Comp or off road use only label on vehicle? Quick question for owners

[wabbit]

Hi,

I am looking to buy an Atom 3 (currently living in the US) and in order for me to import it back home easily here is what I was told:

"it must bear a label affixed by the manufacturer stating that the vehicle is a competition vehicle and is for use exclusively in closed-course competition"

I called TMI and they are closed today....could someone run into their garage and check to see if their Atom 3 bears such a label?  As you can see I am so excited for an Atom 3 that I can't wait until Monday to call TMI to ask this question....lol.

Thank you very much!

[Lane]

[quote="wabbit"]
... in order for me to import it back home...
[/quote]

Where is back home?

[quote="wabbit"]
...vehicle is a competition vehicle and is for use exclusively in closed-course competition
[/quote]

Even though it is not exclusive to that purpose?  Such a label, if affixed to the car, would likely work against those who wish to register the car for street use (which is most owners).  I know that a designation like that would have surely made my registration process more difficult and time-consuming than it was.

[timcking]

I know my Atom 3 doesn't have such a label.

[wabbit]

sorry....I forgot to mention.....its Canada.

If it has labels on it indicating that it is for off road use only then I can import it no problem without having to go through the importation process.

Thanks

[CalScot]

[quote="wabbit"]
sorry....I forgot to mention.....its Canada.

If it has labels on it indicating that it is for off road use only then I can import it no problem without having to go through the importation process.

Thanks


[/quote]
Make yourself a label!
Not joking. Get a company to do it right and have it mounted to look like it was meant to be.

Since most of TMI are are a bunch of Canadians anyway, I'm sure they know exactly how to help you. Good luck

[wabbit]

I have ask the government agency if a letter from the manufacturer will work since they said that a letter from a racing sanctioned body will work.  The govt agency said the following and below from the Ariel site it says it is for off road use:


Competition Vehicles are designed for use exclusively in closed-course competition. These vehicles are exempt from the RIV program provided they:
>
> (1) bear a label affixed by the manufacturer stating that the vehicle is a competition vehicle and is for use exclusively in closed-course competition.
> OR
>
> (2) are accompanied by a signed declaration clearly indicating that the vehicle is a competition vehicle and is for registered for use exclusively in closed-course competition. This signed declaration must come from a racing sanctioning body. i.e. FIA, AMA, CART, etc.
>
> The above documentation would have to be presented at time of crossing and presented to Canadian Border Services, otherwise a Vehicle Import Form – Form 1 will be assigned and the vehicle would be required to go through the RIV program or may be deemed as inadmissible, depending on the List of Admissible Vehicles from the United States.

From the Ariel web site:

Q - Can I register an Ariel Atom 3 for road use in my state or province?

A - The Ariel Atom 3 is a unique and limited hand-built, high performance motor vehicle.  All new Ariel Atom 3s sold within the North American market are partially or fully assembled in the USA by TMI AutoTech, Inc. (‘TMI’).  Ariel Atom 3s are built and sold by TMI AutoTech, Inc. for the purposes of off-road/competition use (i.e., organized or private track day; slalom; Solo 1 events, etc.).  Ariel Atom 3s are not considered to be federalized, production vehicles and do not necessarily meet applicable FMVSS criteria.  Therefore, Ariel Atom 3s are not available with 17-digit VIN or PIN numbers.  Any potential registration and/or use of an Ariel Atom 3 on any public roadway by any owner/operator is solely an individual owner/operator decision & responsibility for which TMI AutoTech, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility whatsoever. All purchases of new Ariel Atom 3s within the USA or Canada are subject to specific terms & conditions of sale.  TMI is solely responsible for the terms & conditions applicable to the sale of any new Ariel Atom 3 within the USA or Canada.  A copy of TMI’s ‘Terms and Conditions of Sale and Supply’ is available to qualified potential Ariel Atom 3 buyers upon request and shall be provided in advance by TMI to each Ariel Atom 3 buyer.  Buyer written agreement to TMI’s terms & conditions is required prior to TMI’s acceptance of any new Ariel Atom 3 order and/or in advance of TMI’s issuance of any order confirmation/build queue designation. Transport Canada does not consider the Ariel Atom 3 to be eligible for road registration within Canada.

[wisp]

The easiest solution is to order a competition version of the car and I'm sure TMI would have no problem verifying that they have supplied what you have purchased. Also no state department would dispute that the car is for any other purpose. To do this tick the box on as many competition options such as roll bar, race brakes, wings, etc. Make sure you exclude the road pack (lights & turn signals) and it's not going to be a car that can be used on the road anyway.

[Flying Phil]

If you really want the car just for the track, TMI has no problem getting the car into Canada. There are several up here already. If you want one for the road, there is a way to do that legally as well, but it takes time, organization and patience. It's been done before, and can be done again.

[wabbit]

Thanks for all the replies.  I have spoken to the company and yes they can sell me one that bears the required sticker in order for me to import it to Canada when I move back.  One of my prerequisits is that I need to be able to buy one which I can use here in Colorado on the road and then be able to import it to Canada when time comes ortherwise I would need to buy 2 (one for US road use and one that could be imported into Canada - ie difference options) and if this is the case then its not worth it and my only fun option is to buy a used one knowing it will be sold before I move back (new would involve too much depreciation).  I accept the fact that in Canada its only for track use but while here I would like to use its during remaining summers I have here and get as much use out of it before it becomes a track only car if its possible to get one that could be registered on the roads in the US and meet the prerequisits for importantion to Canada.

I still have some time to decide and still need to talk to the company to make this work.  I need to decide before waiting too long and getting a build & delivery date too late in the spring.

[silver]

getting the car ready to import to Canada for track use requires the opposite work from getting a car ready to become street legal in Colorado.

So make sure you plan accordingly for stickers / no stickers, whatnot depending on whether registration and licensing in Colorado comes before or after importing to Canada.

[wabbit]

Importation to Canada would come after registering it in Colorado so it makes it a little difficult to make things work seeing that as you say taking if from registration to road use only for Canadian importation is the exact opposite than registering it.

In the end what might be easier is buy a used one that is ready for road use and then sell it before moving back.  If I really want one in Canada then I could buy a new one which is ready for importation but this would be more costly solution then buying one that could serve both purposes.

[Flying Phil]

Another solution is to leave it registered as a U.S. car. It is illegal for a Canadian citizen to drive any foreign registered car on the road in Canada, wether you own it or not (even rental cars aren't allowed without special permission). So you drive it to the border, then put it on a trailer before you cross the border into Canada. Drive it on the track up here, trailer it over the border, drive it as a road car down there. Repeat as necessary until the car is fifteen years old, then the RIV program no longer applies, and you can import it legally for road use (as long as it meets your Out-of-province inspection requirements).... or so I'm told.....