenso interessant ist, daß zB vom McL F1 zunächst nur die ersten beiden Jahrgänge (94/95) zugelassen wurden und heute aber auch spätere Jahrgänge zugelassen sind. Wie mir jemand erzählte, ging es hier um die unterschiedliche Auslegung des elektroischen Diagnosesystems. (...)

(Zitate)

The Ameritech US-spec version has some bodywork enhancements to pass NHTSA crash tests, but it is also slower than the original European model. Other versions include the rare F1 LM, race-spec F1 GTR and revised F1 GT.

1997 Ameritech McLaren F1 6.0L V12 1/4 mile 11.6 @ 125

Top Speed 242.9 mph

0 - 30 mph 1.7 seconds

0 - 60 mph 3.4 seconds

0 - 100 mph 7.7 seconds

0 - ¼ mile 11.6 seconds

Road & Track test an AmeriTech McLaren. AmeriTech modified the F1 so that it could be sold on US grounds. however the differences between the AmeriTech and European F1 include a RWHP decrease and an extra 300lbs. the European F1 would probably due better than the AmeriTech in handling/braking categories. already the differences between the two are apparent in acceleration. RT got 0-60 in 3.4 with an AmeriTech, Autocar got 3.2 and so on getting faster results than the AmeriTech in every acceleration increment.

But once the McLaren was sold in the U.S., all of the modifications could be undone with the full support of McLaren. Most obvious example: Have you seen the Ameritech supplied headlamps? Have you seen any of the american owned McLarens with them still on it?

The McLaren F1 was indeed US road legal, thanks to Ameritech - in fact, supposedly 21 of the 65 road cars are here in the States. My home state of Colorado has three thanks to Ralph Lauren.

I think you referring to the Ameritech F1's that were brought to the states as a 1 seater in order to be legal.

Ameritech brought the cars in before show and display. They imported them as "kits" into a free trade zone port and slapped their own VIN numbers on them along with the McLaren VIN numbers. They also removed the two side seats and made them into "single seater kit cars" but of course the people who bought these cars immediately put the seats back to the original configuration. The Show and Display is an exemption category that allows cars to be exempt from DOT FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) requirements. They are not exempt from EPA emissions requirements, however. So the cars don't need to have any changes made, except perhaps to the engine management and exhaust systems Any McLaren owner who applies for a Show and Display exemption does not need to change the seat configuration in any way. The Le Mans cars (there's five of these and they are called McLaren F1 GT) had only seat as well. The nearside seat area (right side when you are sitting in the driver's seat) houses the ECU, fire extinguishing system, and a large panel with various other switches and control and monitoring systems. I forget what's on the left.

"Ameritech McLaren F1." The company is actually called Amerispec. Run by a guy named Dick Fritz. It's in Connecticut. The bumpers, side marker lights, and seating changes were the only things they did, looks wise.

I'm from england but believe Ameritech had to do the mods because the Mac has no side airbags so had to remove the passenger seats in order to import them and make them road legal, as with the other mods. Usually customers returned the cars to original spec as soom as they were licensed.

Well remember, Leno's F1 is #015 and was built in 1994. There weren't any ways even remotely legal to import a McLaren F1 to the USA in 1994. I think Ameritech was able to start importing them under their process in 1997 or thereabouts and I'd suspect that was when Leno made his purchase.

Leno's is a 1994 but was EPA certified as a 1995, the "eight" Fritzee/ameritech. Same for some cars Will/Irish were involved with. But hey, if you're certing '96's and 97's as 95's and calling yourself the manufacturer, the more the merrier.

Since we are sort of on the topic of Amerispec Corp F1's - can anyone confirm this list of the owners of the 7 Ameritech F1's??

Jay Leno's - Black with Red door stripe

Carl Beal's - Silver - Road&Track magazine test car

Gerd Petrik's - Dk. Silver

Larry Ellison's - Silver - May have sold his F1 for a reported 1.6Mil ??

Ralph Lauren - 2 different F1's - One is silver, other is unknown

Herb Chamber's - Silver

That doctor in Midland, TX, is probably the seventh guy. Unless that's Herb Chambers...dunno who that is. Also, I saw a picture of Jay Leno's McLaren in some magazine article recently. It's maroon.

