(Allan Simonsen from ecarmotorsports sent me this:) We purchased five curbside classics from Cam in Wisconsin this Summer. He sent pictures from when the vans were picked up for the first trip down to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. They were then shipped to Rotterdam, Holland and trucked to Denmark. We are now the proud owners of a 1974 Ford Econoline camper, 1973 Ford Econoline – 19000 miles from new (not on the picture), 1969 Ford Econoline E300, which served as an emergency vehicle, a 1974 Dodge B200 Sportsman Royale and finally 1970 Dodge B100 Sportsman. All have original paint and have been kept so well that they are completely unrestored curbside classics. When the truck arrived from Rotterdam with 3 of them, people had seen the vans on the highway and followed the truck to see where the vans were going.
Thanks, Allan
www.facebook.com/ecarmotorsports
Um … why? Because they are bigger than Euro vans?
Because they’re mad about older American iron, no matter what kind. It’s a story we cover quite a bit here; it’s been going on for decades, but has really picked up momentum in recent years. And Americans love old European iron (and alloy). The grass is always greener….
Hardly. Who imports old European vehicles (upwards of $10,000 a piece)? No one. Europeans want a piece of Americana, American Exceptionalism, a bit of their former selves, and that is what this is. Sorry but true.
I didn’t so much mean that there’s an equal (or anything close) amount of European cars coming this way. I meant that there are collectors in the US that are interested more in European stuff, but typically it’s coming from garages and barns in the US too. I agree that the flow is drastically one-sided, and has been for a while.
The last time there was a big rush of imports from Europe was during the eighties, when the dollar was sky high, and European collectibles and exotics were very attractively priced. A lot of old Jags and such found there way here then.
Americans have been harvesting our old cars and shipping them out thru the deep freeze base in ChristChurch for decades especially some of the harder to find US models, we import US cars for enthusiasts constantly, Old British iron was a favourite in Japan anything with big chrome headlights they love and BMC Minis a friend has a regular old car export business going along with his used Jappa import racket.
Peaks Truth apparently does not visit the website Bring a Trailer. As Paul previously alluded to, importing into the U.S. is nowhere near as popular as exporting is, but it absolutely still happens.
Yes, even back in 1990 when I visited a junkyard north of Spokane, WA this was going on. The guy had some amazingly-rusted-out 1950s convertibles (that I would have crushed, they were in really bad shape) that he said got top money over in Europe when restored and he was doing a brisk business selling them. I couldn’t believe it!
My brother sold his ’58 Biscayne four door to a Swede back in the early eighties for more than he could ever hope to get here.
Richard Rollins (“Fast n Loud” TV shiw) at gas monkey garage….sells huge old Cadillacs to a Swede flipper-exporter..and a Canadian bought his resto mod 65 T-bird. I don’t blame the Europeans getting swayed by past Detroit style especially during this wind tunneled styling malaise period when 99 % of the cars on the road look like they came from the same styling studio?
There has always been an ‘Americana’ movement, most will want the usual 57 Chevy or Mustang but eventually someone will want a van!
Mopars and Fords? Glad they’re leaving all the Chevys and GMCs for me 🙂
I spent many hours in all three. The Danes know what they are doing. 🙂
Old ’70’s vans cruising Europe…better keep your kids in the house.
European and American trends in American classic cars have always been independent from each other. Here in the US those vans don’t get any love from anyone other than scrap metal buyers. Europeans also seem to have more interest in four doors, wagons, low trim cars, malaise era land yachts, and 50s-60s cars that aren’t Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs or Mopar muscle cars than the classic car buyer base in the US does.
Is it common for old American cars from Europe to be “repatriated” to the US? I have searched mobile.de and the German and British eBay sites and it seems that there is also a trend of classic Mercedes, VWs, BMWs, Porsches, MGs, Jaguars, Rolls Royces, and Ferraris being sent “home”, particularly from dry states. However, it seems comparatively rare to find a repatriated American car in the US AFAIK. It may be worth noting that at a car show I went to back in June there was a 1954 Chevrolet sedan with German plates on it under the American ones.
I have heard of one Australian Falcon that had been imported to the US, having been brought back to Australia. It had been done up as a replica of Allan Moffatt’s 1974 Bathurst race car.
I have seen a few Australian Falcon coupes imported to capitalize on the popularity of the Mad Max movies, customized to look like Max’s “V8 Interceptor.” Those imports must have ended a long time ago.
There might be 50+ Aussie Falcons in the USA, but that is the only one I’ve heard of doing the return trip. I’m sure the change in exchange rate helped in that case, also the value of vehicles in the US would be a factor compared to what a similar car would sell for here. The Falcon hardtops are very highly sought after and prices can get a bit silly.
Read about American cars going to Sweden, in particular. They import thousands of classic American cars from the US to Sweden every year.
The supply and demand equation probably will make “repatriation” of American cars rare for a long time. The supply of American cars in Europe is relatively small since few were officially imported when they were new, and despite the volume of recent imports (especially to Scandinavia), most will probably be valued more highly in Europe than in the U.S. unless there is a significant change in the dollar/euro exchange rate.
