First FTO in Switzerland ?

[Masa]

Hi guys,

so that's it, I'm leaving Ireland on the 31/05 and will be headed not to France but to Switzerland where we found good jobs. :p

As I have been quoted less than 300 € to fix my rear suspensions and gearbox I'll keep it (sorry Marie ^^ ) and will try to register it over there.

Maybe the first FTO in switzerland who knows?
She'll soon discover the joys of snow drifting

Wish me good luck to register it and for the trip, will take the ferry from rosslare to Cherbourg and then straight to switzerland, a lot of KM to do in one rush with the car loaded of my stuff :p

[colm_mcm]

What's the craic with registering old cars in Switzerland, thought they were emissions crazy over there.

[Masa]

What's the craic with registering old cars in Switzerland, thought they were emissions crazy over there.

I have no clue, we'll see. but as it is a personnal import as I am moving there and it is part of my personal belongings, hope it won't be a pain to do.

[Dragonheart]

Good luck with it Masa, well done on getting a job over there, Switzerland will be nice, I know a lot of people who have been there and loved it.
And best part is you get to keep the FTO!
Might see you at the airport on the 31st! Thats the day I leave Ireland too.

[Sebastian]

glad to hear you're keeping her .
would like to bring mine back home as well but it's impossible.


post some pics from there dude

[Masa]

glad to hear you're keeping her .
would like to bring mine back home as well but it's impossible.


post some pics from there dude

lol ya you'll need a huge truck to bring back 4 ftos :p but if you bring them all back and start a fake racing team with it maybe you can take them without any hassle ?

[Sebastian]

at this stage only 2 of them are road worthy

btw , do you have any clue about the vrt there?

[Masa]

at this stage only 2 of them are road worthy

btw , do you have any clue about the vrt there?

as far as I know there is no VRT, just the feck compliant parts to change or not .. like in france in fact

No VRT because I've owned it for more than a year and it's a personal belonging that I'm movign with. so it's different than someone importing a car there while leaving there if yo usee what I mean. I didn't came here to buy the car and send it straight in switzerland.

[mcgon1979]

congrats on Switzerland Masa... Beautiful place!!!!

[optical illusion]

One of the most scenic places I've been to, weather is ten million times more changeable than here though!

[Masa]

Just spent some time on the phone with the Swiss office for car registering.

they are feck great ! as I've owned the car for more than 6 months, I have nothing to pay, nothing to change except the lights if they are asymetric (are they?)

they'll only check the emissions and noise level.

total cost for the tests, registration, plates : 260 FRS = 180 €

and I have one year to register it, can stay on the irish plates for one year




back off nasty annoying french bureaucrates, take example on the swiss ones

[colm_mcm]

FTO was never produced in LHD, this may be a problem. I'm sure there is an adaption that can be done to the shutter behind the projector lens of the headlight.

[optical illusion]

Ah the swiss are legends... not very into their cars, well decent ones anyway so find this surprising...

[Masa]

FTO was never produced in LHD, this may be a problem. I'm sure there is an adaption that can be done to the shutter behind the projector lens of the headlight.

ya just spoke about that with my mechanic.
he'll check if the lights are symetric or not (if they are nothing to change)

if they aren't as LHD lights doesn't exist I'll probably have to "play" with it so that it'll be ok ...

anyway, I'll have 1 year to fix that

[miss-enzo]

congrats on the job! where abouts are ya going to? My dad was living just outsise Geneva. Lovely place. The airport in geneva has wicked cheap electics and phones!! I got the Nokia 5310 about 2 months before it was released in Ireland!

Best of luck over there! im sure ul have some lovely fto scenery pics to show us!

[Masa]

Will be between geneva and lausanne

And yeah probably be able to do good pics, especially this winter ^^
Need snow pics of the FTO, stuck in 1 M high snow

car is fixed, gears back to normal and suspensions serviced

and thanks for all the "good luck" messages, will need it


for the lights I'm screwed, they are asymetric.. will have to find a way to change the beam direction...

[gary d]

There's a challenge for you, maybe you could design a solution the problem and market it

[Dave]

Are there not some little clear plastic stickers that you can get? I remember going to France years ago and having to use these sticker things..... (Not on an FTO though)

[colm_mcm]

If you take the headlight unit apart, you'll see a black metal (?) thing between the bulb and the lens, this blocks out light going to the right, you essentially need to reverse these shutters on both sides. obviously the problem is getting it right....


Cars like the old 5 series had a little lever on the top of the headlight unit that moved the shutter left/right for driving in LHD and RHD countries.

[miss-enzo]

Are there not some little clear plastic stickers that you can get? I remember going to France years ago and having to use these sticker things..... (Not on an FTO though)

beam benders!!!
Lee had to use them on the civic for the NCT cause the angel eyes are from the US!

[Masa]

for the beam benders I'll check that, if I can put them on for the registration and then take them off, would be the best


anyway I'm leavign tomorrow (which is also the day my yearly tax's disc expires ( ) ), ferry in Rosslare at 15h30, as I have to be there at least 2 hours before I'll leave cork around 10 with a fully loaded FTO..

gonna look like that





anyway I'll send pic of it in the swiss countryside and looking forward to drive it on the snow

[Bernard]

That's two members leaving the country tomorrow!

Best of luck with the move Masa, look forward to seeing some scenic FTO pics

[gary d]

To Masa FTO are awful in the snow, particulaary tips. 15 year old dimwitted traction control! If you want fun in the snow you need RWD or rear biased 4WD and an LSD.

[Masa]

Hi guys, greatings from Switzerland

here is a quick pic I did in the Alps (and I have a hole in my exhaust -_- )

click for large view

[Kace]

So I presume that you are getting loads of looks from the Swiss - do you think that most of these are due to the car's design and rarity or the exhaust ?