I looked into this pretty extensively several years ago. The short answer is that you will not be able to import a Gallardo into the US if it is not US spec.

"Why?"
- The view point of the government is that if there is a US spec car in existence, you should buy that one. They are not at all interested in allowing a non-US spec cars to be imported when it is available in US spec. There are all kinds of exceptions for older cars depending on their year. State laws vary greatly. Some cars qualify for "Vehicle of Special Interest" exemption, but a Gallardo will not, due to the production numbers and the existence of a US spec version. Pre 1985 is easy, pre 1991 is hard, post 1991 is practically impossible. Even if you convert it, I am pretty sure it will not be allowed because it is not "DOT certified". Without that certification, and unqualified for exemption, you will not be able to get it in.

"Loopholes?"
-The only loop hole I found was to import the car as a "racecar" not intended for street use, and try to get it converted and registered once it is in the US. This is all kinds of sketchy. You could very easily get your car seized if things do not go perfectly.
-I think there might be some weird military loopholes. For example if you are a soldier over seas and you buy a car, there might be some tricky rules to let you take your car home with you. Again, it could easily get sketchy.

This is just a quick summary of what I found out. I can give you a lot more information if you like, but in short..... NOPE!

 

PS: With the cost of Lamborghini parts and labor, I doubt you would be anywhere near saving money by importing. I think there is a lot more involved than just emissions. Crash standards and certifications may stop you dead.

 

I'm bumping this up rather than making a new thread, because my question is very similar to what has already been discussed in here. I am currently eyeing a 2006 Gallardo SE local to me (euro spec). The price is around 79k Euro's (roughly $86k). Seems like a great price, and if my belief is correct, my price would actually be 19% cheaper since I am US military stationed over here and not subject to VAT, making the car around $70k. Seems like an amazing deal for a 2006 SE w/ around 17k miles.

My question is, what are the legalities on importing said vehicle? The company selling it deals with US military in my area shipping/importing vehicles for them, and I believe they stated they are a Registered Importer if I'm not mistaken. They stated that because the vehicle is a limited production run with less than 500 units made (the magic number for this particular NHTSA rule) that it can legally be imported to the US.

Too good to be true? The seller seems very sure on this, and has welcomed any potential buyers to look into the rules on this for themselves and is marketing it to US buyers specifically, and are even offering shipping on the vehicle claiming they deal with this all the time. Just wondering if anyone has any first hand knowledge on the rule they are referring to, and if this car would apply, and if so, what exactly needs to be done to the vehicle if anything to make it compliant and 100% importable.

 

not sure which country you are in?

however in the UK 2nd hand cars aren't subject to vat

 

Germany. To my knowledge every official sale from a business has VAT included (19%).

I did a little more research on this, and it looks like the seller of the vehicle is referring to importing the vehicle for show or display purposes, in which case it is limited to 2500 miles per year. According to the NHTSA, the below is a general guideline on what would qualify for this importation purpose

As a general rule, a motor vehicle will not be determined eligible for importation for purposes of show or display if more than five hundred vehicles of the same model were produced, if a version of the vehicle was originally manufactured for sale in the U.S. and certified as complying with all applicable FMVSS, or if the vehicle has been determined eligible for importation based on its capability of being modified to comply with all applicable FMVSS.

Based on the above, I don't think the SE model would qualify. I will address this with the seller and see what he has to say. Maybe he knows something I don't, but if you read what's right there in black and white this falls under "too good to be true"