<VV> GM cars in Europe

[BBRT]

During the late 60's when I was stationed in Germany, one could order a car 
through the PX (Exchange Facilities). I saw my first Z28 in orange...ordered 
that way. If you were authorized you could bring a car over to Bremmerhaven, 
GE at Gov't cost and return same to Bayonne, NJ. I don't know who paid 
shipping of a new car thru PX purchase-you can bet either buyer or Uncle Sam 
if authorized..I don't remember how that went. I think the buyer had to pay 
to have it shopped over.
If one bot a car there, he/she could  bring it back at no cost if 
authorized..Officers were authorized to bring a car over and back. Certainly 
some of these were sold to other service members and eventually ended up in 
salvage yards or maybe in German hands.  The car had to have mods to make it 
compliant with, at least in Germany, their regulations. However, by the time 
a car got to the Europeans, it was worn out and a gas guzzler to boot. 
Recall that Cars are taxed on displacement and fuel was and is expensive... 
There was little incentive to get a big gas hog. I think I only saw one or 
two during the years I was stationed there.
Now, as Seth says and previous articles have mentioned, US cars were 
assembled in Europe and met regulations. Those would have been bot on the 
economy. I don't recall anyone buying a German compliant car, for example, 
because they didn't meet US specs in many cases -safety glass, etc. (Perhaps 
US cars did. I don't remember.  Seth also points out many cars have been 
sent overseas in the past years. Irv, I suspect this is where most cars that 
you talk about come from. (Practically no Germans had US cars...just a few)
As an aside, many service members who bot a European car, bot it from 
another serviceman or from the local mechanic wheeler-dealer and it was 
cheap.  Each was old and on life support, by and large. .Those cars passed 
thru many hands as folks rotated back to he States... Very common. Opels, 
Fords (all were small ones), some VWs, NSU's, old Mercedes, etc.

Chuck S



> In a message dated 8/20/2013 5:13:02 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> ivrbr at yahoo.com writes:
>
> I am  seeking any firsthand knowledge of our Military Vets who were
> stationed  overseas especially in Germany during the 70s and were able to 
> purchase
> the  brand new GM cars directly through the Commissary. I recently found a
> classic  70s car with a " data plate " that says " Hergestellt " GM Corp.
> USA. I  remember trips to Europe back in the 70s when I was a child 
> visiting my
> Uncles/Aunts and Grandparents and seeing American made cars everywhere in
> Germany (especially spanking new Vettes, Trans Ams and Mustangs 
> (Autobahn).
>
> I'm assuming all the Classic American Cars we see now  in Europe came 
> there
> that way and the GIs sold them when they shipped back  stateside? I'm
> wondering if the cars were in any way modified by the factory  for 
> European
> delivery? Interestingly, my brother was stationed in Japan and  purchased 
> a local
> righthand drive used Honda Prelude. The Navy couldn't  send it back for 
> him
> as it didn't meet US DOT requirements. Maybe he  should've bought a Muscle
> car and shipped it back!
>
> Irv  Brock
> 65  Corsa
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