Import Gem - Revcounter 477

By: Guy Allen

Date: 18.04.2023

Ford Torino

Ford Torino

Creating your own shipping news

Blame it on punishing exchange rates, increased shipping charges, worries about getting through all the inspections...or even Covid if you wish. Where once importing cars (mostly from the USA) was becoming a national sport, you don’t hear about it so much these days.

And this is completely understandable.

Gone are the halcyon times of say 10 or more years ago when in the wake of the global financial crisis the Aussie dollar had parity with the US greenback, shipping was in greater supply than demand and government charges were relatively modest.

It took a call from Queensland reader Craig Rowland to remind us that while the ‘good old days’ may be over, hunting and shipping your very own giant birthday present across the Pacific is still doable and rewarding.

In this case, the car is a premium Ford Torino and, while the cost was substantial, it still looked like the bargain of the century compared to what you’d pay for the equivalent Aussie Ford XA/XB/XC hardtop.

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It brought back memories of youngest daughter Ms A importing her own Mustang all those years ago. The thrill of the chase as Uncle Phil and his mate Ron found the car, then tracking the progress of the ship as it inched its way to Melbourne. As a pilot, she even managed to get an aerial shot of the boat arriving in Port Melbourne.

Then there was the unpacking and getting through all the registration hurdles. Sure it was a task, but they had significant rewards, including meeting other enthusiasts along the way.

Maybe we should be looking at this again... see for the story on the Torino, here.

From Unique Cars #477, April 2023

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