From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beave!uw-june!emma
Newsgroups: net.auto
Title: Re: Federalizing cars
Article-I.D.: uw-june.333
Posted: Fri Mar 11 09:07:26 1983
Received: Sat Mar 12 08:28:14 1983
References: alice.1581

As I recall, there was a proposal to allow the one-shot exemption, which
would allow a person to import one foreign automobile, not available in
the US, in the course of his/her lifetime.

The proposal died.  It is possible to import a car if it is upgraded to
meet US emissions/safety requirements.  For a while, it was necessary to
subject it to the same life-cycle tests that are required for production
autos (which sort of implied you bought and did two--one died in testing
and the other you kept), however the requirements are a bit less stringent
now.  You merely have to get it to pass current requirements once.  The
two "easy" ways to do this, by the way, are to either install an engine
from an auto which is sold over here or convert to propane.
-Joe P.