European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 5, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday novembers. 1987 the stars Ano stripes Page f3 car Corner Epa abolishes 5-year waiver As of june 30 car conversion party about Over during the past five years. Inc car conversion scene has been one of  interest and our first information on inc subject appeared in the june 28, 1982, car Corner Page. Al thai time we said that Good news is circulating for owners and prospective buyers or expensive foreign cars who want to Lake these cars Back o the United  we thin noted thai an environmental Protection Agency waiver will mate it possible o import a vehicle More than five years old without modifying in to meet . Emission Sinnard our most ambitious undertaking involved a three Par series in Trie sum Mer of 1983 on How to go about converting a car his series done with the assistance of John Gordon of Mann Heim whose firm converts cars. There have been Many other articles along inc Way bul today s Story will give the bad news that being the end of the Epa s five year waiver effective june 30, 1988. Protests to both the Epa and to Congress from car conversion firms associations and individuals Are expected but whether these pleas will change the Epa s plans remain to be seen. In the meantime Here s the Gist of the Epa s recent action As interpreted by Peter a. Hnatiuk a car conversion executive who has often provided us with highly accurate information on inc automobile conversion subject. Hnatiuk is vice president of european operations for autos european inc., an importing and converting firm with Headquarters in Heide Berg and in fact Mcville , the bad news began on sept. 25 when the Epa announced its new regu lations those regulations designed to drastically restrict the number of Grey Market cars being brought into the United Stales from abroad. Most of these cars Are european Lux Ury models primarily Mercedes porsche and Bow and members of the . Military and Dod in Europe have been taking advantage of return ing Home with these cars Ever since the Epa introduced its waiver on non con forming automobiles. The waiver has also created a Large import conversion business for Many firms on Bolh Sid ii of the Atlantic. But by june 30, ills the party will be Over says Hnatiuk pointing out that the most significant changes to the current Epa policy include the Complete abolishment of the Epa five year waiver and no Grandfather clause for individuals currently own ing vehicles. All cars Between 6 and 20 years old will have to be Modi tied of meet not Only the department of transportation safely standards but also the Epa clean engine standards Hnatiuk says. Only cars Over 20 years old Are a tempt under the new ruling but there Are few of these around  the Epa s new rules prohibit individuals from personally importing their vehicles Hnatiuk says with importation Only through Epa certified companies that will have to be licensed for each separate Model and year of manufacture. The Efa certified companies must also assume full financial and Legal responsibility Hnatiuk says and the likelihood of companies willing o take on this risk and expense is questionable due to the decline of the conver Sion business As a result of the extremely weak  especially prepared for racing two Pontiac Fierow on he track i Laguna Seca Calif. Pond arc Fero scores racing honors with the close of he racing season in the United slates recently general motors was pleased to announce some extremely Good results. Pm says that its Fomia division Fiero sports car introduced onto the Market in 1984 and going Strong Ever since won special distinction this year by capturing the manufacturer s championship in the International motor sports association fms Ftp. Lights class. It was the first time that this division has been won by any make other than a japanese Mazda. Four Fiero Ftp entries contributed to the Pontiac a Start winning 10 of the 15 races staged this season. A highlight came in january when an at to col Lins & Aikman Fiero won its class in the 24 hours of Daytona. With this result a Fiero became the first general motors car Ever to win in a prototype class and the first american car since 1966 to win in this class ii was also the first Lime in Daytona s 25-year history that a four Cylinder engine has powered any prototype class winning the special racing micros developed by spice engineering of England have a minimum weight of 1,800 pounds and Are powered by normally aspirated Pontiac super duty three liter four Cylinder engines of More than 330 horsepower. If s a pleasure to see an american ear do so Well in International racing Competition