The Puma and the puddle

All assembled RHD Ford Pumas began life in Cologne, Germany. All 1.7 litre MHA/B engines had a brief stop in Japan too and depending on the route, they will all have been transported through Holland, Belgium and France too before landing here in Blighty.

So that's two continents and six countries. Others may have gone further, given that the car was sold all over Europe but there were just two that went somewhere no other Pumas have ever made it to... The USA. One was a silver lefty and the other; an FRP (Ford Racing Puma). They couldn't stay there either. Remember this?

That press car wherever it may be now, was the only regular Puma (that we know of) to ever make it Stateside. The FRP came later to promote it for a magazine as I understand it:

http://www.ponysite.de/bullite.htm

http://www.pumapeople.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=86279&st=20

"Who the hell cares?" I hear you ask... Well, if you didn't take an interest in what I am about to do, you probably wouldn't still be reading. 

I have found three articles online referring to the Ford Puma in the US - they all outline how cool the car is and two complain that the US market never received them. (Funny that the advertising campaign was set in San Fransisco!) One article was written by the guy that drove the FRP during the launch campaign and he talks about the enjoyment of driving it along the Pacific Coast Highway. 

Articles are as follows:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/ford-only-has-to-bring-back-one-car-and-its-the-damn-1534778933

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/videos/a22101/fords-racing-puma-revisited-36638/

http://myforddreams2.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/tiffs-day-of-fun-in-ford-puma-why-youll.html?m=1

Needless to say, the Ford Puma has been voted as one of Europe's best handling and most fun to drive sports coupes and the few Americans that know it even existed only complain that like much of the European auto market, the Puma never made it officially stateside. Just two press cars made it to California and were driven for short periods of time… Certainly not enough time for locals to enjoy in any capacity. 

I am about to take the first Puma to the USA for driving purposes and not for press purposes and it will certainly be the first on the East coast to my knowledge.

Why? Why not! The car covers all bases; they are cheap as chips right now, refined and comfy, handle great, will keep up with a 'stang in New England (because the roads have bends), simple enough to be repaired with hopes and dreams, good on fuel, comes with AC, gorgeous to look at.. It's also got a Ford badge, which will just confuse everyone and most of it is a fiesta making it frankenstein quite easily with existing Ford parts out there.

So it's cool in the UK and too cool for the US... Yep, definitely made the right choice!

I managed to find an oil-burning Black edition - with the leather, AC and F1 wheels... For 60 quid (100USD). When we got it back to the workshop, we took a look at the timing belt and... Wow. Hangin'.

The decision was made that 150 quid for parts (timing & head gasket set with stem seals) with no definite explanation for the burning oil condoned it more cost effective to buy a replacement lower mileage engine. This car had done 124k with no love whatsoever, so when an 80k motor with a new belt turned up at 120 quid, it was a no brainer.. Only I had to transport it in the back of my Saab 9-3 Saloon... Poor Sven.

My buddy Harry and I quickly got to work swapping out the engine, being sure to leave the working AC in the engine bay to save money re-gassing. I threw some silver paint at the inlet manifold (for an extra 10 bhp, obvs), only had 15 bolts left over :-/ and even treated the little cat to a new clutch. All told, with a wheel bearing, a service and a new 'non-melted' steering wheel, the car owes me circa 300 quid, which was always the plan.

New engine on the floor

 Old engine coming out 

Both engines on the floor

+10bhp silver paint mod applied

Obligatory 'man in engine bay' picture

New clutch

 New engine going in

 Lining up NS engine/gearbox mounts

Engine in

 Everything bolted up and plugged in 

Ready for the open road!

I kept only the ignition coil and throttle position sensor from the old engine and Harry junked the rest for me.

So what has this car actually cost me?

60 - Car

120 - Engine

55 - Clutch kit

12 - Oil

13.50 - Service Kit

12 - Brake pads

7 - Wheel bearing

21.50 - Steering wheel

4 - Union flag emblems

12 - GB Plates front/rear

10 - Transmission oil

TOTAL: 327.00GBP/480USD (Jan 2016)

Just a steering wheel over budget. Tyres are fine, everything works and it's not in bad shape.

What now? Well, that my friends would be paperwork and a lot of phone calls to verify every step of the process. Stay tuned.

