Importing a TF 1500

Reproduction in whole or in part of any article published on this website is prohibited without written permission of The MG Car Club.

By Nick Gasson

A novice, a dream and an MG on the wrong side of the Atlantic – what could possibly go wrong? An account of importing an MG TF-1500 from the USA.

Far cleverer people than me have written on the task of importing a car from the United States and there are excellent, if somewhat daunting accounts of the hurdles, bureaucracy and patience-testing requirements to manage the whole adventure oneself. To be honest, if I’d read carefully all the literature before deciding to import, I would perhaps have been put off. However, with a bit of common sense and by using a trusted shipping company, it should not be onerous and for those of us with a limited budget but ambitions to own a head-turning classic, there remains the opportunity to pull off some amazing deals and achieve the aim.

My story is the fulfilment of a long-term ambition to own a ‘first generation’ MG TF. Quality TFs, particularly the TF-1500 were, and still are, quite pricey and I could not afford one in working order in the UK. Thus, armed with enthusiasm but little knowledge, I started looking on websites in the USA. Almost immediately I found 474 UYH advertised on a sales site and could barely believe my eyes – she was described as a three owner, matching numbers TF-1500, with 37,000 miles, only one minor restoration (in 1971) and two recent second-place awards at East Coast car shows – and all for less dollars than one might expect to pay in pounds at home for an average car. Was this to be the outstanding opportunity or a nightmare waiting for a victim? Curiosity got the better of me and with my late father’s adage of ‘if it looks too good to be true, it probably is’ ringing alarm bells in my head, I contacted the owner Mario in Maryland. I need not have been concerned – Mario was delightful, clearly very knowledgeable, and had a collection of British sports cars that included a TR3 and an MGB GT. He confessed to being bewildered at why a Brit would be mad enough to buy his car based only on a text and photos, but we struck up a dialogue, soon became good ‘pen pals’ and he warmed to the idea that I was serious about the car.

Crucially, I then sought advice from the MGCC who recommended I speak with the legendary Barrie Jones of the T Register. I doubt if there’s a square inch of the TF that Barrie does not know, and he reassuringly went through the pitfalls as well as the delights of owning a TF. He also confirmed that the car was on the Register, and even emailed me the Factory Production Record of the car on October 22 1954. When he discovered the price I’d been offered, he simply asked me why I was still talking to him and not already on a plane to the US! Barrie is a shining example of why we have such a magnificent club.

Next I had a stroke of luck. Nobody sane would part with cash for a transatlantic purchase they had never seen, but a friend in London recommended Rick, an engineer in the US operation of his forensic enquiries company (also a classic MG owner) nearby in Maryland, who inspected it for me. Rick called me and confirmed the provenance and quality of the car, though he did confess that he had actually had a “demon” sitting on his shoulder telling him to report that the car was dreadful and then “go buy it for myself!” Needless to say, he refused any payment in the generous spirit I have found so often in the US.

In the meantime, Mario, the owner, put me in touch with his predecessor in Florida, a charming man with the wonderful name of Mr Del Fruit, who told me all about his many years with the car he had bought in 1971. It was Mr Fruit who had listed the car with the T Register in the UK many years earlier.

Paying for the car (quite rightly, a concern for anyone) proved simple, fast and safe because I used the London office of a well-known US Foreign Exchange (FX) company to do the transfer (I am happy to give details should anyone wish). I strongly recommend this procedure; setting up an account was easy, totally painless and prevented a waste of hundreds of pounds on FX through high street banks, something we all wince at but fail to address when we travel abroad. In parallel I contacted a superb shipping company ‘Ship My Car’ near Newport Pagnell, who led me step by step through the import process. Ship My Car (always say it slowly!) took care of everything, including contacting the vendor, holding the car in heated storage in New York while awaiting its ride home, dealing with US Customs and then collecting the car from Felixstowe, returning it to their impressive facilities, registering it in the UK and ‘homologating’ it for UK roads. All this came for a fixed price payable in two stages and saved a whole lot of hassle.

I cannot pretend that the New York to Felixstowe journey went without a hitch. Firstly, US Customs delayed the car because a digit on the VIN (in this case just the combination of ‘Car number’ and ‘Engine number’) was shown wrongly. It turns out that the way we write a 1 looks similar to the way the Americans write a 7; this had been mis-interpreted in 1954 and remained so thereafter! As a result 474 UYH missed its slot and then the next ship, delayed by bad weather, was too late for its berth at Felixstowe and had to off-load in Rotterdam for trans-shipment back to Felixstowe. Nonetheless, although I was frustrated at not being able to drive the car, everything was explained to me promptly.

Many will be aware that all purchases from outside the EU attract VAT, normally at 20%, and car tax on top at 10%. Even when exchange rates are favourable, unless the car has been selected because it is a rust free example, such as from California, Florida or Texas, this could easily be a deal breaker. However, European Law allows for the import of vehicles of ‘historic interest’ at a consolidated tax of 5%, and I believe that many older MGs should qualify in this category. I would strongly recommend speaking to the Club Register for your intended model to confirm this before agreeing to buy. My research shows that generally an old British car returning to the UK is regarded as being of historic interest and there are other criteria; rarity or famous former owners may also count.

Once Ship My Car had registered the car, my wife and I drove to Newport Pagnell where 474 UYH was waiting to be collected, and we had an entertaining drive, reacquainting the MG with British roads for the first time in 60 years! Luckily, the weather was fabulous and the car ran perfectly.

The TF-1500 proved to be in excellent condition, the advantage of very low mileage and having spent most of its life in Florida. However, being a typical classic car owner, the first thing I did was to strip the car down to its shell and check, clean, underseal and where appropriate, paint all components and panels to within an inch of their lives. With bedrooms full of wings, doors, sections, bonnets etc, my marriage underwent a test of strength to no small degree! I also set about a solution to the wreck of a steering wheel, hidden beneath two vinyl covers, and this is the subject of another short article.

So, is it unnerving or difficult to import a car from the US? On the former, I suppose much depends on one’s faith in human nature that things will be as described. My experience with 474 UYH is that the vendor was totally honest, charming and had done everything possible to help. On the latter, Ship My Car were as straight and uncomplicated as could be; the bureaucracies of the US and UK were robust in their requirements but entirely fair; and provided one has perseverance, the rewards of owning and in the case of an old MG, re-patriating a beautiful British car, for considerably less money than a UK equivalent, are reinforced every time you’re behind the wheel and see the smiles and approval of other road users.

I would, without reservation, recommend importing provided: a) you can establish a good working relationship with the vendor; b) you can be reassured by the car’s provenance, ideally by having had it inspected; c) the price is competitive; d) members seek advice from the MGCC – there is so much good advice to be had, so many largely unsung experts for all models, and it costs nothing! Finally, I would advise the inexperienced importer to use a comprehensive shipping service. Shipmycar.com were friendly, efficient and informative and the additional costs were easily outweighed by the peace of mind they provided.

---