I wished I knew then that the VIN is like the car's name! None of the pics I have show it. Back in 1988, I heard there were only 2 or 3 in the USA (including Gates' car).
I don't think imported cars that are over 20 or 25 years old are exempt from smog. They are simply subject to the smog rules that were in effect at the time of their manufacture. If a car is old enough, then there were no emissions regulations when it was manufactured, and it therefore does not need to be brought into compliance with anything. These days, a 25 year old car would be subject to the emissions regulations in effect in 1984. Same for FMVSS (safety standards). If it does not comply, or cannot be brought into compliance, then it cannot be legally imported UNLESS it qualifies for the Show and Display exemption, or any of the other exemptions (race car, carnet, temporary import by a non-resident, museum display, blablabla). You can also take it apart, import it as a "assemblage of car parts" and then reconstruct it stateside. Registering it would be an issue, if you were to want to drive it on public roads. Usually people go for kit car registration in those cases. You can also import it to Canada or Mexico (or points further south) and then drive it in. Another idea is to register it in Guam or any of the other US territories, if you know someone there.
Actually after 20 years a car can be brought into the US as it no longer has to adhere to the US crash tests etc. Smog testing is only one part of that. I just read that in a vintage car collector magazine where they were making a point for British cars to be imported to the US. However if the car is 25 years old, then it is excempt from EPA testing as well if it is being driven with Antique Plates. So basically 25 years are the cutoff point to import cars that were originally DOT approved.
Probably the same car spotted by a Rennlist member - posted in Off Topic which is for members only. Here is the post with is photo: It's also for sale on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/959-GruppeB_W0QQitemZ230404749821QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item35a53179fd Wrong rear side mirrors, headlights, and wheels. 959's also didn't have rain gutters on the roof that are usually carried over on replica's. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I applaud you for your knowledge. It sounds like we could have a Group B duell after all: Replica 959 based on 911 vs replica 288GTO based on 308. PS: Holy cow, just 32k would buy the "959". Not bad.
This doesn't look the same to me. The wheels are different, as well as the side mirrors. The 959 in my pics also has side marker lights which don't appear in the car on the street. The proportions of the car in your post just seem "off" somehow. I'm sure somewhere here can tell for sure though. I think I have a few more pics of the car if anyone wants me to post them.
You really need to re-read my post. The car I posted is not real, while the photo of the car you saw in 1988 is real. I'm assuming the car bounty saw is the same one I posted. Just a guess. Hehe, that would be a cool track event Owning a replica Cobra I enjoy trying to spot original's and learning common signs. Few yeas ago I was in my VW Beetle and a Jaguar XKSS pulled up next to me to fill up. The owner said it was a Reynard chassis, all custom made etc... Sure, one time I don't have a camera along!!! Since then I have seen three real XKSS's (one Steve McQueen's) and I did have the camera along. Considering they only made 16, only a few more to go!! These 959 sightings pop up all the time on the Porsche forum(s). Once and a while a 100% real one is spotted (usually in California). This past summer someone snapped a photo of a real 959 parked at a local hardware store. Here is that post: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Darn. I have fallen in love with this car. The replica I mean. I have a hard time thinking about anything else. And I hate Porsches. Or so I thought. If I had a parking space, I would have just bought this car. It is so beautifully done and apparently fast. I hope somebody from Chicago buys this and we get to see it one day. PS: Don't tell my 308. Or she'll be hitting me with a 9 iron...
I've seen one black 959 a few years ago, but since the pictures were taken on a cell phone, they weren't very good quality, and I lost them in a former computer crash. It was at a shop in Downers Grove, and I was told by the guys there that it was a real one. Sure made my day to see it, but man I wish I still had those pictures That looks A LOT like the prototype made in 1983(?) The following is not my picture, but I do not remember where I got it from.