Why not just rent something?

"Why don't you just rent a car out there?"

Too expensive and not cool.

"Why not just buy something there?"

Similar money and still not cool.

"Isn't shipping a car really expensive?"

Yes but not as much as you'd think...

I am a self confessed petrol head and globe-trotter to boot; taking my love of cars and travelling to another level. I'm not wealthy, I'm not particularly intelligent and I'm not hellbent on a specific model - I just love cars and gave myself a specification for my trans-Atlantic jolly.

It had to be RHD, manual and something our American cousins had never had the pleasure of being particularly well-acquainted with. There were other specifications though - it had to be no more than 300 quid, have working AC, comfortable enough to be slept in if needs must, be reliable enough to do some serious mileage and not hard to fix at the side of the road with a socket set and some duck tape. 

I considered the following:

Alfa 156 Sportwagon - I bought one and surprise surprise, it was broken.

Jag S type 3.0 manual - Too complicated

E36 touring - Only appreciated by hardcore BMW fans
Saab 9-3 TiD (my own) - Too valuable and auto

Vauxhall Calibra - Too expensive

Ford Cougar - They have them

Eurospec Porsche 924 - All broken or expensive 

Eunos Roadster - Can't sleep in it

Mk2 Astra - No A/C

Rover - Blends in too easily

French - Too pragmatic

Hot hatch - Won't reliably do the mileage

The list goes on. 

I could have just decided to buy something out there but that defeats the objective (and wouldn't be much cheaper by the time you buy a title and plates) - I could hire/rent something but the length of time I will require a car is unfeasible AND again - defeats the object.

So what is the objective? What is it that I am trying to achieve?

That's a tough one to understand when you're not a petrol/gear head. Mind you, even some petrol heads don't really get it - but like an enthusiast of anything, there are people that consider themselves 'enthusiasts' and there are 'enthusiasts'. When you live and breathe cars and can't go a day without thinking about them (like you're in love); you're a petrol head (arguably a bit odd too). When 'life goes on' without a car in your life - you're not really, but you can still enjoy a car for it being more than just a means to an end. The enthusiasm is not simply black and white.

I want to take a car to the States that will turn heads without being invasive. I only want for it to start conversations with people because it's unusual - not because it's garish or loud. Otherwise I would just buy something over there; classic and in bright green - that's not the kind of attention I want my car to command. Petrol heads will ask lots of questions - because they get it. They will understand why I brought it over. Regular folk will be mildly interested and it will create a pause for thought in their day. Both will be confused; for differing reasons... The regular customer at the gas station will be confused because s/he has never seen a car with the wheel on the other side and the petrol head will not be able to calculate why such a cheap car is so fast and good on fuel... Welcome to Europe baby! 

So why only 300 quid? Well, shipping is £800 and there are $70 worth of fees at the port, $75 to pay the escort (because I cannot be on the port without one) and I've got to get there, which short of an 8-day walk, is not free. Remember, I'm not wealthy and my specification does not command an expensive car. Also, at the end of the year I must either export it or bin it. As exporting will cost another thousand dollars, it's not worth taking something so valuable that I would have to send it back. Also, if there is a problem and it all goes wrong, I'm only a grand out of pocket and without a car - annoying but not the end of the world. But if all goes to plan, aiming for a bill as close to a grand as possible makes it cheaper than renting and not much more than buying - cool and cost effective motoring for up to a year of visiting.

It's a free country - as long as you only buy American

In the last couple of years, I have been around a fair chunk of the USA as a petrol-head and come to the conclusion that; there are plenty of car buffs but not many choices on the road. If you want

a new car, there are about 35 models and they all look the same, which which is fine if you are not a petrol/gear/piston head. If you want something classic, it's the same story, though they at least tend not to be all painted black or silver. PLUS, because the US has always been (and still is) so strict on the importation of vehicles, it's not a common thing to do and so stuff never intended for the US is really far and few between.

Here in the UK, we get everything from Europe and we get a whole bunch of cool cars from Japan when they are not that old too - I imagine this is largely because we don't have much of an auto-manufacturing trade left. The Yanks do and that's why choices are a bit stagnant. Yes, everything out there is reeeeeeally cool when you get there... For about a week; after which - oh look, another Charger, another Camaro, another Mustang... Meh. Here in the UK, I don't get that turned on by newish Ferraris anymore for the same reason - I haven't been for years. In London, they are everywhere along with Porsche Cayennes and Maserati Quattroportes. Jeece, I turn my head more quickly when I see an Infiniti these days! 

