Hello from France!

[Hub280ZX]

Just a few words to introduce myself:
My name is Hubert, and I live in the Champagne region / Reims / in France
My busy years between 1975 and 2016 were mainly driving for my job with usual cars, and quite a few Mercedes finishing with some 200KMiles!
I am still partly busy in my company, but part time, or at least I try to!

Since 2010, I started to enjoy cars from my child time, having some more real driving without all this electronic assistance.
Last year, knowing about Manta cars, but never having seen one, I visited a guy selling a Mirage in France.
I was not ready for an instant decision... and I missed that first one!
But I was hooked already and continued the searching...

Another one was for sale in Germany around December, but the price was just unacceptable for me.
I then turned to the US, waiting for an opportunity to come, and they are not so frequent.
I just bought a Mirage from Texas, and the car is on its way to France!
I still have to wait for a few weeks to get it home, check it out, and register it here.

I am just very excited about this new comer, and I hope that it will fill my expectations.
A few pictures from your side, before I can touch it for real!

[Manta22]

Just a few words to introduce myself:
My name is Hubert, and I live in the Champagne region / Reims / in France
My busy years between 1975 and 2016 were mainly driving for my job with usual cars, and quite a few Mercedes finishing with some 200KMiles!
I am still partly busy in my company, but part time, or at least I try to!

Since 2010, I started to enjoy cars from my child time, having some more real driving without all this electronic assistance.
Last year, knowing about Manta cars, but never having seen one, I visited a guy selling a Mirage in France.
I was not ready for an instant decision... and I missed that first one!
But I was hooked already and continued the searching...

Another one was for sale in Germany around December, but the price was just unacceptable for me.
I then turned to the US, waiting for an opportunity to come, and they are not so frequent.
I just bought a Mirage from Texas, and the car is on its way to France!
I still have to wait for a few weeks to get it home, check it out, and register it here.

I am just very excited about this new comer, and I hope that it will fill my expectations.
A few pictures from your side, before I can touch it for real!

The pictures look very nice, Hubert. I hope you will be happy with your Mirage.

Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ

[Jerry]

Welcome Hubert. I am going through a Mirage and its a cool car. Did you ever see the car in the 1974 movie "Gone in 60 seconds"? I have always wanted a Mirage since about 1974. :--)

(I put a 350 chevy in a 1971 240z decades ago. It was a hoot.)

Manta 350 hp 2000 lbs
Dodge hellcat 700 hp 4000 lbs.
Same thing !!!

Oh I better stop now, I am not trying to start a war with our Dodge friends.

[Hub280ZX]

Thanks a lot for your messages!

Jerry, I have a Ginetta G27 1300lbs with Zetec 2.0L 180 hp...
Similar ratio on the light side, and typical from UK kit cars.
This is fun too, because it is so light that you start touching brakes VERY much later than anyone else, and you keep the speed into bends passing everyone without effort!!

[Sulley]

Welcome and congrats!

[Manta22]

Welcome Hubert. I am going through a Mirage and its a cool car. Did you ever see the car in the 1974 movie "Gone in 60 seconds"? I have always wanted a Mirage since about 1974. :--)

(I put a 350 chevy in a 1971 240z decades ago. It was a hoot.)

Manta 350 hp 2000 lbs
Dodge hellcat 700 hp 4000 lbs.
Same thing !!!

Oh I better stop now, I am not trying to start a war with our Dodge friends.

This weekend I stopped by a place where car guys hang out in the evening. There was a really nice-looking yellow Z06- brand new-- and I talked to the owner briefly. He was one of these superior know-it-all types and gave me a pitch about its having 650HP !! I asked what it weighed and he said 3800 lbs. I didn't bust his balloon but someday I'll drive one of my Mirages out there- hope he's there that evening. :)

Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ

[Blueovalz]

Welcome to the site Hubert. Be sure to post any additional photos, or work you do on it in the future. Hope you enjoy the car, it looks like a really nice example of a Mirage.

[Hub280ZX]

Thanks a lot for your nice comments!
I hope to become a real fan as you are all!

I have to wait another 3/4 weeks to have the car here, and I am sure I will have a lot of questions and pictures.
Sonny has two Mirage cars and sold me the yellow one. He mainly used the car on shows and presentations.
So I suppose that at least, it is fine to drive as is, on the road, but maybe not on the track.
I will start learning the Mirage, and after some experience, I will feel the limits on track.
We have lots of restrictions here (as you have in the US) for speeding, and it is safer to drive the same direction when evaluating the limits!

I must admit that for the moment, I read much both on here, and on the MantaCars Forum.
Lots of subjects to discover... and I get a little confused between you all!
But, when I need a part, I will ask you what to choose from: You know it all!!

Thanks for your wellcome, and I keep learning...
Hubert

[D Morgan]

Just a few words to introduce myself:
My name is Hubert, and I live in the Champagne region / Reims / in France
My busy years between 1975 and 2016 were mainly driving for my job with usual cars, and quite a few Mercedes finishing with some 200KMiles!
I am still partly busy in my company, but part time, or at least I try to!

Since 2010, I started to enjoy cars from my child time, having some more real driving without all this electronic assistance.
Last year, knowing about Manta cars, but never having seen one, I visited a guy selling a Mirage in France.
I was not ready for an instant decision... and I missed that first one!
But I was hooked already and continued the searching...

Another one was for sale in Germany around December, but the price was just unacceptable for me.
I then turned to the US, waiting for an opportunity to come, and they are not so frequent.
I just bought a Mirage from Texas, and the car is on its way to France!
I still have to wait for a few weeks to get it home, check it out, and register it here.

I am just very excited about this new comer, and I hope that it will fill my expectations.
A few pictures from your side, before I can touch it for real!


Great looking Mirage Hubert !!

[Hub280ZX]

Thanks and I hope it is as nice as on pictures when it arrives!
Still some weeks to wait... and I become really as impatient as the kid waiting for his toy!!

[Hub280ZX]

Well, the Mirage is close to coming home now!

The trip from North Texas to Miami was a difficult one to organize with the right transport. Done with care and arrived for the container loading.
The car traveled over the atlantic to reach France on 27 of April. The car was unloaded from the container and moved through the customs.
All done now, and just waiting for the official documents to proceed with street registration.
I will pick the Mirage with a friend next Thursday, and travel home in Reims.

Some pictures will follow on arrival here, with my first impressions on the car as it is.

The registration will require quite a number of steps.
The longer is to get the homologation certificate, and we have an organisation here dealing with 30 years+ old cars.
The original US title is the start, and they fill the required informations for the registration certificate.
They can have quite a number of questions with exotic cars like Manta, but I know that some Mirages have been accepted in the past years.
That will take about 6 weeks to get the certificate.

I will then have to go through a Technical Control to validate the street driving (and safety issues).
They check pollution, brakes, and mobile parts like steering and wheel bearings, beside side indicators, lights, belts, etc...
I like the face of the controller when you come with such a car! They have never seen one, and this is much more pleasant than checking usual ones!
With all this, you can then ask the registration, and you recieve the number that you have to place on the front and the back.

The insurance will be temporary until final registration, but allows to drive on the street to go to the control station.
When all this is fullfilled, the road is yours, and I will have my first drives to get the real feeling about this Mirage!

The start of a new story, and I will keep you posted!

[Blueovalz]

Congratulations on getting it home!