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jennyandjules
By jennyandjules | AA Member | 3 Posts | 15 April 2012 at 7:46pm

Hi,

My father has gifted his 1977 Alfa Romeo 105 GT 1600 Junior to me and I wish to import it to NZ from South Africa.

I found a similar question at http://www.aa.co.nz/motoring/aa-torque/ask-jack-forum/legal-advice/show/3096/ but I have some additional questions.

The car has not been on the road for 10 years and will need mechanical and structural repairs before being able to be used - will this be an issue in getting it into NZ in its current state?

I read on the NZTA website that registration documents and proof of ownership needs to be supplied when importing a car - does this mean that I need to register the car in my name in South Africa or can it be deregistered there as long as I can provide proof that my father was the previous registered owner and that he has gifted the car to me?

Finally, how can I confirm that this vehicle will qualify as a Special Interest Vehicle? The NZTA website gives some rather subjective criteria, e.g. "the vehicle was manufactured as a high performance vehicle"

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Jules

ABayliss
By ABayliss | AA Expert | 2169 Posts | 18 April 2012 at 10:33am

Due to the age of the vehicle, you do not need to worry about Special Interest criteria, as a vehicle of this age is not required to meet the frontal impact standards.
The condiion of the car will not pose a problem for importation, however it is likely it will be flagged as a damaged vehicle if there are structural repairs required and you will not be able to regiser it until the work is completed.
You will need to engage an engineer to certify the work you carry out before you present the vehicle to a compliance centre for NZ registration. You cannot simply restore the car then present it for compliance, as the authorities need to be satisfied that any repairs are structurally safe and once the car is painted, they can not see what has been done.
Proof of ownership trail could be the papers your father has (showing him as the owner) from when the vehicle was on the road overseas, accompanied by a letter from your father acknowledging he has gifted the vehicle to you.