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Importing an S2 in to the US
Cheers guys,
I have been doing allot of research lately and have discovered that it is possible for an Audi S2 to imported in to the US.
I have been thinking about moving back to the good old USA for quite some time now, The only thing that has kept me here in Brazil is my car.
A few months back i started asking some of my mates back in the states if it could be done. Most of my friends told me it was impossible, the only way was to wait for the car to turn 25 years old and import it as a classic car. thus bypassing the DOT, NHSA and EPA inspections.
The more likely scenario is that the car will need to undergo a lengthy conversion process to make it legal.
Cars that haven't yet been brought into the country require the importer to prove that a "substantially similar" model is sold in the United States, and that the converted car shares its crash structures with the American version.
Once it's been established that the car won't bend in half or explode in a cascade of raining aluminum, the rest of its parts need to be brought up to spec. Bumpers need to be certified to pass American standards, headlamps and taillamps must be either re-engineered or swapped for DOT-certified units, side marker lights must be installed, both brake hoses and brake fluid have to be swapped out for DOT-legal versions, and tires and wheels need to bear DOT certification marks...
If existing DOT-approved parts don't exist, the importer has to contract development of them out to a job shop, then send the car off to an independent lab, again, to make sure that everything from light output to hose-burst strength meets the federal standards. All of that cost lots of money!
Window glass is one of those items that looks straightforward enough, but is tightly controlled by the DOT. Known to regulatory types as "glazing," the department regulates not only the color and shatter resistance of auto glass, but also the certification markings — the "DOT" stamps on the side windows and A↓S on the windshield to denote lamination — that must be on every window in the car. Every piece of glass on the car needs to bear those certifications; rather than buy new, most importers will scour junkyards to get the approved windows they need.
Oh, and the Registered Importer of choice has only 120 days to complete all this work before the car needs to be certified, destroyed, or exported.
With the DOT certification out of the way, the EPA has its say in what can and can't come into the country. If your car is fewer than 21 years old, you'll need to deal with an EPA-certified Independent Commercial Importer. It's the ICI's job to make sure your fully crashworthy but nonconforming car is brought into harmony with EPA emissions standards. And the EPA doesn't want the car driven on the street until all of its conversion work is done, so, for cars that need emissions work, U.S. Customs can only release a nonconforming car to an ICI. Given that the 120-day time frame necessary to complete all the DOT compliance work begins ticking down from the moment the car is picked up at the port.
But wait, there is still light at the end of the tunnel! The federal government threw a bone to us enthusiasts on August 13, 1999, when the "show and display" exemption went into effect. If the car you're looking at importing IS NOT in production, doesn't have a vehicle exemption number already, IS NOT a kit car, and had a production run of FEWER THAN 500 examples, you can petition the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to allow a one-time exemption for your car of "historical or technological significance." You'll still need to fork over the cash to bring the car into EPA compliance, and you'll be limited to 2500 miles annually, but the "show and display" law has opened the doors to hordes of Porsche 959s, Jaguar XJ220s, and others of their ilk that weren't previously allowed stateside.
Basicaly you can try to import a Audi S2 Estate and RS2 on the basis that it is similar to the Audi 90 sold in the US, the Audi S2 coupe on the basis that it is similar to the Audi Quatrro Coupe sold in the US. Although extremely unlikely and dificult. But the holy grail of Audi S2's is the S2 Saloon. It can be imported though the "show and Display" exemption because its production run totaled 306 examples.
I am currently working on finding a Independent Commercial Importer to help me take my 1995 S2 saloon in to the US.
If anyone knows a trustworthy ICI in the states please contact me.
Cheers,
Pedro Neves
I have been doing allot of research lately and have discovered that it is possible for an Audi S2 to imported in to the US.
I have been thinking about moving back to the good old USA for quite some time now, The only thing that has kept me here in Brazil is my car.
A few months back i started asking some of my mates back in the states if it could be done. Most of my friends told me it was impossible, the only way was to wait for the car to turn 25 years old and import it as a classic car. thus bypassing the DOT, NHSA and EPA inspections.
The more likely scenario is that the car will need to undergo a lengthy conversion process to make it legal.
Cars that haven't yet been brought into the country require the importer to prove that a "substantially similar" model is sold in the United States, and that the converted car shares its crash structures with the American version.
Once it's been established that the car won't bend in half or explode in a cascade of raining aluminum, the rest of its parts need to be brought up to spec. Bumpers need to be certified to pass American standards, headlamps and taillamps must be either re-engineered or swapped for DOT-certified units, side marker lights must be installed, both brake hoses and brake fluid have to be swapped out for DOT-legal versions, and tires and wheels need to bear DOT certification marks...
If existing DOT-approved parts don't exist, the importer has to contract development of them out to a job shop, then send the car off to an independent lab, again, to make sure that everything from light output to hose-burst strength meets the federal standards. All of that cost lots of money!
Window glass is one of those items that looks straightforward enough, but is tightly controlled by the DOT. Known to regulatory types as "glazing," the department regulates not only the color and shatter resistance of auto glass, but also the certification markings — the "DOT" stamps on the side windows and A↓S on the windshield to denote lamination — that must be on every window in the car. Every piece of glass on the car needs to bear those certifications; rather than buy new, most importers will scour junkyards to get the approved windows they need.
Oh, and the Registered Importer of choice has only 120 days to complete all this work before the car needs to be certified, destroyed, or exported.
With the DOT certification out of the way, the EPA has its say in what can and can't come into the country. If your car is fewer than 21 years old, you'll need to deal with an EPA-certified Independent Commercial Importer. It's the ICI's job to make sure your fully crashworthy but nonconforming car is brought into harmony with EPA emissions standards. And the EPA doesn't want the car driven on the street until all of its conversion work is done, so, for cars that need emissions work, U.S. Customs can only release a nonconforming car to an ICI. Given that the 120-day time frame necessary to complete all the DOT compliance work begins ticking down from the moment the car is picked up at the port.
But wait, there is still light at the end of the tunnel! The federal government threw a bone to us enthusiasts on August 13, 1999, when the "show and display" exemption went into effect. If the car you're looking at importing IS NOT in production, doesn't have a vehicle exemption number already, IS NOT a kit car, and had a production run of FEWER THAN 500 examples, you can petition the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to allow a one-time exemption for your car of "historical or technological significance." You'll still need to fork over the cash to bring the car into EPA compliance, and you'll be limited to 2500 miles annually, but the "show and display" law has opened the doors to hordes of Porsche 959s, Jaguar XJ220s, and others of their ilk that weren't previously allowed stateside.
Basicaly you can try to import a Audi S2 Estate and RS2 on the basis that it is similar to the Audi 90 sold in the US, the Audi S2 coupe on the basis that it is similar to the Audi Quatrro Coupe sold in the US. Although extremely unlikely and dificult. But the holy grail of Audi S2's is the S2 Saloon. It can be imported though the "show and Display" exemption because its production run totaled 306 examples.
I am currently working on finding a Independent Commercial Importer to help me take my 1995 S2 saloon in to the US.
If anyone knows a trustworthy ICI in the states please contact me.
Cheers,
Pedro Neves
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