and general motors and Pontiac As Well As spice engineering All deserve plaudits for their efforts. Since its 1984 introduction to the close of the 1987 Model year a total of 300,000 mid engine two sealer Fiero cars have been sold Pontiac says. Joy at Jaguar Rolls Royce while the financial news around inc world in t exactly Rosy it in t All bad either As both Jaguar and Rolls Royce makers of luxury automobiles Lake Joy in noting. The society of motor manufacturers and traders smut in England re ports that inc Jaguar company has received its largest Ever Fleet order for the new Jaguar xj6 models while Rolls Royce has just completed lire largest value order it has Ever received. Smut says the Jaguar order came from the Hertz car rental company while the Rolls Royce order was placed by the Peninsula Hole in Hong Kong. It called for eight Rolls Royce Silver spirits Worth a total of nearly s1.7 million. The Hertz firm ordered 80 jaguars for its Fleet in the United kingdom with 68 of the cars being xj6 and Sov Ereign models making this the largest single Fleet order for the new xj6 Range. This year Hertz operated a Fleet of to xj6 models so the latest order More than doubled that of 1937, smut said. Keys to the Rolls Royce cars mean while were handed Over to executives of the Peninsula hotel in a ceremony at Crewe Rolls Royce factory head Quarter the smut said. The Penin Sula hotel has used Rolls Royce Auto mobiles since 1970 to ferry customers to and from the Hong Kong Airport and to Lake customers on Tours and shopping trips. Ii was the hotel s fourth Fleet or incr for Rolls Royce cars. 8.b, it s Hnatiuk s opinion that some firms will offer the Epa certified serv ice but that the increased costs will make converting a european Auto Mobile Cost prohibitive not Only for military and Dod personnel but for most conversion companies As Well. Hnatiuk stresses that if one currently owns or plans to buy a european  automobile for import into the United states Ihen the vehicle must be shipped and Clear customs at the port of entry no later that june 30,1988. After that Date the owner has 120 Days to bring the vehicle into Confor mity with . Regulations. In the Epa fact Sheel that announced the end of the 5-Ycar waiver the Agency said the five Model year old personal use policy permitted a first time individual importer to import one non con form ing vehicle at East five Model years old for personal use without a need to demonstrate conformity with Federal emission requirements. Epa originally implemented this enforcement policy in order to reduce the administrative Burden on the Agency particularly the review of Tesi documentation and to minimize the hard ship to private individual importers unfamiliar with the imports require ments. As a direct result of the establishment of the policy an increasing percentage and number of 5-y.ear-Olj vehicles have been imported. Epa is eliminating the policy for All vehicles imported after june 30, i98s, because inc policy is no longer needed and poses a potential threat to air Quality and has created a number of serious enforcement problems the associated press meanwhile reported in a dispatch from washing ton that the imports of european luxury cars Rose o about 37,000 units last year and that the Epa said it believes Many Are Biol being modified prop Erly in meet . Pollution standards and that Niosi modification work that is done in t durable enough to la is 50,0110 Miles As the Law  those Ink rested ii additional information i the new Epa regulations and on the car conversion subject May Call Hnatiuk at 06221-781304 or 720991. Or write autos european inc., ecu Alicr wig 2, 6900 Heidelberg i West Germany or Contact David l. Thomas sedition Schmidi Stras a 39. 6000 Frankfurt main i phone 069 7380062 or 63. Trans car plans forums the trans car import Trade service firm an cafes concessionaire for ear conversion and shipping has scheduled four car conversion forums for next week with the discussion to Tenter on the Epa s new rulings and the end of the five year waiver. Joe Normandy the director of operations for import Trade service which is trans car s partner in the United states will be present at the forums and Wil give information on the cur rent car conversion situation and the changes Hal will go into effect on june 30 of next year. The forums All scheduled to Start at 6 p.m., Are As follows nov. 9 Furth Nuorn Harg novo Tel conference room novel cd. Lauben wig 6. Nut. 10 Frankfurt Frankfurt shopping Center Auto parts building next to cafes garage. Nov. 11 Kaiser Shauli in. To Golwen officers Hub. Not 12 soul tart Stungard shop Ping Center comp Len. Building 132, cafes conference room. Randy Barnett