The Automotive Gray Market

An Inside History

John B. Hege

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English

McFarland & Co Inc
18 April 2022

Road vehicle manufacturing industry; Motor cars: general interest

In the 1970s, as car enthusiasts in the U.S. grew bored with models manufactured under tightening pollution and safety regulations, some innovative dealers exploited a legal loophole--designed to allow U.S. soldiers and diplomats to return from abroad with their vehicles--to import exotic cars never intended for sale in America. During the 1980s, a rise in the value of the dollar made car shopping in Europe a bargain hunter's dream. A network of unauthorized ""gray market"" importers and conversion shops emerged, bypassing factory channels and retrofitting cars to meet U.S. regulations and emission standards--at least in theory.

These cars had to pass through U.S. customs, a system equipped to handle only a few independent imports annually. As applications ballooned, the regulatory system collapsed. This is the story of a misunderstood but fascinating period in the automotive industry, when creative importers found ways to put American motorists in new Ferraris while the EPA and DOT were backed up with mounds of paperwork.

By: John B. Hege
Imprint: McFarland & Co Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 10mm
Weight: 268g
ISBN: 9780786463732
ISBN 10: 0786463732
Pages: 191
Publication Date: 18 April 2022
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John B. Hege is a retired import auto mechanic from North Carolina who worked in gray market “conversion” shops during the peak years of 1985 and 1986. He wrote this work because he wanted to share some unique stories about a very poorly understood period of automotive history in America.