Importing an Italian 812 to California | FerrariChat

Importing an Italian 812 to California

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by Damiano Bolzoni, May 10, 2020.

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

  1. Damiano Bolzoni

    May 7, 2020
    1
    Full Name:
    Damiano Bolzoni
    Hello everyone,
    I own an 812 in Italy and I'm in the process of moving to California. Since that was my very first Ferrari ever it has sentimental value to me and would like to bring it to California with me. I have done some research but there is no definite answer, other than "it's going to cost a lot". But...if I were to sell that car and buy another one year, I would be losing something north of $100,000...so the costs to import might justify the effort :)

    Would have anybody some advises where to start? Of course the biggest issue comes with the (stricter) California emissions standards but...the car seems to be imported here "as is" with no actual change...emissions on US web sites are even reported in metric values (grams per kilometer).
    Then front and rear reflectors...if Ferrari would allow a vehicle not meant for the US market to receive spare parts meant for the US, I would "just" need to replace the front and the 2 side panels at the rear...
    I have seen cars in the US using the "European" orange turn signals, instead of the usual red ones.

    Anything else?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Doctor Mark

    Doctor Mark Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2005
    870
    Georgia
    Full Name:
    Mark Gronsbell
    First place to start is to review the EPA and DOT requirements to even bring the car into the US. Then check with California DMV. Do not forget the cost of duty etc. Sentimental value is nice but suspect this will not be an easy or inexpensive task. Suggest sell in Europe and buy here as they are heavily discounted from MSRP in the second hand market.
     
    Boomhauer likes this.
  3. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,143
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    Private ownership?? Give up now.

    The ones I see here are running around on Consulate plates, so if there's one of those where you are going, I would investigate that angle.
    As I understand it your Euro VIN is immediately recognizable to Ferrari North America and they won't even honor the warranty on US soil.

    That might also be a good place to start, a phone call the FNA!
    Good luck though!
    Welcome to the US!

    Our member here "ross" had much the same issue:
    F40..no problem
    BB512i ...no problem

    Well sorted 456M....sorry nope.
    He could also tell you more...
     
    OffsetImage and Boomhauer like this.
  4. 335s

    335s Formula Junior

    Jan 17, 2007
    870
    SF Bay Area
    Full Name:
    T. Monma
    iNDIVIDUALS CANNOT IMPORT PASSENGER CARS/LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS UNDER 7500 LBS GVW DIRECTLY AS AN INDIVIDUAL!
    It can ONLY be done by an ICI(independent commercial importer}, THEN it must satisfy EPA requirements via-in almost all cases-with a Small Volume Certificate of Manufacture(what Ferrari has to do), and then satisfy all requirements as set forth in the CFR(code of federal regulations) as they pertain to the DOT standards/FVMSS codes.

    It gets worse if you intend to license car in CA: an additional CARB lab certification-specific to CA-and there are two, and only two CARB approved labs for this purpose(LA and Napa). Its a peculiarity of the Clean Air Act from its INCEPTION...

    Thus-you can achieve almost anything if one is willing to spend money until fruition, however: I would caution you: proceed with caution, its an expensive and emotionally arduous path

    In the 1980s, I was a technical contributor to ALL of the Small Volume Certs obtained in Ann Arbor for nearly ALL Mercedes Benz "Certs"(We were a patent holder for an intrinsically critical technology in use to this day), so I know of where I speak in this regard.
    The legalities AND INTRICACIES OF NAVIGATION ALL OF THE OBSTACLES MIGHT HAVE/PROBABLY HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, BUT ITS LIKELY THAT ITS STILL FAIRLY CLOSE TO MY DESCRIPTION ABOVE

    STUCK KEYS-SORRY-IT WONT UNSTICK-OLD COMPUTER....

    Check with Jonathan in Baltimore, MD......He has tons of certs under the new format, and, has a working relationship with Lab in LA

    feel free to PM me if you require any meaningful assistance...
     

Share This Page