[DeTomaso] Panteras to Europe? Some figures

[Patrick Hals]

For those who want the whole story, from the European standpoint, here is is: 
I personnally have imported three Panteras from the States : 2862 in Mid 2005, 2342 in Feb.2006, ( both factory Gr4 ) and 3679 ( replica Gr4 ) in Sept. 2007.
Since the purchase of my first Pantera ( replica Gr4 ) by end of 2004, that I bought in UK, the value of those cars has considerably raised in Europe.
But Group 4's are not a fair example, as too are not so many. Still, with regards to increase in value over the years, it makes no difference with the street cars. While you could easily get a Pantera for 30.000 USD (or even less) in good condition in 2003- 2004, now the minimum price for a decent car over here reaches 45.000 USD. This is in barely three to four years time. My perception is that it will continue rising in the years to come, because, still today, it is to my eyes, the best value-money-fun-power-maintenance ratio. 
A genuine street Pantera ( 1972 till GT5 ), mostly original, in average condition over here, reaches between 35.000 to 45.000 euros all in , which means 50.000 to 65.000 USD. Some are advertized at much more than that, but these are very nice examples, and they hardly sell . See the European websites  www.mobile.de or www.autoscout24.com or www.webmobil24.com   Panteras are not that easy to sell. ( I would consider between 3 to 6 months minimum for a street car, more for a race car ) They have not the best reputation either, in terms of rust ( true) and reliability mainly, gearboxes also have a poor reputation ( all untrue to me, but still....) which makes them rather difficult to sell.
Shipping from the States to Europe cost between 1250 USD and 3500 USD, depending on what port the car is shipped from ( California or Washington vs. west coast) and whether it is a shared container or not. Insurance is 2% of the invoice value. Land transportation must eventually be added this this amount, and sometimes, this kills the interest of the deal.
On top of that, add the local custom agents costs ( 1000 USD ) 10 % import duty,  and local VAT ( Value Added Tax, between 17 to 21 % ) depending on what European country the car is imported. VAT applies on invoice price+ shipping+ local costs +  import duty and other related costs.
I have been able to benefit from a reduced rate of 6 % VAT on all my imported cars, by using the fact that those cars are more than 30 years old, had an historical value, and are no longer produced, which allows them to legally benefit from this reduced rate. But the general trends in European customs apparently is to reject this reduced rate. So the buyer must be prepared to an eventual negociation with the customs...
My experience is that US Panteras are most of the time, in better condition than European ones , ( and I have seen lots ) as they have been ( one more time, most of the time ) pampered by their US owners.
In equal condition, a US Pantera, imported to Europe, will always be approx. 25 to 50 % cheaper than a local one, which allows some margin for the European buyers, mainly because of the present Euro-Dollar conversion rate..
Lately, there were some cars on the Belgian EBay website, cars were in the US , to be exported in Europe, advertized for a fixed price ( 35.000 or 45.000 USD, I don't remember ) but I doubt they have sold. It is always difficult to buy a second hand car over the Internet.
Once the car is imported over here, it has to go through technical control, in order to receive local registration. In Belgium, it is not a difficult operation, but there is one main problem: as the marque does no longer exist, ( and the local importer does no longer exist)  it is impossible to obtain a certificate of conformity, that states that the car matches the legal road criteria of the period.
The consequence therof is that it is practically impossible ( in Belgium )  to obtain a "normal" license plate, you just can get a "classic car" plate ( with a much easier technical control by the local authorities ) but with those licenses, you are not allowed to drive at night ! except to go to or to come from an "authorized event", like Le Mans Classic for instance, or a road rally. Forget it if you want to take your girlfriend to the restaurant at night for instance.....
My conclusion is that I will in 99% of the scenarios, prefer buying a US car and have it imported in Europe, than buying a ( sometimes rusty and rattling ) European car. And I will certainly have all the costs performed in the US, rather than over here, where most of the mechanics don't really know those cars, which includes new tyres, fancy wheels, leather trim, shocks, brakes, paint, engine, clutch, ...... THIS is 50 % cheaper in the US than here. Of course, the whole scenario is based on the present conversion rate.... that will not last forever. Then , you'll end up buying your Panteras in Europe again....
Best to all
Patrick