what is changed??

do you guys happen to know off hand what changes are done to the f1 when it is brought into the states? i know it turns into a one seater rather than keeping it a three...but is there anything else?? thanks

A

airbags are put in for the passengers, i think. XOTech would be the man for this question.


paging XOTech...

Sorry for the delay gentlemen, I don't always browse through every thread.

McLarens don't really require any changes in order to be imported into the U.S. With the advent of Show & Display the changes previously needed are no longer so. For example, the first cars into the states were by Dick Fritz. He used a bit of a loophole in the law to bring the cars in "unfinished", do a few changes on them and rebadge them as "kit cars" (as defined by the law) as Amerispec F1's. That loophole was promptly closed and he was allowed only the 7 he had already completed, no more. From that time on, it was not possible to import the McLaren into the states. The reason being, the McLaren had never been crash tested in order to acquire the safety rating evaluation needed in order for it to pass DOT requirements. EPA requirements are an entirely separate issue. Since the car was never crash tested to meet U.S. DOT requirements. The crash test at MIRA was not sufficient for the U.S. approval. It would require a second crash test, which for obvious reasons of expense and rarity of the car, was not done and thus it could not be converted in any way to conform. That is, until Show & Display. S&D is a DOT exemption. It allows that a car not previously crash tested or a car that does not satisfactorily comply with DOT requirements, and is on a list of approved cars that are of technical and/or historic significance, it is elgible for S&D.

S&D may only be applied for by the owner of the car. It cannot be for the purpose of importation and immediate resale. Also, with the S&D provision, it may only travel up to 2500 miles per year. A log book of mileage is required and may be requested by the DOT at any time. There is no need to remove the seats, as with the case of the Amerispec cars. That was done because no 3 seat arrangement had ever passed for use in the states. It is not necessary now because of the DOT exemption (aka: S&D). The car does not have to conform to the DOT requirements.

One problem: the McLaren (and any other car on the Show & Display approval list) MUST still pass all EPA requirements for the year of car it is. For that reason, some changes may have to be made. Common examples are catalytic converts may have to be replaced, some engine work may have to be done depending on the current health of the engine, and a few other small changes. Suffice to say, the importer does his magic to get the car to pass the smog test for the state of destination of the car. As many of you know, there is 49 state legal, and then California, the latter being more stringent. Once the car passes, it is certified as such and that information is passed on to the EPA/DMV and good to go. The car will still have to conform to smog testing on the regular basis as all other cars. Each state is different, but California is every 2 years.

One last thing. With the advent of OBD II (On Board Diagnostics Generation II) in 1996 and later, a McLaren that is 1996 or later no longer conforms and will not pass EPA requirements and is therefore not approved for importation. The problem is not that the McLaren in any way is less capable of a car or that it doesn't have more sensors than almost any other car out there, race car included, but that the McLaren electronics system does not conform to the OBD II protocol (not the same data output). For that reason alone, only 1994 and 1995 McLarens may enter the U.S. at this time. The amount of money and effort in order to get a system approved by the EPA is far more than would be profitable. Until the time such a system is approved the U.S. must be happy with approximately 38 cars from which to choose from. The remaining 26 (or so) roadcars will remain abroad.

One further comment, the Show & Display does not allow the importation of any of the GTR cars. They also will remain outside the U.S. except for an occational car that may come here on a one year temporary Racing or Museum Visa.

Hope that answers a few questions.

Well, would say he was the right guy. I'v never known that much about F1 importation, or general importation for that matter, sounds like miles of red tape to me.

Porsche, There is quite a lot of red tape. It is the nature of our government and the fact that the cars are so exclusive. I didn't mention the time it takes to get all of this done, but paperwork included with the EPA testing and transport to all the required locations is somewhere around 4-6 weeks. Also keep in mind that the car must be purchased from a previous owner at some location typically outside the US, be personally inspected, sent the factory for necessary service, then it must be shipped to the US. That process is also very time intensive. It can be weeks, it can be months.

All of that sums up why a buyer would rather go through someone like myself for his purchase. There are few others that can get through the red tape in a quick manner without the pitfalls of learning the system from scratch.

It is a lot of work, but I enjoy the McLarens most.

Well, it must really be nice to have a US Mclaren then.

Do the same (or similar) restricitons apply to cars such as the Lotus Elise, Porsche 959 and OPel Speedster? or do they vary from car to car? I would think that it would vary, depending on may things.

Porsche, There are only a few cars that are approved for Show & Display approval. At this point, only the cars on the list are elgible. Here is a partial list...

Porsche 959
Bugatti EB110
Jaguar XJ-220
BMX Z1
McLaren F1
Mercedes CLK GTR (Pending)
and a couple others

Each car requires slightly different modifications. Some are pass the EPA smog tests much easier than others. The McLaren is actually easier than most to pass. The Bugatti is quite difficult and the CLK GTR is nearly impossible (thus the reason it is still pending).

Currently, the Lotus Elise in not approved for entry into the U.S. Those of you that are sharp will have seen a few here anyway. Some for sale, and some are privately owned. They are not legal and any owner faces potentially serious legal problems with the US government authorities.

I believe that nearly any car may be imported that is 1974 and older. It can be somewhat costly, but it can be done. There are few restrictions for a car that old. No smog requirements for sure.

Fritz of Amerispec had inside assistance. Called himself a manufactuer. shipped the cars to a free trade zone. "converted" them. other cars have been imprted under AMerispec EPA ceritificates (actually, JK Technologies) including 1996 and newer. Fritz is not an ICI (EPA).
1996 and newer cars are illegal if not converted to OBD II. And no one has done this (dispite what they claim).
Most of the cars in the states are 1996 or newer.
Some say that David Clark, the original McLaren marketing head lost his job by working with Fritz. So some say.

gerd,

Your are exactly correct. I have posted most of that information in posts long ago, but it is appropriate here again.

here is a question that i came across.

what kind of power loss, if any, was incorporated into these AmeriTech F1? what was done to decrease power?

here is a question that i came across.

what kind of power loss, if any, was incorporated into these AmeriTech F1? what was done to decrease power?
does anyone know?

I'll hazard a guess that nothing was changed.

There were probably several things that should have been changed, but as gerd likes to allude to so often, Fritz apparently pulled the wool over the eyes of the Feds (with help supposedly) and the cars may have entered the country untouched, save for the cosmetic changes that have been removed from every single "Ameritech F1" that I have seen. In fact, I believe gerd even claimed that not every car was actually modified with the strange lights, hideous bumpers, and side seat covers like they were supposed to be. Why take the time to do it if you're just going to be removing it, right?? :D

I assume the reason you are asking is because of the difference in performance figures of the Ameritech F1 that Road&Track tested on two occasions versus the numbers we are all familiar with from the AutoCar test and the Ehra Lessien top speed run. It possible that the car they tested just wasn't performing at its best given the heat or the quality of US fuels. It's really hard to say...

I expected that he would chime in here, that's why I left this one alone for a while. He knows more than he tells us and might even have solid proof of his claims, but I doubt we'll ever see it presented here. Oh well...

>8^)
ER