Returning Mercedes, Porsches, Ferraris, etc. to Europe makes sense since the US was the largest single market for many European manufacturers, and California and other dry states probably have the highest survival rates in the world.
A western European friend of the family drove a black on black Cadillac DeVille DTS during his 5-year stay in the states 10 years ago. He took it to Europe when his stay here was up. Why? Because there was absolutely nothing like it on the roads there. A Mercedes? Commoner car. That Cadillac’s presence was something to behold! Nothing like it.
Anything younger than 40 years is on the decline in the Netherlands. The reason: new legislation (although still not a hundred percent solid I believe) from january 1 2014 onwards. Then you’ll have to pay full road tax for non-gasoline cars (diesel and LPG) younger than 40 years. The amount of road tax is linked to the weight of the car.
And there you go: a lot of US cars and vans here run on LPG and are heavy.
Apart from that, anything sells in Northwestern Europe: From simple mid-sized Chevys from the eighties to fully restored pony- and muscle cars. From cheap bangers to the 35,000 euro (and up) price class.
All of them are “exotic” here, and exotic means you’ve got something really special.
What’s special about owning an old Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar or Porsche here ?
Let alone Volkswagens, Opels, Fords, Renaults etc.etc.
The whole continent is loaded with them, I think Mercedes is the most common old car. All types, all engines, all ages, all price classes. They are everywhere, including parts and specialists. Lots of them are still used as daily drivers, especially the W123, W124 and W201 models.
Couldn’t agree more. I live in Luxembourg and over here Mercedes is basically synonymous with taxis, big grey sedans or small A- or B-series… I’m not saying these are bad cars, all I’m saying is, unless you drive a SLR or a classic 300 SL (and how often do you seen one of these on the road) frankly nobody cares. The same applies to old BMWs or Jags. Go to any classic car show or rally over here or in the neighbouring countries, and you know there WILL be tons of E-Types, 356s, MB SLs etc. Show up with a dented Mustang or an old Impala and people will find it fun.
Two years ago I bought a 1976 Coupe De Ville in Belgium. I wouldn’t even have got an old 911 for that kind of money. The fun I have with this land yacht and the reactions I get are amazing. US cars are just… different. And don’t forget, it’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you parallel-park an old Cadillac. That’s not a bad thing. Passers-by will even help you. It just won’t happen in a Cayenne.
That year Coupe De Ville has got to be a big hit over there! I wish people here in the U.S. appreciated them half as much. Old car ownership should be just what you said, “Fun”.
The guy across the street from me has a ’55 Chevy (restomod) & ’66 SS396 in his garage. They are show queens but generica: all about the value & maximum points at the next AACA car show. “Too nice to drive” can’t be that much fun. Even at the shows, both cars are nearly carbon copies of all the other ’66 SS396 cars and ’55 Chevy Restomods.
In contrast, some guy in a Ford truck was leaving the restaurant where I was pumping gas this morning — he rolled down the window & said, “is that a ’78 or a ’79?” I answered ’78 & he said the woman (that was still in the restaurant) told him it was a Trans Am but he thought it was just a Firebird.. I told him he was right and she was wrong — and we both kind of laughed and exchanged “Good Day!”s and he drove off. THAT’s fun!
We’re on the same wavelength here. “Too nice to drive” doesn’t make sense to me. It feels like buying a bottle of excellent wine and just look at it. My ’76 Caddy may not be in showroom condition but really it’s much better than most, which is all I was looking for (NB. just google Liberty Oldtimers in Brugge, Belgium, and scroll down to the Innsbruck Blue ’76 Coupe with the white vinyl top – that’s the one :-))
Yes, a ’76 Caddy IS an enormous hit over here. Many people over here have never seen one in the metal before. That car is lightyears away from everything considered fashionable or sensible today in the car industry. Heck, it’s a dinosaur – but a very, very cool dinosaur. Because it doesn’t make sense in any way and, guess what, it’s not even pretending to. It won’t apologize. It’s just there, dwarfing everything else around it. People (children and grownups alike) just love it. Some ask “Why?” and I answer “Well, why not?”. It’s just great.
The same would probably apply if I was driving an old Impala, or a Olds 98 Regency, or whatever big gas guzzler came out of Detroit in the 1960s or 1970s. OK, “Cadillac” does ring a special bell, I’ll give you that. But still. What I’m saying is, the car doesn’t really have to be the “right” model year or have the “right” specs. People over here won’t think the difference between a SS396 and a non-SS396 is all that important. Americans possibly do, which is only natural: to Americans a non-SS396 is “normal” in a way Europeans just won’t feel or understand. Europeans (present company gladly included) will see a non-SS396 and just go “Hey, what a cool car!”.
So it’s all a matter of perceptions. And common sense too. Old US cars are getting increasingly popular in Europe because many over here realize that these cars are different, fun, dependable (and if not, they’re easy to fix), cheaper that most classics, and will give you an experience other cars won’t. That’s something Scandinavians have known for a long time, but other Europeans are getting wise as well. I think you should definitely hold on to your ’78 Firebird. I know I would!
