Buying Classics Abroad
DeLorean DMC-12
Despite being designed with the US market in mind, production of John Z DeLorean’s DMC-12 took place in Belfast. That might not sound like it’s something to celebrate, since Belfast was a shaky environment in the early 1980s, but one bonus if you’re considering importing is that classics which originate from within the EU are eligible for zero per cent import duty, leaving only five per cent VAT to pay.
That’s just one factor that contributes towards making imports from the USA a potentially affordable process, as a small number of DeLorean Club UK members (deloreanclub.uk) have found. Among them is Max Wood, who currently has his first DeLorean in transit to the UK. His main reason for buying from across the Atlantic was sheer good value; despite the weak pound, Max reports paying less for his DeLorean than any running example on sale in the UK, even after the cost of shipping. You can’t argue with that!
Not all Stateside DeLoreans are bargains, however – some are mint and priced to kill, though dry-state examples are more likely to have escaped chassis rust and therefore avoided expensive resto costs.
Joining the club should be first on your to-do list, he advises, having reportedly had excellent guidance from its members. Travelling to the US to see the car in person is also paramount, given the DeLorean’s ability to hide major structural corrosion beneath that lustrous stainless steel skin. ‘It will also give the seller more confidence when doing business with an overseas buyer,’ says Max. ‘The seller of my car said this was one of the main reasons why he sold it to me.’
Only 16 out of a total of roughly 8583 DeLoreans were right-hand drive, most of them being converted by Wooler-Hodec in the UK. Accepting that the steering wheel may well be on the wrong side of the car is therefore par for the course. Those few RHD cars also had to be fitted with different lights and seatbelts for UK type approval.
‘The poor exchange rate will put a lot of people off, but now might still be the best time to buy,’ reckons Max. ‘From what I can tell it’s only going to get worse.’