My buddy in Tokyo might sell me his '98 550 w/ FHP since he know that I am in the market for a 456M GT; same ext/int colors I am looking for and manual trans! Anyone know the costs to convert to US specs? Recommended garages to do this kind of works? Is it a hassle to import one in and go thru this process? I used to live in Tokyo so exporting is not a problem for me. I need the car to be registered in CA.
OBD2 will need to be added if it is absent from said 550. I know Euro cars don't and am fairly sure Asian won't either.
You can research old treads,but its about $15-$20K. The company that does it is Ameri-spec I think. The 550 is just not worth it. If it was a rare car it would make sense. It's not. Why don't you export it to China. I heard they can't get enough Ferrari's. Make a profit and buy one cheap here.
If it were a 2000+ it may be worth it, given the U.S. Spec ones are slower after 2000 (pre-cat exhaust restrictors via the EPA) The Euros are also lighter even after conversion. Many threads on this...