So everyone knows, Gerd Petrik sold both of his F1's quite awhile ago.

I don't think he had two McLarens...can anyone else confirm or disprove this?

Well the Departures article only mentions one, but some other sources stated that he did have two. They were both Ameritech cars - one is in the possession of Elon Musk and I believe the other is now Lawerence Strohl's. It really surprises me that he would have two and that he would end up selling both, especially after the way he raved about the car in that article.

Micromuse Inc founder Chris Dawes was killed instantly along with two companions when his $1m McLaren F1 car crashed during a rain storm and exploded on Sunday. The 240mph McLaren, reputedly the fastest road car on the market, left the road in Essex, UK and hit a building before exploding into a ball of flames. Dawes (39), who stepped down as president and CEO of the company in October 1998, netting a $24m fortune from the sale of his shares, was about to face charges of possession of crack cocaine after he was arrested in the Channel Islands in December (CI No 3,568). Australian-born Dawes, described in the UK press as a "tycoon", founded Micromuse in the attic of his London home in 1989 as a Sparc systems builder and Sun reseller, though the company made an international name for itself with its Netcool service level management software, aimed at telecommunications companies, ISPs and large corporates. Micromuse headquarters is now in San Francisco. Gregory Brown, a former Ameritech Inc executive, took over as the new chairman and CEO last month. Stephen Allott, who served as interim CEO after Dawes resigned, continues as president and chief financial officer.

The original few Amerispec F1s in the US had some mods done to them. These included (among other things) the addition of front bumpers, side turn signals on the nose, rectangular headlights, the removal of the headlight covers, and the "disabling" of the two side seats.

The first 7 McLaren F1s were imported to the US via a company called Amerispec Corp and they used some interesting tricks to get the cars "federalized" at the time. In the process the cars received new VIN numbers and Amerispec Corp became the listed manufacturer with the cars themselves being called Ameritech F1s. Some people would classify those tricks as 'breaking the law', but I doubt the owners of these 7 cars minded one bit.

Part of the Amerispec process did involve covering the side seats in the F1, making it solely a one seater, but there was nothing that prevented any owner from removing these covers once the car was "certified". It has also been speculated that possibly only 1 of the 7 cars was ever actually converted. Jay Leno's F1 was the 8th and final F1 imported through Amerispec Corp but I don't know if it was classified as an Ameritech F1 or if it somehow side stepped that entire process. The government put a halt on what Amerispec Corp was doing, thus ending the somewhat legal flow of F1s to the US until Show&Display legislation was enacted in late 1999.

Show&Display has it's own qualifications and restrictions, but most importantly what it allows is the bypassing of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards on historically significant limited production automobiles that were never officially federalized for sale in the US. So now, an F1 can legally be imported to the US without being molested at all, save for having to meet the EPA guidelines for it's year of manufacture. In the case of the F1, even the EPA qualifications have become a little less stringent in the past year, which has allowed F1s build in 1996 or later to meet the government's OBD-II requirement without really having an OBD-II system installed.

There's more to the story, but what you will find is that all of the 7/8 Ameritech F1s retain their 3-seater layout, and none of the cars coming into the US now have to worry about any restrictions relating to that. If there are any more questions, or if someone wants to see the photos that Road&Track printed of an Ameritech converted F1, just let me know.

One thing that should be clarified was that there were never US Production-spec McLaren F1's.

Early on McLaren Cars looked at the feaasibility of developing the car to meet US regulations and determined that it would be far too expensive to incorporate into their process. The few McLaren's that did trickle into the country through Amerispec Corp as Ameritech F1's were brought in under a loop hole in the kit car laws at the time and had no official help from McLaren Cars in doing that. In fact, it's rumored that one of the McLaren Cars execs was fired for his unofficial involvement in that process.

Now McLaren F1's can only be imported under the new Show&Display guidelines set by the DOT, and once past that layer of red tape, they must still meet minimum requirements set forth by the EPA for the specific car's year of manufacture. That stipulation from the EPA is what keeps 1996 and later McLaren F1's from being modified for import because of their lack of OBD-II software and equipment.

