Euro model import & federalization in 1984...

In 1983 (my wife imported a 308 GTS that year) each person got one exemption from EPA standards to import a used car. Still had to meet DOT standards. Exact details are likely buried in a file somewhere and likely did not apply in good old CA. Contact CARB and ask.

 

In California only "Used" cars could be imported so it was SOP to advance the odo to the 7500 limit required. Many cars with all the plastic protection in the interior were brought in with 7500 miles.

Since all speedos came out to be converted to MPH reading many were altered. On a gray market car originally arriving in California its hard to rely on odometer mileage. There have been some disreputable people in the exotic car business as hard as that may be to believe.

California eventually began putting on their own door jamb stickers on all grey market cars and since the program has stopped only those with the sticker can be registered. Since only a few for example 288's ever got that sticker the few that have it tend to be worth a premium because only those few can be registered there.

 

Well not on any official documents generated during the federalization or US Customs process. That would be counterproductive.
If any documentation it would be preimportation paperwork such as original sale documents or invoice for speedo work prior to shipment. Then dates can be compared to see if it adds up.

 

I worked for Hardy and Beck back in the days of the grey market car importation. As Rifledriver has stated it was SOP to run the odometers on new cars past 7500mi so they could registered in California as used cars. We didn't even pull the speedometers from the dash, all it took was connecting a signal generator to the speed sensor connector on the differential and dial the speed up to 160MPH or so Ferris Buehler style and over the weekend you would have 7500 miles on the odometer. There was no documentation of this, as it was totally illegal.

This lasted until the CA DMV grilled the guitarist from Night Ranger (Jeff Watson, a really nice guy), who spilled the beans over how his brand new BMW M635Csi had so many miles on it. There was a DMV raid on the H&B complex with all sorts of news crews and commotion. The next day there was an article on the front page of the local newspaper about it (I still have a clipping of it somewhere).
After that it was pretty much the death of the importation of grey market cars, as California changed the laws regarding how and who could import them.

 

Cali gray market cars had the importer plate and carb plate on the car. If you have the carb plate you are good in Cali.. I have had two gray cars from 1984 and 2000. Both were from a known certified importer or converter. Amerispec did a bunch of these cars. The more famous guys like amerispec did better conversions with more easily sourced parts because that’s what they did. There are some one off guys bringing in cars and those did not get converted as robustly. I fear no gray car well documented. There is an advantage knowing where the car was from. For example the parts manual may list a part number different for us cars vs cars for GD. You want to know that so you get parts designed for your car.