Kirkhams in Australia

[750hp]

All this Kirkham talk has me thinking how much I'd love a brushed 289 FIA Kirkham with a healthy high revving, high compression small block and a straight cut, dog geared trans....

[soulman]

Guys,

So a new Kirkham registered in Australia has to be titled as an "ICV "or can it

be titled as a " Kirkham" ? built to current ICV ?


Soul.

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by soulman

Guys,

So a new Kirkham registered in Australia has to be titled as an "ICV "or can it

be titled as a " Kirkham" ? built to current ICV ?


Soul.

I have a stupid question if I may... What's the difference?

[soulman]

Originally Posted by Dimis

I have a stupid question if I may... What's the difference?

Perhaps my ignorance but...

when you import a partially built Kirkham from the States to Australia is it not described as a Kirkham ? or is it described as something else ?

or does it just come in as "parts" and you start from zero ?

Personally i would not want to lose that Kirkham identity in Australia , especially when it came to registration and Insurance , being a recognized manufacturer as opposed to being an ICV build and given that SAAC recognize them [ not that it matters to me ] with Insurance companies at least you could then justify the exact cost of replacement value and justify your cover.


Just wondering !

Soul.

[Towmaster]

Originally Posted by soulman

Perhaps my ignorance but...

when you import a partially built Kirkham from the States to Australia is it not described as a Kirkham ? or is it described as something else ?

or does it just come in as "parts" and you start from zero ?

Personally i would not want to lose that Kirkham identity in Australia , especially when it came to registration and Insurance , being a recognized manufacturer as opposed to being an ICV build and given that SAAC recognize them [ not that it matters to me ] with Insurance companies at least you could then justify the exact cost of replacement value and justify your cover.


Just wondering !

Soul.

I think the issue is you can't import a whole car unless you have owned and registered / driven / used it overseas for 3 consecutive months....... but you can import car parts. I think that is the way they have to be bought in, as parts and then assembled here. Which costs more because it has to be manufactured in Poland / America then pulled apart and then put back together again in Australia. It can only be registered as an Individually Constructed Vehicle, because that's what they all are, regardless of the make of the kit. What you put on your registration label is up to you. Coupe, Roadster, Convertible, Cobra, Shelby, all depends on what you tell the admin at the Transport Department.

[Paintwerks]

Originally Posted by Towmaster

I think the issue is you can't import a whole car unless you have owned and registered / driven / used it overseas for 3 consecutive months....... but you can import car parts.

To bring in a vehicle of any age from a foreign country, you need to have owned the vehicle for a minimum of 12 consecutive months and also have lived abroad in the same country the vehicle is located in (at minimum) for the same period of time you've owned the car. You cannot buy the car, leave the country and then apply one year later to import it. And you still need to apply to DOTARS for import approval and this must be approved before you can import the car to Australia. This is called a 'Personal Import' and the registration/compliance standards are much lower.

I successfully bought a motorcycle over from America under this scheme.

You can also bring in a (classic) vehicle older than 25 years of age providing you have applied for, and received import approval from DOTARS. You do not need to have owned the car for a minimum period and you need never have even visited (let alone lived in) the country you are exporting it from. As with the personal import, you need DOTARS approval before you can import the vehicle. There's nothing stopping you from buying the car before applying, but in addition to having to store the car while you are waiting for import approval, IF the approval is denied, then you are left with the sale (or costs for disposal) of the car in the foreign country.

[spookypt]

Yep, to think once upon a time you could just say I want to bring in a 1965 Cobra and woopee....import approval granted.

The "loophole" got squashed when the AUD went to 90c + to the USD and DOTARS got smashed with a heap of IAD (import approval doc) applications and worked out what was happening.

Some got through...I know of one car that was in transit and likely to be sent back as the owner didn't seek approval prior to shipping and the rules changed mid shipping.. Luckily, it was actually pre 89 and he got through...but it was touch and go for quite a while!

[750hp]

Originally Posted by Paintwerks

There's nothing stopping you from buying the car before applying, but in addition to having to store the car while you are waiting for import approval, IF the approval is denied, then you are left with the sale (or costs for disposal) of the car in the foreign country.

The problem is that rather than "nothing stopping you from buying the car before applying", it's actually a requirement. When submitting your application for approval to import a car, you need to show proof of ownership. It makes it a bit of a risk for Cobras and hot rods because it can be very tough to prove that a car was registered pre-89 (and even more so to prove 30+ years old to allow LHD rego at least in Qld). If your application is knocked back, you're out of luck...
On the other hand it is very easy to prove for example that a 68 Chevelle is a 1968 model because it has come from a recognised manufacturer. The main risk with bringing in old Fords and Chevs is ensuring that they aren't sufficiently modified as to require ICV registration. They're cracking down hard on this, but that's another story.