We here at CorvetteBlogger spend what other people, especially those closest to us, would describe as an “unhealthy” amount of our waking hours rummaging through online automotive marketplaces for examples of the Plastic Fantastic that are; 1. Interesting/noteworthy enough to write about, 2. Affordable enough to make us think that we should buy them and would be stupid not to, or 3. Spec’d in the fashion that would best fit into our respective future collections.
As some of the most discerning connoisseurs of America’s Sports Car in the world, the real problem with our obsessive window shopping (besides champagne taste and a knockoff Great Value soda budget) is that the plethora of auction sites, forums, social media markets, and individual for sale ads at our disposal are still often lacking the very specific Corvette variants that we most desire.
Luckily, this particular Corvette Blogger recently discovered a magical land where the maple syrup flows like wine. An enchanted place that can be accessed by car from 49 states, has its own unique version of Autotrader, and an exchange rate nearly as favorable to Americans as the Vietnamese Dong.
In case you have yet to guess, this utopia of covert, well cared for, slightly more wallet-friendly enthusiast cars is Canada and we are here to help you figure out how to go about bringing a Canadian Corvette back to its home country, and even offer up some of the most tantalizing examples that we found after combing through all 632 examples listed on Autotrader.ca!
How to properly get a car from Canada to the US
Importing a Canadian car to the US is a bit harder than just getting a passport and crossing the border with some cash, but, once you see the prices and some of the stock that the Great White North has to offer, you’ll see that the extra effort is completely worth it!
The first step of importing involves research, a good amount of paperwork, and other current “processes.” The next step depends upon the age of the car that you select to import. If the subject vehicle was manufactured more recently than 1995, you’ll have to prove that it meets US safety and emissions requirements. To do this, plan ahead a bit by contacting GM for a letter stating that your car complies with all of the applicable standards. This process usually takes 2-3 weeks. If your chosen car is older than 1995, you can skip this part!
Once you go pick up the car, you need to have all paperwork in order to cross back into the US with the vehicle. This means a bill of sale showing you as the new owner, the title, the manufacturer’s statement/certificate of origin, and a newly obtained temp tag from the Canadian province in which you purchased the vehicle.
Once you arrive back at the US border, you will be sent into the customs building to fill out some forms while your car is inspected. This process usually takes about 30 minutes.
The duties and taxes section is next and Corvette aficionados are in luck here because cars built in the US or Canada are usually exempt from the duties that buyers/importers of overseas vehicles are subject to.
Once you arrive back home in the good ol’ US of A, you’ll have to get the car insured immediately, take all paperwork, including those from customs, to your state DOT to register your newly rescued ‘Vette. You’ll then pay state taxes, fees, and license plates/registration, and, in some states, the car will be subject to a smog test.
Before you set off on a northern adventure, make sure that you are eligible to enter the country under normal circumstances and do your research on further, COVID-related restrictions! More in-depth instructions can be found here and check out a good read from someone whose experience goes further than “purely academic” by clicking right here. Finally, you could just consider a broker, to take the headache (and fun) out of the whole thing.
The Corvette rewards for all of your hard work
Now, let’s take a look at the specimens that could possibly possess you to go through this whole ordeal, starting with some older examples that would be easier to import. Also, worry not, friends, I took the liberty of converting the loonies and toonies into US Greenbacks and klicks to miles for you (check your new owner’s manual for easy instructions to switch your car over too).
1990 Corvette ZR-1
The first posting is for a Bright Red over Saddle inaugural-year King of the Hill that is even written in French! This 32 valve beast has only covered 9,617 miles in 30 years and can be yours for just over $35,000.
1978 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica
Next, we uncovered a ’78 Indy Pace Car with just 4,766 miles. Bring it back to the home of the Brickyard for $34,576, it’ll hard to find a nicer one (though, it’s a tough sell that close in price to the C4 ZR-1 above). Now we are going to look at some of the best and rarest newer Corvettes on offer in the ten provinces. Each is completely worth the extra paperwork!
2011 Z06 Carbon Edition #246
Your author’s personal favorite checks in at a relatively high 21,800 miles but more than makes up for it with a price of… $40,830… for one of the 85 Inferno Orange Z06 Carbons. An unheard-of deal!
