I think this guy up the road owns one (a blue one always parked outside the house). I was wondering how much they go for these days... some are about 10 years old.
Bugatti EB110 GT
- Thread starter CRX B16B VTEC
- Start date
I didn't think they were even street legal here??
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
- Messages
- 218
A car like this?
<br>
The EB110 is one of the lucky cars that slpi into the US thanks to the non-certified car is declared exemption from NHTSA safety department thanks in part to Bill Gates. Bill Gates' problem was with a Porsche 959. He bought one in Germany and tried unsuccessfully to import it into the US due to NHTSA laws. He did sneak the car into Washington State, and a
local newspaper guy published a picture in the local paper! Within 24 hours
the FED's were on site looking for the car. He was fined $50k for bringing a non-compliant car into the US, and the car was locked in impond where the car sat for a few years. Gates ended up teaming up with a few people who got the rules changed<br>
August 13, 1999 was the day the rules changed. That was the date The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its new, relaxed rules for the importation of cars of "historical or technological significance" for "show or display," such as the F1, the Jaguar XJ220, BMW Z1, Porsche 959 and GT1, Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR, and the Bugatti EB110. <br>
Virtually all of the safety roadblocks to bringing in such rare cars were eliminated. Previously, every single automobile less than 25 years old had to satisfy current DOT safety rules before it could be certified to remain in the country. That meant costly and time-consuming additions and alterations such as air bags, seat belts, bumpers, door reinforcements, third brake lights, and reflectors, costing thousands of dollars and often taking months to complete. Such changes ruined the essential look of many cars, at least in the eyes of purist collectors, leading some of them to attempt alterations that would bring the car back as close to the European original as possible as soon as they took possession. Legal? Not really. And certainly not in the spirit of the DOT rules. However, while bringing a qualifying imported automobile up to speed on safety matters no longer involves such cost and trouble, it doesn't mean the bureaucratic tangle was entirely eliminated. Each car still must pass EPA muster for emissions, hardly a cakewalk when it comes to high-powered cars. And the NHTSA rules for qualifying such "show or display" cars are stringent—as well as, on occasion, elusive—the application process is demanding, and lastly, the penalties for noncompliance are stiff.
<br>
First of all, NHTSA regulations make it virtually impossible for a car to qualify under the new rules if the manufacturer is still producing the same make and model, or has ever sold a car of the same make, model, and year in the U.S. And any car will find particularly tough sledding if more than 500 of the same make and model were produced. If a car survives these initial tests, the owner must still prove to the satisfaction of the NHTSA committee that his car is valuable in terms of technology or history. The NHTSA publication"How to Import A Motor Vehicle for Show or Display" (consult the Web site: www.nhtsa.dot.gov) specifies that the car must either have advanced technology "of an unusual nature, not commonly found in motor vehicles manufactured in the same time period" or a singular history. That latter qualifier is defined as "one of a kind," or "the first or last vehicle of a particular model," but it also includes a car proved to have been owned by a person of "historical significance." If the committee certifies the car, further rules apply. The car cannot be driven more than 2,500 miles per year if it is registered for use on public roads, and the owner must have an insurance policy stating this. The owner must also keep a log showing mileage and use, and must agree to DOT inspections of the odometer and log. The car cannot be sold, leased or transferred without NHTSA approval. And if the owner is found to have disregarded these rules, fines of up to $1,100 per violation and even seizure are specified. It takes time, too. The first letters of approval were finally being received more than six months after the new rules had been issued. Among the first certifications: a Porsche 959, a Jaguar XJ220 , a Bugatti EB 110, and a McLaren F1. <p>
THANKS BILL!!!
The EB110 is one of the lucky cars that slpi into the US thanks to the non-certified car is declared exemption from NHTSA safety department thanks in part to Bill Gates. Bill Gates' problem was with a Porsche 959. He bought one in Germany and tried unsuccessfully to import it into the US due to NHTSA laws. He did sneak the car into Washington State, and a
local newspaper guy published a picture in the local paper! Within 24 hours
the FED's were on site looking for the car. He was fined $50k for bringing a non-compliant car into the US, and the car was locked in impond where the car sat for a few years. Gates ended up teaming up with a few people who got the rules changed<br>
August 13, 1999 was the day the rules changed. That was the date The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its new, relaxed rules for the importation of cars of "historical or technological significance" for "show or display," such as the F1, the Jaguar XJ220, BMW Z1, Porsche 959 and GT1, Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR, and the Bugatti EB110. <br>
Virtually all of the safety roadblocks to bringing in such rare cars were eliminated. Previously, every single automobile less than 25 years old had to satisfy current DOT safety rules before it could be certified to remain in the country. That meant costly and time-consuming additions and alterations such as air bags, seat belts, bumpers, door reinforcements, third brake lights, and reflectors, costing thousands of dollars and often taking months to complete. Such changes ruined the essential look of many cars, at least in the eyes of purist collectors, leading some of them to attempt alterations that would bring the car back as close to the European original as possible as soon as they took possession. Legal? Not really. And certainly not in the spirit of the DOT rules. However, while bringing a qualifying imported automobile up to speed on safety matters no longer involves such cost and trouble, it doesn't mean the bureaucratic tangle was entirely eliminated. Each car still must pass EPA muster for emissions, hardly a cakewalk when it comes to high-powered cars. And the NHTSA rules for qualifying such "show or display" cars are stringent—as well as, on occasion, elusive—the application process is demanding, and lastly, the penalties for noncompliance are stiff.
<br>
First of all, NHTSA regulations make it virtually impossible for a car to qualify under the new rules if the manufacturer is still producing the same make and model, or has ever sold a car of the same make, model, and year in the U.S. And any car will find particularly tough sledding if more than 500 of the same make and model were produced. If a car survives these initial tests, the owner must still prove to the satisfaction of the NHTSA committee that his car is valuable in terms of technology or history. The NHTSA publication"How to Import A Motor Vehicle for Show or Display" (consult the Web site: www.nhtsa.dot.gov) specifies that the car must either have advanced technology "of an unusual nature, not commonly found in motor vehicles manufactured in the same time period" or a singular history. That latter qualifier is defined as "one of a kind," or "the first or last vehicle of a particular model," but it also includes a car proved to have been owned by a person of "historical significance." If the committee certifies the car, further rules apply. The car cannot be driven more than 2,500 miles per year if it is registered for use on public roads, and the owner must have an insurance policy stating this. The owner must also keep a log showing mileage and use, and must agree to DOT inspections of the odometer and log. The car cannot be sold, leased or transferred without NHTSA approval. And if the owner is found to have disregarded these rules, fines of up to $1,100 per violation and even seizure are specified. It takes time, too. The first letters of approval were finally being received more than six months after the new rules had been issued. Among the first certifications: a Porsche 959, a Jaguar XJ220 , a Bugatti EB 110, and a McLaren F1. <p>
THANKS BILL!!!
Thats crazy... but atleast the US still have a reason to do this, may be to protect the motor industry so that too much imports don't get in. In Japan there are serious restrictions to import too. But what I don't understand is in the UK they are toughening the law every year to stop imports... there are no serious motor industry anymore in the UK is there...
these are common aren't they? There are atleast two that I see everyday, the owners use them as a daily driver.
these are common aren't they? There are atleast two that I see everyday, the owners use them as a daily driver.
More on Bill and his 959.
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...verstory&loc_code=index&content_code=09282484
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...verstory&loc_code=index&content_code=09282484
NSX/MR2
Suspended
With money does come power or influenses in many cases.
