Voiture de Collection

[Jdknott]

we have a 1971 MG which we really must get around to re-registering in France. This seems all-but impossible as a full import, but okay as a "Voiture de Collection" which limits us to use in our department and the adjacent one(s), with special trips elsewhere permitted. Although a Frenchman told me we would only be allowed to use it at weekends, I don't see that in any paperwork.

Does anyone have any first-hand experience of going down this route?

any clues much appeciated,

John Knott

[brian-limousin<P><IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>brian-limousin<P><P>When you are in a hole - stop digging<BR><A class=authorlink href="http:" target=_blank><A><BR><P>]

I will check with our neighbours, if you like, who have an MG and a couple of Triumphs.  They are French, so will presumably know what's what.  I also want to register my TVR over there too, which should not be a problem, as I am aware of about 6 that are registered.  I won't be back over (near Eymoutiers/Limoges) for a few weeks, but if you can hang on for a bit longer, I'll try to find out more.

 

Brian

[Will]

We too have a 1971 MG, still on English plates. I've always understood that a 'collection' carte grise would be the correct way to register it here, which seems perfectly OK for limited use. I have never heard of it being for weekends only though. The MG Owners Club has a number of people in France, they could probably answer your specific questions.

[Anton Redman]

Unless the car was first registered outside the EEC, say Japan or US full registration should be possible with only the headlamps changed.

Non French speaking neighbour registered an E-type sourced in New Zealand and first registered in Japan. His only problem apart from an inspection by the Bureau des Mines is local Prefecture now issues temporary number as existing (normally UK) number rather than WWW etc temp plate and New Zealand confiscates their plates when you export a car.

The person in front of me at Leclerc Auto was trying to buy a pair of plates for a newly registered rubber bumper MGB GT when I was trying to buy my plates for the Peugeot 306.

One of the former regualr posters obtained full registration on a Reliant Scimiter GTE which ran a Ford V6 and was never officially imported to France.

If you are having problems MG and Jaguar are the only French Marque clubs that I am aware of and a search of Google.Fr should turn them up and it should be worth a call or Email. The rules that apply to the car are those which were in force in France when it was first registered not the current regulations. Gasoline.com also has a good piece on the pros and cons of CDG.

I would not want to run any car on CG de Collection. Best of luck anyway

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Funny that this subject has just cropped up as I was going to ask about importing an MG midget - if anyone has done so or is in the process of doing so could they let me know please,

thanks

Tim

[Anton Redman]

The links for the article are first to get the Gazoline.net page. Then use recherché with the three words shown. Unfortunately I cannot get the final link to work although I am one of the 5,728 people who have read the article on line.  From memory the basic rules are :

 

Only use the car in the Department it is registered in or in Departments which adjoin it unless you get a prebooked visit arranged with one of the approved car clubs.

 

The thrust of the article was that it was the thin end of the wedge towards restricting use of old cars to rallyes and displays only.

 

http://gazoline.net/

 

http://gazoline.net/recherche.pcgi?recherche=Carte+Gris+Collection

[Kerbut]

I rember seeing an article about 4 years ago in the MGOC magazine about someone who imported and reregistered it ,it went through the process of how to do it,as for me my bgt v8 and my roadster are staying English

[Cerise]

We have registered our TR6 here and their are other club members in the area who have Spitfire and MG.  Not particularly difficult, just tedious.  Get certifcate de conformité from the car's manufacturers (or who ever bought them out) - the relevant English club will advise if you don't know who this is - cost about 120 euros.  Get VAT exemption certifcate from the impot office in prefecture town - for this you will need a receipt for the car and English log book plus mileage (or kilometrage)  it is free, but I don't recommend going just before closing time.  Get controle technique - you must have cert. de conformité first. get insurance.  Take whole bundle to Prefecture and register as normal.  It is cheaper to register as voiture de collection, but no need to do so and don't recommend it as it means you can only use your car in your department and adjoining ones.  Only advantage of doing so is you don't need 2 yearly CT.

Hope that is some help

 

Maggi

[Buzby]

Hello

I think I can help, since I have registered a vintage

car here in France.

The procedure, at least in Hautes-Pyrénées, is quite

straightforward. The first thing to do is visit the

web site of the Fédération Francaise des Véhicules

d'Epoque, www.ffve.org. On that site you can download

a form on which you fill in the details of your car,

and return it to them, +45 euros. They will then send

you an "Attestation". They may require further

details, in which case they will contact you. At the

moment, and this surprised me, it is also required

that the car undergoes a "Controle Technique". For my

car, made in 1929, the only thing the guy wanted was

a brake light fitted. He was not concerned with

headlamps, windscreen washers, indicators etc and the

brake test was a much reduced one in view of the age

of the car. The third document you need is a statement

that there is no VAT or duty outstanding on the car. I

know it sounds ridiculous, but it is easy to do. You

go to your local Hôtel des Impots and ask for form

1939, I think it is. The FFVE paperwork tells you

which one, in case I have the number wrong. There is

no charge for this and it is easy to fill in.

Armed with the above, you then go to the Prefecture,

and they will register the car as a Voiture de

Collection. There may be further confusion: for

example, in my case, the "Type" of the car was not

recognised by their computer. The lady concerned

phoned Paris and the matter was resolved straight

away. I think she was told to put in an arbitrary

code. And that was it, but there is one further point:

when going to collect your "plaques", I suggest you

ask for black and white ones. They look much better on

an older car then the rather gaudy Euro plates. It is

legal to have them on a Voiture de Collection.

It is certainly not the case that the car can be used

only at weekends, but it is restricted to use in your

and the neighbouring departments. In the stuff which

the FFVE sends you, there are some Carnets to be

filled in should you wish to venture further afield.

The law changes on 1.1.2006; full details are on the

FFVE website, but the main change is that from then

onwards the car will have to undergo a Controle

Technique every 5 years, and there will be no

restriction on using it.

Of course you do not have to register the car as a

Voiture de Collection, but you will then need a

certificate of conformity from the manufacturer. You

send this to the Department of Mines, now DRIRE,

together with their form duly filled in, and they

will issue an attestation. Since the manufacturer of

my car no longer exists, that would have meant a lot

of hassle and I think they would have told me to

register it as a Voiture de Collection. After 2006

it's not a problem anyway.

I hope the above is helpful. Really, the process was

quite painless here, but of course it can vary from

Department to Department. I'll be glad to answer any

further queries you have.

[Anton Redman]

Thanks that was very useful. I have almost given up web searches as I am stuck with dial up in France.