The factory could probably help iron that out by developing a piggybacked OBD-II system to the F1's TagTronic engine computers, but so far has chosen not to help in that effort. It might be possible for an outside company to do such a thing, but it's prohibitively expensive and no F1 owners or potential owners have yet to front the money for such an endeavor.

How is the Mclaren F1LM legal in Massachusetts, let alone the USA? Not that I mind of course but just curious. Did Ameritech import it?

He will have it registered under that showcar license. That way he can drive it at shows and a bit around his place, he can drive like 3000 mile a year with it then.

The cars don't belong to Turner - they belong to an associate of the company, and former team driver, Frank Selldorff. He owns three F1s at last count, two are F1 road cars and one is the F1 LM you see here. It is the only LM in the USA - #3 of 5 customer LMs - there was also one LM prototype, for a total of 6.

At times, his cars have been displayed/stored in the Turner Motorsports showroom, but they aren't always there. If you'd like to try to see one of them, I'd suggest giving them a friendly call to ask if they have one on display, or if they expect to have one around in the near future. I know that last winter they stored the LM all season for Mr. Selldorff, but the car was not always available to just drop in and see. I'm not sure what the situation will be with the cars this winter, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Just don't be pushy if they tell you something you don't want to hear. They are afterall a business, and not a car museum.

This is kind of a long story - no cliff notes - sorry.

First, there is no company called Ameritech - the company was Amerispec Corp, and they imported 7-8 F1s through a free trade zone, managed to call themselves a manufacturer, were registered seperate VINs for each car, and then "converted" them to US spec for their owners, calling them Ameritech F1s. You may recall the photo in Road&Track of the Ameritech F1 with its strage bumpers, odd headlights and covered side seats that rendered it a single-seater. These things were all supposedly done to each car by Amerispec Corp in order to Federalize them, however not one of the 7 Ameritech F1s that are here still retain those modifications. Even the car in Road&Track had already been returned completely to it's stock form. There's more to this whole story, but my post will be long enough by the time I am done.

Amerispec's practice of importing those cars was apparently exploiting some loopholes in the laws at that time (through '96-'97) and apparently they also had some help on the inside at the DOT, EPA and US Customs service in order to facilitate sliding things through the process. Some have gone so far as to call what Amerispec Corp did to be completely illegal and they are probably right, but I don't see that anyone was truly harmed by allowing the cars in. Some have also speculated that not all of the Ameritech F1s were ever even modified as required at the time. Just one or two may have been coverted and photos of those one or two cars were supposedly used to certify all of them. In chatting with a former employee of Amerispec Corp, I learned that all those modifications were performed without drilling a single new hole or making any permanent changes to the cars. This allowed for easy conversion back to stock form, as the F1's value would have simply been crushed were it to have been any different. Then there would be no point in even importing the cars to begin with. Eventually, the DOT and EPA put a stop to Amerispec's little scheme and as far as I understand, they're no longer in the McLaren F1 importation business.

Two years after the 7 Ameritech F1s arrived - in December 1999 - with pressure from lobbyists in the collector car scene including Bill Gates who was fighting to import a Porsche 959 - a new law was passed enacting the DOT's "Show & Display" legislation. S&D allows for certain historically significant, or technologically advanced cars to bypass the FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) and be imported to the USA for limited use (up to 2500 miles per year) without any vehicle undergoing crash testing. This was a great win for those lobbyist, but it didn't solve all their problems. In order for a car to become elligible for S&D, one owner has to submit the first application which is evaluated by the DOT to verify that the vehicle meets all the criteria. Once the application for one type of car is approved, this makes it much easier for other owners to come along and import a vehicle of the same type as it will now be on the "approved" list.

