Hi all, me and my partner are looking at moving to France and are wondering what are chances of importing our 1978 Mgb gt which has had several modifications including a 3.5l v8, different gearbox, brakes, suspension and a few exterior mods?
The car is very much a member of the family and we both stand on the fact that we won’t move there unless we can bring it with us, so wondering what our chances are?
Welcome to SF @Taylor246 !
I don’t know if you have found the search function here (the magnifying glass in the toolbar) but it would be worth a go as there have been a number of threads on the topic of importing vehicles (both modified and unmodified) into France, and the associated bureaucratic pitfalls!
Otherwise some of our resident petrolheads will no doubt be along shortly…
You’ll probably need help to achieve it,
Contact a man called Mark Rimmer who is pretty expert on this and will give you honest view of whether it’s possible
I’d also recommend Mark Rimmer, who dealt with the registration of our (unmodified) VW for a modest fee. He’s something of an expert and an enthusiast, as you’ll find out if you speak to him.
He’s no relation to the Rimmer from “Red Dwarf”, as far as I am aware. 
Welcome.
Golden rule here: Do not use the word ‘modified’ combined with ‘importation’…
1978, two years after the V8 production finished. Pity. OK, is it listed as a V8 at DVLA without any mention of when the change took place? Also, what are the 'exterior mods you mention?
Simply put: To register a car in France, you need a conformity certificate. The MGB does not have one, so to import it, you need an organisation called FFVE to give you a certificate that will suffice the demands of importation. BUT - huge but - they need to verify that the car is genuine and un-modified. They will ask you for all paperwork and photos of various parts of the car and have these verified by experts… They will more than likely ask Abingdon where they should be on the ball and say that 1976 was the V8 cut off. End of story.
If you are determined, then you can ask for a single car importation, take the car to another outfit DREAL who will examine the car head to toe and give it, or not permision to enter France. This route can be very very costly and not at all guaranteed.
Do you still have the original 1.8 engine for the car? If you do, then there is another option but best dealt with via email.
Sorry. I feel for you having lived and breathed MGBs and Lotus for half a lifetime, I had to take my epitome Automatic EFI 5L V8 GT out of France that I have always regretted as it was a powerhouse in hill climbs!
There is of course the admin side of importation, but I think you need to iron out a technical path first.
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There are at least a couple of MG clubs local to me in the limousin who regularly go past my front door with classics, a good mix of local and imported, and a good mix of French and brits, from what I understand the one time I actually managed to speak to a member who is pretty local to me, so it’s certainly possible and I’d suggest when you know where you might want to be having hunt around the internet for a local club. Im sure they will have a ton of practical advice.
These are the guys I see occasionally http://www.charentemgowners.com/
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Good morning everyone.
I’m new to the forum, as I start to make preparations for a move to France in the next 4 or so years.
I intend to import my 1967 MGB when I settle into the country, so have been researching over the last while for information on the entire process. My car is currently being modified to have replacement MX-5 engine, gear box and changes to the suspension. Such modifications disqualify the car from being accepted as a voiture de collection, so I need to consider importing it as a standard car, if that is possible.
I have a good idea of the general procedure, but am unable to find relevant information for my situation. I have some queries that I would appreciate that you could consider.
- As an Attestation de conformite is not available for cars older than year 1997, do I need an Attestation FFVE or certificat Reception a Titre Isole (RTI), both issued by the DREAL, if I’m not mistaken? If this is difficult to advise, where can/may I find the answer?
- If the car is to be examined by DREAL for its registration inspection (controle technique), and later as part of periodic controle technique inspections, will it be subject to all the testing points of modern vehicles, considering that features such as fog, reversing and hazard lights were not fitted to cars of the 1960s. If so, I will need to have these fitted during the car building.
Many thanks for reading & considering my queries.
I can’t answer most of those except that you won’t get an FFVE attestation if it’s modified in the way you describe. It would be worth contacting Mark Rimmer for advice on the feasibility of what you propose and if you search his name on here you’ll find his email address.
Thanks, John
Hello JohnH,
Thank you for your reply. I contacted Mark last week; he responded to some of my queries. I understand that my questions are detailed, and that not everyone wishes to respond.
Best regards,
Brian
Nothing is modified when importing to France 
Be careful that even if you do manage to import it then insurance could be tricky, remaps are generally accepted but physical modifications (other than maybe an exhaust) are not. They will want an oe car.
I have imported cars and mbikes but all relatively modern with CoC, none oe standard but none extensively modified! Sometimes I had to have them looked at most of the time not.
General rule of thumb is if you move to France sell your car in the UK and buy a replacement in France.
Once option, generally “poo pood” on here (to be fair it is not entirely legal but EU law is an ass in this instance) is assuming it is a lightly used car when in France is to keep it on UK plates, insure it through the UK incl 364days european insurance and return to the UK once a year for it’s annual MOT.
Obviously I would not advocate you do this.
By “not entirely legal”, you mean completely illegal and it’s nothing to do with the EU, it’s an international agreement.
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Thank you… I was about to mute the thread in my despair!
Please do!
I would hate to think that anybody on here would ever break any “law” in this case that is in place simply as a workaround to avoid a loophole in existence due to out of date law makers making laws for times past. Roll on the future ….
If an application for an initial inspection at DREAL were to be made as though a vehicle is of standard manufacturer equipment, would the changes not be identified by the inspectors, thereby forcing a vehicle to be inspected as a modified one? Or, is there another option to pursue?
The UK MOT rules for classics have only in the last few months changed to allow for component updates. The DVLA confirmed with me that the only requirement is that the replacement engine number be communicated to them, and that the V5C registration document would be reissued to reflect such a change. If the new engine number was observed to match that in a car’s V5C during a DREAL initial inspection, would that likely satisfy them that the vehicle is not modified? Would having an updated V5C even help or support the inspection process, or is it entirely necessary as part of the inspection?
I will finally get thrown off here for saying this but so what. Sir, you are the ass for talking such utter drivel.
To the OP, your car will be assessed by DREAL as a single unit import as a new car fit for French roads. Unless really well done, highly unlikely to pass.
If you wish to modify an MGB to your desire - which is quite acheivable - then start from scratch with a French car after you arrive.
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+1 for Adam1 on both comments.
I will let you get away with that, for non-specified reasons (lest you take advantage) - you could always add a smiley though 
I had got the impression that heavy modifications were not really possible in France, whatever route is taken.
The fact you can register the car in the UK is different from whether it has been modified.
I’m no car expert, and certainly not to the standard of a DREAL inspector, but I bet you a tenner I could spot a Mazda engine in an MG and deduce the car had been modified.
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