One person that has been invaluable to this process has been a chap known only as 'Charlie'. He drives a (formally) imported RHD Saab 900 in the US.. He has driven from his home state MA to CA at least twice in it and has become quite the expert on importing UK cars to the US.
Charlie has been able to help me make decisions and given me some of the best advice. He has put me in touch with the shipping company that he spent a lot of time looking for; consequently I am now doing business with them to make the shipping actually happen.
A mixture of Charlie's advice and my initiative (or scepticism, however you prefer) led me to contact (by telephone) every party that I may be dealing with during this transatlantic transaction. I have become acquainted with Officer Gavin at the Savannah Georgia customs office; who has given me advice as to the paperwork I will need to complete. Officer Gavin led me to call the port and speak to a lady called Janet, who deals with the release of vehicles.
Janet led me to Trina who will be my escort on the port as I am not allowed to be in the port unsupervised. I have learned that this is not the case at every port but it certainly is the case at this one. I have also spoken with Rob at the shipping company on the US side and Debbie on the UK side. I am fully aware of which forms I need, how to fill them out or where I can get help to fill them out and which bits the government were trying to scare me with that I don't actually need and which bits I do need to do, which is not actually all that much as it turns out.
Here is the plan so far on the advice of all the officials that play a part in the transaction:
1. Arrange with the shipping company (UK contact) for my delivery of the car to the port. Also make arrangements for payment either on the UK side or to send "collect" on the US side. Incidentally, it seems easier to do it on the UK side and potentially more cost-effective as I will have conversion charges and the US side do not accept credit or debit cards. It must be a money order or personal cheque… Its little details like these that one must be fully aware of!
2. Thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly) clean the car inside and out. Anything agricultural found on/in the vehicle at the US port will lead to the necessity for very expensive cleaning and will not make the transaction viable. That means underneath the car, in all the nooks and crannies, under the wheel arches and all traces of mud out of the tires and suspension components. Apparently, regular road dust is acceptable but I think I will be washing the car at the last jet wash before the port at Southampton.… Just to be on the safe side.
3. Depending on the monetary arrangements, do the paperwork, show the V5 logbook, receive the bill of lading and remove the number plates; a little odd, but this is advice given by the shipping company as presumably they can go missing in transit. Not a problem for me as I have ordered new ones with the GB logo on the sides. I'll just pack them.
4. Depart Southampton leaving the car behind and contact officer Gavin at customs to advise that the car can now be registered against a bill of lading. Gather any advice from her as necessary.
5. Get on the plane, enjoy Florida for two weeks while the car is being shipped and wait for the NOA (notice of arrival).
6. Once the notice of arrival has been received, arrange to get to the Port of Savannah customs and border protection office. The office is open Monday to Friday from 8.30 in the morning. Information like this is critical because some offices will close between certain hours for lunch and not be open to the public on certain days of the week. Fortunately, I have been advised by Officer Gavin who works there that arriving any time during office hours is perfectly fine. I have been advised only to bring a cbp7501 form. No other forms are necessary and I have been advised that I will receive some assistance in filling the form out correctly for processing. I will also need to call the shipping company in the US to find out the exact amount payable if I have not already made payment in the UK before arriving. 
7. Get to customs and border protection office, Savannah Georgia. Fill out 7501 form with customs officer and once processed, head to the port itself. It should be noted that my escort advised that I should book an Enterprise Rent-A-Car as its the only company with an drop-off point close to the port itself. Otherwise, I would need to use the airport to drop any other brand of rental and then make my way from there, which apparently is a mission.
8. Meet with Trina, my port of Savannah escort and get to the shipping company office at the ocean terminal. Once arrived, pay my dues (if I have not paid for the shipping in the UK that is) with a Western Union money order or a cheque. Supply the bill of lading and receive authorisation for release to take to the dispatch office.
9. Jump back in the car with Trina and head to the dispatch office where I must pay an administration fee of $70 by debit/credit card (another critical detail) to release the car. They will check on the system that the 7501 form from earlier has been processed and that the shipping company have authorised release of the vehicle.
10. Receive vehicle and jump with the jump pack if necessary before following Trina out of the port as I must still be escorted.
11. Once out of the port with my car, pay Trina $75 in cash as arranged. Receive a receipt and head back to the customs office. In my Puma.
12. The customs officer will come out and inspect the car and make sure it is not covered in mud. S/he will need only 10 minutes (apparently) to make an inspection, stamp the paperwork and send me on my merry way back to Florida.
It all sounds a bit too easy, doesn't it? This is exactly what Charlie had said. As it happens, I was so sceptical I had to call all of these different links in the chain and speak to them personally over the phone to believe it. On the advice of all the official parties, I have now spoken to every single link in the chain and feel completely informed.
The only document I am not sure of at this stage is an ISF form, which is to advise customers that an import is car will be arriving. I intend to call the customs office and speak to Officer Gavin again to ask her advice on this phone but it does seem as though it is terribly simple and I'm not worried too much about it. The only bits of data I cannot complete at this stage are to do with the shipment itself.
The only other bit of paperwork I was concerned about was "prior authorisation from the EPA". I called the EPA and spoke to the chap that writes the authorisations. He told me that I would need to file it now because it can take three weeks to receive authorisation. I called the customs office back in a panic and was advised to ignore this information as I am only importing the vehicle temporarily and that all the necessary paperwork with the EPA and DoT would be dealt with on my return to the customs office following collection of the vehicle from the port itself. Phew!
So all told, things so far are under control.
(Charlie, thank you.)
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