That's only one of the hurdles in the process though. There is no getting around the EPAs laws for emissions standards when importing a vehicle under S&D. The vehicle must meet all EPA standards for the year of original manufacture - including being compatible with OBD-I or OBD-II diagnostic systems where applicable. OBD-II was introduced for the 1996 model year and is a much more intrusive diagnostics system and in order to be compatible with the EPAs test equipment, a car like the McLAren would need certain censors, as well as an ECU that can log error codes in whatever language the OBD systems retrieve them in, as well as offer the standard OBD-II connector. Now we all know that the F1 employs a very sophisticated ECU, and it can monitor many more things that are required by OBD-II - however, Tagtronic wrote the software and it was not compatible with the US's OBD-II diagnostic equipment basically rendering all it's capabilities useless in regards to our requirements.

All of these things posed a big problem for McLarens built after 1995, so initially the only McLaren F1s that were elligible for S&D were those built in 1995 or earlier. This limited US buyers to approximately 40 F1 road cars out of the 69 total (including prototypes) that were built. The 9 1995 F1 GTRs would not be covered under this provision as they are race cars and not road cars. They can be imported under separate provisions for racing cars, but are not elligible for road use. The 5 customer LMs were built in 1996 so originally they were barred from importation as well.

About two years ago though, the policy relating to certain model years of McLarens being inelligible was lifted, and now all McLaren F1s can be imported under S&D. It's never been clear to me what occurred to change this. Whether the EPA decided to be lax to the rules in cases of limited production cars like these, or if someone was finally able to "crack the Tagtronic code" and make a converter to satisfy the US EPA regulators. The people who know aren't talking, and it's not really a question they need to answer. The cars are "legal" now somehow and that's the bottom line. Those same people who suggested that everything Amerispec Corp did was illegal, have also suspected that the way to certify a post-1995 McLaren F1 with the EPA is simply write a very large check, but I see even less truth in that. Who knows...

Anyway - that's the most concise explanation I can provide in regards to this. If it sparks any questions, please let me know and I will do my best to address each one.

BTW: One thing you might not have noticed is that Mr Selldorff's LM is fitted with the same catalysts as the F1 road car - that's something the other LMs would probably not have as you can see in this comparison photo of his engine compartment, and that of the F1 LM Prototype, 'XP1 LM'. The four canisters you see running parallel to the ground in 'LM3' are the catalytic convertors. The four canisters you see running perpendicular to the ground in the 'Supercars.net' photo of 'XP1 LM' would be the mufflers.

Die oben genannten Firmen und Namen können Dir vielleicht weiterhelfen beim erfolgreichen Zulassen eines Pantera Si in den USA.

REGISTERED IMPORTERS

The following firms have been approved as Registered Importers (RI) of nonconforming motor vehicles for 2001. (...)...

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/RiHT0012.html

Only an RI may import vehicles for resale. If you would like to bring vehicles into the U.S. for resale you must become an RI. The responsibilities of an RI are defined in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations Part 592, "Registered Importers of Vehicles Not Originally Manufactured to Conform to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards."

amerispecTM

Company History

Amerispec Corporation was started in 1976 specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of safety and emission control equipment on Ferrari and other exotic automobiles. These modifications allowed the foreign vehicles to meet United States federal standards for operation on public roadways. Amerispec was the first company to convert the McLaren F-1, Bugatti EB110 and many other supercars.

The company was created by Dick Fritz, who from the early 1960’s to the late 1970’s, was employed by Luigi Chinetti Motors, the first importer and distributor for Ferrari in North America. During this period, he held the title of Chinetti’s General Manger and Team Manager for Ferrari’s North American Racing Team, NART. Since establishing Amerispec, Mr. Fritz has become recognized as an expert in the purchasing, selling and restoring of Ferraris, as well as, assisting clients in locating and authenticating extremely rare models. In addition, he is a respected member and Senior National Concours Judge of The Ferrari Club of America.

Mr. Fritz initiated the first edition of the Amerispec coloring book back in 1978 at the suggestion of his young daughter, Suzanne. As an adult she founded the consulting company Bellafaccia International, which was the primary contributor to the creation and publishing of this 2nd edition Amerispec Ferrari coloring book.

Amerispec Corporation

Ridgefield, CT 06877 USA

amerispectech@westelcom.com

203·744·0844

Tolle Info !

Danke !