> Eric Hoffman
>
> Sports Car Market magazine has featured a few very interesting articles on the
> joys and pitfalls of overseas shipping.
>
> The first that I noticed was titled "Please stand back while we smash your
> hood".
>
> This article emphasized inconsistencies in policies and procedures based only
> on the USA entry port city.
>
> A very valuable vintage Ferrari was damaged with a 2 by 4 and hammer by port
> authorities who had to verify the engine size (the law for this based on euro
> vs USA emmissions differences). The port emplyees wanted to see the engine
> and could not figure out how to open the hood. So they used the
> aforementioned "tools". This despite the fact that the car was built in the
> 1950's and therefore whether or not the engine had been replaced was
> irrelavent.
> <snip>
I had a couple of experiences shipping cars. The first shipping our first
510 to Hawaii when Uncle sent me to Hickam. That one was on my nickel (I
went over as an unaccompanied E-3) and I dropped the car off with a
"service" in Fairfield, near Travis AFB, and I don't remember exactly how
long it took to get to Hawaii, but I think it was close to two months.
Coming back almost 3 years later we had a 610 wagon (the only decent 610
model, IMO) in addition to the 510. We shipped them out several weeks early
because of a rumored shipping strike and I'd just spent several hundred $$$
putting a nice Craig AM/FM/Cassette stereo in the 610.
When we picked up the cars in Long Beach, the stereo was gone from the 610,
along with most of the center of the dash. Apparently someone on the docks
in Hono or LB had (literally) taken a crow bar to the dash to get to the
stereo. Fortunately I had the receipts with me from the Pearl Harbor
Exchange.
My point is document, document, document. Take tons of pictures (or have
them taken if a third party is handling shipping on the other end) and have
copies of receipts. Am I paranoid? You bet!!
FWIW,
Ron
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