Shipping from UK to US?

[mharrell]

I'm interested in placing a remote bid on the KV coming up in the Bubble Car Museum's auction but have never shipped a car across the Atlantic.  The available rates for a full-sized car or a standard container are prohibitively steep-- does anyone have recommendations for shipping a non-running (I assume) microcar from the UK to the US?  For reference, a KV Mini 1 is about 2.1 m long, 1.2 m wide, and weighs 180 kg.  Thanks.

Mike Harrell

[Bob Purton]

Hi Mike. I helped Bruce Weiner ship some cars over some years ago and he along with Ken Wieger both shipped them in two's for ecomony, thats two cars in a 20 foot container. Could you team up with someone else who is buying a car? May be worth having a word with Bruce or Ken. Cheers, Bob

[cuscus47]

Hello Mike:  I usually ship one or two forty foot containers from Liverpool to Illinois each year.  My next one should be December or January, not sure yet. If you do buy a car and you can have it stored until I am ready, then we can work out something.  Currently it is about $6,000 per container, but that is so variable now with exchange rates, fuel surcharges etc.  We can prorate the space by the length, or the width if it will fit sideways (7.5 ft).  That is the fairest way, remember a  forty footer is only 39ft inside.  Is the vehicle over twenty-five years old, that is the key to ease of entry?  Let me know, Ian.

[Jim Janecek]

They don't list what year the KV is on the auction site.

You better make sure it is a 1982 or earlier car or you will have a massive problem trying to get it past Customs and if you share a container with someone else that is going to create a hardship for them as well.

[Stuart Cyphus]

They don't list what year the KV is on the auction site.

 I don't think they built the KV/KVS any later than 1982 anyway? Certainly nothing I've got or seen mentions any date later than '82. Would it be worth mentioning that my KVS Brake brousure is date-stamped 1st January 1982......   

  I've just thought of something else, the chassis plate (if it's still got it) should have year of manufacture stamped on it. Certainly most other Funny French Fhings of this period seems to......

[mharrell]

It is also my understanding that production stopped in 1982, but I now wonder what it would take to convince Customs of its age in the absence of any paperwork beyond the bill of sale.  The data plate for my KV does not specify the year of manufacture-- I only know it because the car came with its last French registration document.  I've contacted the museum to ask about their car's data plate, since the absence of a standard 17-character VIN would at least strongly imply it was made before 1981.  The car in the museum still has its old-style (pre-1993, I think?) permanently-affixed French registration number (9540 RK 71), so does anyone know whether the French records of this would be readily available?  I take it the 71 indicates the department of Saone-et-Loire and the year can be extracted somehow, although even that isn't the same as having the paperwork.

Mike Harrell

[cuscus47]

There are many different ways to show the age that will satisfy US Customs.  If the seller has a document of registration or Change of Ownership, I forget the French document name but can check in my office tomorrow.  Also a Bill of Sale as I explained in my email to you Mike, with the pertinent details inluding that it has been in a Museum for X years and not road-registered. A letter from a club (or museum) for the marque (Rumcars?) stating that from inspection that it is a 19xx  model, chassis number xxx and engine number xxxx.  In lieu of a VIN, US Customs prefers the engine number, but the engine number as well as the chassis number is a plus.  I really do not think the age will be an unsurmountable problem in this case.  Ian.   

[mharrell]

Paula Cooper of the Bubble Car Museum has been most helpful via e-mail on the question of this KV's age.  The car is chassis 718 and engine 1177, which places it around two years older than my specimen from 1980 (976 and 1455, respectively).  She also indicated that the museum is accredited for establishing the year of manufacture for Customs purposes.  I suppose this is just handing ammunition to any rival bidders, but at least anyone reading this won't need to pester the museum for the same information.  As indicated in the auction's description, there is no surviving paperwork.

Mike Harrell