Title & Transport Question

[mxp01]

Gentlemen:

It's been a few months since I last posted (since selling my Sprite), but I was hoping to draw upon your collective wisdom to, perhaps, point me in the right direction:

- I've got a friend in the Bahamas who has a 1963 Chevy. Several years ago, he purchased the car from an individual in Nassau. He does not have the title (not needed for older cars in Nassau). He wants to bring the car over to the US for restoration work in anticipation of Bahamas Speed Week at the end of November.

Does anyone have any experience with importing older vehicles to the US? Will not having a title pose a problem? If it does, is there some solution to the issue?

Thanks in advance,
Mike Pennell

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Hey Mike was that your Green BE I saw on an episode of
House Hunters last week in Nassau? If so your BE is famous.

 

[reddsprite]

If you go to NHTSA website all the rules for importing cars to this country from foreign lands are listed. In some cases it is fairly simple,but with no title it could get to be such a pain that it would not be worth it. I had a neighbor that used to import almost new Mercedes' from Germany,and the paperwork was enough to discourage me from even trying it. Like I mentioned before check out NHTSA.gov and see if your friends project is worthwhile-

Good luck and happy motoring

 

[taskadog]

Mike,
There may be a way to import temporarily, but its not likely you could get permanent papers without a title
There are a few hi end restoration shops in Miami that export all the time.
I'd start by contacting one and asking what broker they use for freight thru Miami. The broker should have all the info.
Phil

 

[mxp01]

Jim:

That was my (actually black) BE, along with me, on HHI. About a week prior to filming the head of the local car club (of which I am a member (honorary/lifetime at this point) said the producers wanted some vintage cars for some "background" for the taping. Later in the week the producers indicated that they were interested in me and my car, and on the day of taping I got an email saying they wanted the car (or was it me?) in the show. The rest in TV history....

Mike Pennell

 

[Silverghost]

Seems to me you really only need to prove proof of ownership.
You're not looking to register it here, it's just coming for restoration work then returning, right? Registration, maybe a notarized letterof ownership, etc. It'd be like going to Switzerland to get a nose job then returning to the US. You only need a passport, not proof of an address in Switzerland.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Cool, Thanks for the info Mike. You got more than 30 seconds of TV Time for your BE, and it appears some of the folks there have some pretty wild bikes. The guy they featured, custom bike builder, may well fit right in.