We receive a constant stream of varied questions about the ownership of Classic vehicles in Cyprus, but the most frequently asked question is “how do I import my Classic car?”
Well, you will not be surprised to hear that there are several options open to you. The easiest and least involved method is to employ one of the local Cypriot Removal/Import companies. They can offer a comprehensive, all-inclusive package incorporating collection, delivery and even registration. However, some owners want to be more involved and are working to a restricted budget, so choose to pursue the D.I.Y. route and use one of the specialist car shipping companies that are based in the UK. Whilst this is usually cheaper, the owner will need to arrange collection and delivery and obviously, have to sort out more of the necessary paperwork. However, this is not as difficult nor as complicated as you might think, and PCVC have in the recent past guided many members through this process.
There is a third import option available, and this was the path chosen by PCVC member Doug Thomas when he imported our Classic of the Month, his beautiful Porche 944. Last year, Doug and his son, Daniel, decided to make this import as enjoyable as possible. They set off on the adventure of a lifetime and drove their car from the Netherlands to Cyprus!
Having bought the RHD Porsche near Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, Doug took 6 months planning his route through Europe to coincide with the summer ferry from Piraeus to Limassol. Their plan included visiting family and friends and as many places of interest as possible. The road trip lasted 13 days and took in 10 countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino, and Greece. They even managed to incorporate visits to the two world renowned Car Museums of Mulhouse (famous for its collection of Bugattis) and Maranello (famous for Ferraris).
The 39 year old car effortlessly covered the 2837 km drive without a single problem and had a couple of respites on the ferries from Italy to Greece and Greece to Cyprus. Doug, Daniel and their Porsche were given a surprisingly warm welcome by the Cypriot customs officers at Limassol, thanks to this being an import from an EU country and the right paperwork having been prepared before setting off (on the advice of another Club member). If you would like to read the full story of Doug’s and Daniel`s road trip, please visit the PCVC website, Members Stories (details below or click on our QR code).
The 944 is a 2 door coupe styled sports car manufactured by Porsche for 9 years from 1982. The car has rear wheel drive car which is powered by a front mounted 2.5 litre petrol engine that produces over 160 hp. This gives an acceleration of 0/60 mph in 8.3 seconds through a 5 speed manual gearbox that is mounted at the rear transaxle for a near perfect 50/50 front-to-rear balance.
If you would like to see this and other fantastic Classic Vehicles, please come to one of our many meetings.
Full details can be found on our Facebook page, or on our webpage
www.paphosclassicvehicleclub.com