The man who imported my Mopar also imported and sold a 1976 Coupe DeVille.
Not sure, but it seems to be the same blue as the one you have, only the vinyl top is blue instead of white.
Go through the sold cars-section (“Volgende”) and you’ll come across it: http://www.classiccarshelter.nl/verkocht/1007/sold-verkocht.htm
A 1976 Coupe DeVille from Belgium….is it one of the four on this list ?
http://www.libertyoldtimers.com/index_nl.html
Very nice, it certainly is much B-I-G-G-E-R than my 1969 Mopar pony !
(Got it straight from a classic car dealer in Lenoir City, Tennessee.)
Inderdaad meneer… 🙂
Do you have any links with your Mopar?
Allez monsieur, laissez les bons temps rouler !! 🙂
Sure !
(I’m replying here to your latest message since somehow the “Reply” icon doesn’t appear on it) Johannes thanks for the link to Classiccarshelter nl, that’s really a cool site. I understand this is where you found your Mopar. Gefeliciteerd! I love that exhaust sound on the video, by the way!
Yes the blue ’76 Caddy here looks definitely like mine, PLUS mine also had 51 000 miles on the meter when I bought it, and it was a one-owner car too. So it all really adds up. Only the wheelcovers are different, and the vinyl top too of course… but I’m wondering, is the one pictured here really blue, or does that just come from the picture? I’m not so sure… Either way, since my white vinyl top was and still is in an excellent condition, it may not be original, maybe it got renovated shortly after the picture was taken. Which is fine by me. As a rule, these tops don’t age too gracefully. I like it in white, it makes the whole beast look even more decadent nowadays, in a totally non-silver Mercedes way 🙂
It’s cool to read that the owner was a US Air Force colonel, I had no idea, and I’m not totally surprised! It’s nice to see that you still can find such land yachts in America without oversized chrome wheels.
Olivier, yes, the vinyl top of the 1976 Caddy was blue, I saw the car “live”.
The American businesspartner of Classic Car Shelter found and inspected my Plymouth. He then brought it to Charleston, and from there it sailed the ocean to Rotterdam. (in a ship, of course…)
CCS in the Netherlands usually imports very well maintained and original first owners’ cars and sells them here. Just like Liberty Oldtimers in Belgium I guess.
There’s always been an American car following in the UK,Mustangs of all ages seem to be most popular with F bodies a very close second.Muscle car era Mopars and Tri 5 Chevys are also well represented.Pick ups and all fins n chrome cars are extremely popular on the Rock n Roll/Rockabilly scene.Every weekend in what passes for summer there’s a show with an American car section or solely devoted to them.When it comes to modern Yanks the Chrysler 300,Cruiser and Neon can be seen most days in everyday use.Mustangs are pretty common and have outsold Camaros and Challengers hugely. A
few cars do get re imported to America,I read of a Mark Donohue Javelin (rumoured to be 1 of 3 in the UK) going back home but more go to Europe especially Scandinavia
Minor nit – I believe that Dodge called it a Royal Sportsman, not a Sportsman Royale. Anyway, that 74 Royal Sportsman with the chrome wheels took me back to my teen days when my car-mentor Howard (who was my best friend’s dad) had 73 just like it, only in Top Banana yellow and white. Slotted aluminum wheels and white letter T/A radials completed the package. I loved that van.
Those early Dodge B series vans with the extra little window behind the front doors are getting very hard to find here in the U.S.
It’s nice to see someone saving some of these vans. If any type of vehicle gets abused & put to an early death, it’s the van. Such a shame. I personally love these things — they are so useful to have.. I’d load up my “G” at estate auctions & not have to worry about tarping my treasures or having some low-life rob & pillage.
Hopefully these won’t be modified — how many old vans do you see that haven’t been customized? They’re a part of history as much as any pickup was. Too bad they don’t get any respect for what they were like…straight out of the factory.
I sold my 85 Eldorado on eBay last year to a dealer in The Netherlands. Guess it isn’t as uncommon as I thought.
Oddly enough they have been buying american sport boats from the 80’s and 90s too I guess boats with twin big blocks (common here) were never that popular there. until the last 10 years.
I was in the Netherlands last year and was kind of amazed on the newer and classic mopar Iron cruising the streets.
Every year we’ve got a Classic Chrysler Car Show, all sorts of classic Mopars show up (Not only the late sixties pony- and muscle cars). Most of them are in a superb condition.
Go to “Meeting Foto’s” (at the top of the homepage) and from there on you can go to the photo-collection of the annual shows.
http://chryslerclassiccars.nl/
The Mopar Euronats held in the UK is also well worth a look.There’s also some tasty Euro/American exotica (Jensen/Bristol/Facel Vega etc) and a few Australian Mopars.
This has now been picked up on Bring a Trailer too:
http://bringatrailer.com/2013/10/20/bat-success-story-survivor-van-fleet-to-denmark/