How to ship a car back to the UK or EU

Now that the deal has been done the fun really begins.

Like most people I imagine I've never imported anything from another country, less alone a two tonne car! Sure, I've purchased things in Europe and the US before and had them sent over to the UK, but from the beginning I realised getting #10719 back was going to be a bit more of a challenge.

First of all was the shipping. I needed to get the car from Indiana where she was being sold all the way to the nearest port, New York. Some 800 miles. Not a walk in the park. Then I needed to get it over to the UK. Where to start?

By far the best two places I found for information of the process are the two owners clubs here in the UK, http://www.deloreans.co.uk and http://www.deloreaneurotec.co.uk. These two websites offer some great guides to both buying a DeLorean and getting it back to blighty, not to mention a wealth of advise from the wonderful forum members. PJ Grady, a specialist for DeLorean sales and repairs here in the UK, has a very informative step by step guide to importing a DeLorean and getting it registered here in the UK http://www.pjgrady.co.uk//GenericContent.aspx?PageType=Useful_Info&ShowContent=Delorean_Imports.html

However you do it you'll need a shipping agent. Even before I committed to buying #10719 I'd obtain quotes for both east and west coast shipping to the UK. East cost is the quickest and cheapest of the two, with shipping from this side of the states coming in at about the £700 mark. Some of the shipping agents quote for the charges for shipping and port/handling fees separately, some as an inclusive service. Either way expect to pay £150 to £200 on top of the cost of the basic shipping cost for them to handle everything. However, after looking into all the red tape involved i'd say it was more than worth it.

Some good companies to look out for are Transglobal Logistics ltd (Tel: +44 (0) 117 938 1919) and Kingstown Shipping http://www.kingstownshipping.co.uk. In the end I decided to go with Hill Shipping http://hillshipping.blogspot.co.uk. Jamie Hill came in with a very competitive quote, backed up with an impressive portfolio of previous imports, not to mention quite a few recommendations from others on the forums. So far he's been great at guiding me through the process, answering all me emails and questions. The HMRC and Tax requirement alone can be very daunting to a first time car importer, but more of that later...

In the meantime the money has gone off and I'm just waiting for the green light to start the whole shipping process. Watch this space to see how it goes!