Rare 1994 Cizeta V16t Confiscated by US Customs

In an example of what can happen if the sometimes arbitrary and archaic US vehicle importation laws aren't properly followed, the Orange County Register is reporting that a very rare Cizeta V16t was confiscated by US Customs agents on Monday morning. The car was in the possession of a dealership who was storing the car for its creator, former Lamborghini engineer Claudio Zampoli, who currently resides in Orange County, CA. According to blogger Frank Filipponio of Autoblog, Zampoli is actually not the car's owner. The car is currently being held by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, who are seeking to have the car forfeited to the federal government, auctioned to the public, and finally exported.

The Cizeta V16t features a V16 engine and styling very similar to the later Lamborghini Diablo. Introduced in 1988, the Italian company built a total of 8 cars from 1991 through 1995 with a price tag of roughly the equivalent of $300,000 according to Wikipedia. Apparently the car is still available on-demand, starting at $649,000. It is not US legal except for foreign residents on foreign plates for a limited amount of time. Apparently this car was sent to Zampoli for repairs in 2001 by its Austrian owner, and it just never went back. It has been seen around Southern California on European and Manufacturer plates, but no word yet on who the Austrian owner is or why the car wasn't returned.

According the article, one of the motivations of the seizure was that the import documentation stated the car's value in 2001 as $125,000, while ICE believes that its original price in 1994 was $600,000, and that it's currently worth $700,000 (not sure where ICE got those numbers). Of course it also doesn't meet US safety and emissions standards, and it's period of allowed tenure in the US has expired. Said ICE agent Miguel Unzueta, “Cars that don’t meet U.S. standards are outlawed for a reason. These vehicles can pose a real threat to public health and safety.”

No matter how you feel about it (I wish they could have come to an agreement and amicably exported it rather than take the car), the laws are written and can be followed, and you'll have less trouble with your grey market car if you do. If you push it, you stand a better chance of losing it. Some of the cars I've featured have been borderline or downright illegal, and as tempting as they may be, this is what can happen. If one with pockets deep enough to own a $700,000 car really needs it to be in the US, then he should have little problem at least applying for a Show and Display exemption, which wasn't even done according to NHTSA, and probably would have been granted based on the mission and stipulations of the program.

Sources: The Orange County Register, Autoblog, Wikipedia, NHTSA