Bought a 20VT about six months ago now and ive had various issues obtaining parts from brake pads to TREs to the latest one being hoses where ive bought a silicone hose kit and half of them wont fit and in doing some research into my car ive discovered its an import though right hand drive leaving me to think that its maybe been bought by a soldier in germany and brought back or something.
Anyway why would the specs be different between a european Coupe and a UK one? I understand glass sould be different but not brakes or hoses so can anyone enlighten me or give me any further info?
Oh and my coupe also has cream leather which ive never seen on any other coupe so that might help find which market the car came from?

I'd be surprised if the brakes or hoses where any different. Cream wasn't offered as an interior colour here in the UK. Plenty where bought by Forces Personnel and brought back without any issues.

My first Coupe was originally imported from Belgium as a 1999 RHD model, I didn't have any difficulty with standard UK parts at all!

Nope, hoses and all should fit. EPer also marks any parts that are sided. Strangely, some aftermarket suppliers like samco list their parts as "RHD" while they pose no problems on LHD models.

As a former soldier who bought a Coupe in Germany I can confirm they were UK spec. I had to fit an aftermarket fog lamp and pay extra for right dipping headlights to get the car through the BFG lighting test (BFG equivalent of MoT)

Mine is a UK forces German import. No problems so far.

Strange. I bought some OMP fast road & sport rear pads and they wouldnt fit and the hose kit ive just bought wont fit the intercooler. Maybe its had another type fitted for some reason

Maybe the hose kit is the 16VT version. There are difference in rear callipers, especially on later cars, so that coule explain that.

The main differnce in the uk spec was the fitting of alarm, etching of glass and a stereo(if you can call the Clarion that!).

There were different colour and interior options too.

Can someone explain to me how this worked back then?

Forces personelle were stationed abroad so manufacturers provided RHD versions of the cars to be taken back home when the tour was done?

No nothing as manufacturer obliging as that but popular with the Pongos and Crabs in the nice quiet jobs stationed out in Europe that qualify for these "perks".

From what I can remember you bought the car (any car) tax free and as long as you and it spent 6 months out of UK it you didn't pay tax on it. You could simply then return back to UK with your shiny tax free car, job done and no restrictions on how many you bought/sold etc.

You have always been able to order RHD in Europe and in the late 90's lots of stuff came in via third party dealers or as civvie personal imports(Imprezas, Scoobies, BMWs etc). The dealers in Holland were always popular with the Scooby lot as very accomodating and close, you still paid import tax though so not as cheap as forces cars.

Armed Forces still qualify if based out in Germany, Cyprus etc.

EFA

Not strictly true, although assuming you are an ex-skate I appreciate the concept of sticking to the facts is difficult

By the time the Coupe was on sale, after several iterations on the regulations, you were entitled to 1 tax free car a year, which provided it was over 6 months old could return to the UK and be sold on without paying tax.

For those "lucky" enough to be married, if your spouse had a full licence, she was entitled to one a year as well. If you had dependents with a full licence, thay had the same priviledge.

The more relaxed and profitable process started after WO1 (RSM) Heakin was murdered in Ostende in 1988 having been identified as a squaddie by his vehicle's BFG reg plate.

Oh yes I remember the "front line" that was West Germany, had a very hazardous trip to Bremerhaven in 1987. Had to go ashore under the cover of darkness and do battle with strong German Lager and Appelkorn, 4 nights we fought but in the end we gave up defeated and sailed to the safety of the Middle East.

We left feeling nothing but pity for the poor squaddies who had to face these adversaries for years on end. You guys certainly earnt your tax free cars the hard way

Exactly. We were on the front line while you were gadding around the world on a tax payer funded cruise, indulging in bum and baccy, safe in the knowledge you wouldn't return home to find your kids calling some Russian "daddy".

Unfortunately the ravages caused by Herforder Pils and tax free Captain Morgans does not qualify me for a War Pension. I just hope that future generations appreciate my sacrifice.

Marvellous write up boys.

You boys had it easy!

Some of us had to endure NATO service, based in the Netherlands. Not only did we have to endure many of the hardships endured by our colleagues accross the border in Germany but we also got paid more

It was a tough life but someone had to do it