Don't get me wrong, there are some great looking and rare machines on both sides of the pond that take my breath away - and there's no way I'm not gonna double-take a F430 in the Sainsbury's car park or a '67 GT500 in the Walmart parking lot. BUT, I'm also likely to double-take the 1990s Lincoln Towncar parked up outside a terraced house overlooking Preston Park or a 2005 VW Polo GTi on the US-1 PCH... I hope my point is coming across.

I guess the difference is that here in the UK, we can have the 90s Lincoln Towncar (that no-one in the States wants anymore because it wasn't very cool in the first place) - for just a little over the cost of getting it here. Our American friends do not have the same luxury as I will explain in as 'layman terms' as I can:

• A vehicle that was never intended for the US market (unless altered to suit) is considered a 'non-conforming vehicle'. Got it?
• A 'non-conforming vehicle', to be imported must meet DoT (Dept. of Transport) AND EPA (Environment Protection Agency) standards. This is the killer.
• To make a 'non-conforming vehicle' meet standards, you must hire a specialist ICI (Independent Commercial Importer) to make the alterations - if they can even be made.

Is your head hurting yet? You wanna see the list of stuff DoT and EPA need for a vehicle to conform; it's daft! Bumpers, lights, reflectors, crash-testing might even be necessary - it's just a no-go. There is however 'some' hope:

• An imported vehicle that is at least 25 years old is NOT required to meet all DoT/EPA specifications.

Ok, so now the Yanks can finally bring in knackered old E30 Tourings and 25 year old R32 Skylines. In August 2018, the very early R33s will be allowed too theoretically... But what if an American wants an E36 Touring? Or an Alfa GTV? The short answer? Tough. This is why imported stuff is really few and far between; old stuff is relatively easy but then to the American enthusiast, it's easier to get something old and cool that is already there. I contacted a guy about his diesel Saab 9-3 in the US and I learned it was a real headache to formally import, but after about 20 modifications and a lot of patience, it was transformed into a 'conforming vehicle' - kudos to the owner. In fact, the only reason he had half a chance was because the car already existed in the USA, just not in diesel form - if it had been RHD, it is alleged that it would have been a straight 'no' because a RHD would undoubtedly lend different crash test data.. But then arguably, so would the heavier diesel engines; either the 2.2 or the more powerful 1.9.

So why do they make newer cars so hard to import? Easy. It protects the US auto industry. If self-confessed car-nut John Smith came home in a 2015 Scirocco R, which he had to import from Germany - his neighbour is going to go out and import a 2015 Civic Type R. Both John and his neighbour are going to pass the bug onto their work colleagues and so on... That's a whole bunch of cash not earning the US anymore than import duty.

So what can be done about it? Nothing mate. Tough luck.. Uncle Sam has spoken.

Unless....

• A non-resident may import a non-conforming vehicle for tourist purposes for a maximum period of one year; after which it must be formally imported, exported or destroyed.

Ok, so this doesn't help John Smith or his neighbour but it will provide both some pleasure at a gas station or a car show when a crazy British tourist pulls up in a Civic Type R or a Scirocco - they can have a go in it too:

• The temporarily imported vehicle must be driven 'principally' by the non-resident or their spouse/direct family member.

The whole idea of importing anything into the US can be a bit of a headache to be honest. Even chocolate these days. With our cars in Britain and Japanese imports to boot, the added headache is that we are RHD - which is super cool in the US but because nothing RHD has really ever been crash-tested in the US, even cars that would otherwise conform because of a US equivalent - don't. Which means you might now have to crash test a bunch of RHD versions just to permanently import a car that already exists (apparently the Euro NCAP test is not admissible) - in this instance, you really would sell up and buy something there or change to something 25 years old (or 24 years on a POA for a year - but that's another story).

Why am I telling you all this? Well, I find it interesting and I have learned so much in recent times that I thought I would share.

"No really?"

I'm going to temporarily import a 'non-conforming vehicle' to the US. This month. And I want to document the process.