Converting a left hand drive (European spec) 156 for use in the UK

[Keith Walker <100662.3423@domain.elided>]

Hi

>>I own a 156 bought in Germany and want to take it back (and register it)
to
the UK.
From the DVLC leaflets it seems I have to change the headlight units to UK
standard and the speedometer must be calibrated with Miles per Hour as the
primary units.<<

I bought an Alfa 33 in Belgium about 4 years ago and registered it in the
UK

Headlights must not dazzle people, and you should be able to get away
with stick on bits, but proper rhd headlights would be best. Technically
this is only OK for a short term, but most MOT stations tend to take
a realistic approach.

The speedo should read mph (the distance reading does not matter so you
can just put a sticker over the dial if you want), but this is not likely
to
be an issue. The 33 as well as 5 of our motorbikes has kph only speedos
and have happily gone through MOT tests. You just get good at 5/8
arithmatic. Otherwise there are small plug in units to play around with
the number of pulses to fool the speedo, and there are also plenty of
places that can do kph to mph conversions (look at all the 2nd hand
Japanese import cars)

Possibly the most difficult change is the rear fog light. There must be
a rear fog light on the right and I think the 156 has the reversing light
on the right and the fog light on the left (lhd spec). This means swapping
the lights over and chopping the wiring around. At least 2nd hand tail
lights are easier to find than headlights.

If you do register the car in the UK, the DVLA may decide to inspect
it. This they will do at their convenience, but it is really just to check
the
chassis number. Not a problem if you can drive the vehicle, but a pain
if it was deregistered in its country of origin and has no plates!

All the best

Keith

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