What do you do if you live in Australia and want an American muscle car? It’s difficult if they’re not sold locally, so you’d have to purchase them in the US and ship them over the Pacific. But then you run into the problem of orientation: the US cars are designed to drive on the right-hand side of the road, while Australians drive on the other.
No problem – you can get them shipped and converted to Australian Drive by Performax International, who are now licensed to transfer and convert up to 200 vehicles per year.
What’s their secret? 3D technology is a key part of their formula: they use 3D scanners to capture precise measurements of parts requiring re-orientation. At the touch of a button, software reverses the polarity of the 3D model, which is then printed. No, it’s not the final object, but instead the 3D print is used to prepare a mould that can be used repeatedly.
Is this successful? We suspect so, as they seem to be able to charge up to AUD$135,000 (USD$121,000) for a Camaro that costs only AUD$38,000 (USD$34,000) if purchased in the US directly. Why so much price uplift? There’s the shipping, conversions, commissions, taxes and tariffs to worry about. But we suspect they’re making good dollars on this venture, as they expect to sell 60 Camaros in 2010-11.
"American muscle car" the name might be, but the car was completely designed in Australia, it’s shortened version of out Holden VE commodore.
It was going to be sold locally, but due to the GFC the cancelled that plan.
People pay $100,000 to have left hand drive cars converted to right hand drive?
…Why? It’s not like they’re incompatible with the roads. You just have to drive on the correct side.
At least in the States, it’s perfectly legal to drive a right hand drive vehicle.