Admiral Blue 2019 ZR1 ZTK
If one of 85 is a bit pedestrian for your taste, this one only has 50 siblings, and that is only figuring for exterior color, it’s actually far less common than that but it’ll cost you nearly $200k Canadian for the privilege of being the next owner. That’s $141,615 in the land of the free and the home of the brave. It has logged 1,553 miles and will go down as the final and the burliest front-engine Corvette, so money well spent!
2004 Z06 Commemorative Edition
Here we have the pinnacle of the Corvette’s fifth-generation. Just 2,025 Commemorative Zs were built as a celebration of the C5.R’s 33 first-place finishes between 2000 and 2004, including three checkered flags at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This pristine example has only covered 3,428 miles and could be yours for $33,473 and some Tim Hortons.
2007 Ron Fellows Z06
We believe that the Ron Fellows American Le Mans Series GT1 Championship Edition Z06 holds the distinction of the Corvette with the longest name and, it deserves all of the respect that its title commands. It currently sits at under 10k miles and the seller is asking $41,200 but, as the car was built to honor a great Canadian racer, we think that it would be wrong to bring it to down to the states, Canada only received an allotment of 33 out of the 399 Ron Fellows Zs built in the first place.
2017 Grand Sport Z07
While not a special edition like the majority of the cars on our list, in its three-year run, the C7 Grand Sport’s top-of-the-line Z07 package only passes the one-year 2004 Commemorative Z06’s production output by three units at 2,028, making the best handling C7 one of the rarest; a very desirable combination of traits, if you ask us. This one comes in the color combo that we would have been cool with Bowling Green slathering on every GS; a patriotic callback to the 1,000 1996 Corvettes to wear the GS badge. It comes with 3,735 miles to its name and is up for grabs at just $54,436 but there is at least one already on our turf that we think we would select over this one. This Collector’s Edition is $10 g’s more expensive but saves the hassle of importation and comes with a clutch that is worth its weight in gold!
So, there you have it folks, Canada’s finest current Corvette offerings and a roadmap that’ll help you attain one for yourself, if you have the motivation, happy hunting!
Bonus car: this lengthy project came about this week as I was dabbling on the dark side (the Drive Viper forum, gasp!) in search of another very hard-to-find member of my favorite cars list (that has some fun connections to the Corvette), the orange 2014 Viper TA, when I came to a post that contained a link to a stock example that was available from our neighbors to the North, which, unfortunately fails to specify which of the 93 copies (one for each second it took the TA to complete a record lap at Laguna Seca) it is. It has a comfortable (not usually a word associated with these cars) 13,600 miles and is priced a bit high, based on recent asking prices for OTAs, at $109,620. None of those negatives matter though, I absolutely love that car and if any of you fine readers feel the same and end up pulling the trigger on it before I become the recipient of a large cash infusion, I’d happily head northward as your agent/delivery guy/transporter. Let me know, I’ll just be here looking for more cars.
Related:
[SPIED] Camouflaged C8 Corvette Prototype Driving in Toronto
[VIDEO] First 2020 Corvettes Land in Canada!
[VIDEO] Take a Hot Lap of CTMP in the 2020 Corvette With Ron Fellows
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ALL VERY NICE , PRICEWISE & DESIRABILITY WISE, BUT THE ONE THAT GETS MY JUICES FLOWING IS THE 2004 COMMEMORATIVE Z06, THEY HAVE BEEN SINCE THEY WERE FIRST RELEASED. TO ME THAT MODEL JUST EXUDES WHAT CORVETTES ARE ALL ABOUT.
As a Canadian Corvette owner I take exception to your description of a Corvette as “rescued” merely because it has been imported into the US from Canada — particularly in the current circumstances!
Yes, Doug we Canuks know as much about Vettes as our Yank friends. We have Vette shows NCRS. etc. Our lifestyle is very similar we just pay up the you know what for everything!
And we save the wave too! LOL. B J Renaud Corvette Cub Of Windsor Ontario.
That wasn’t the context he used it in
So sensitive we are
Outrage over a word. I am tired of it. Alex offered up a great article and shared some of the high quality and rare Corvettes that are available from our FRIENDS in Canada. What’s not to love about Canada…the home of Ron Fellows, Crown Royal, and passionate Corvette owners.
Faux outrage 🙂
I wish I had some additional space and I would keep that beautiful Ron Fellows edition at home in Canada. It would look great parked beside my 17 GS.
I think this discussion should be continued in one of the clubs in Hull over a cold Molson.
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