Tom Cahalane says he's been bringing enthusiast cars to America for more than 30 years. A 1983 AutoWeek article said of his company, "Sun has an unblemished reputation as a federalizer, which is rare in that murky cottage industry."

Cahalane started importing cars in 1969. Later, bringing in Ferrari Boxers, 246 Dinos, 400i's, Lamborghini Countaches and Group B rally cars. In 1982 he moved to Renault Turbos, importing 200 before production stopped in May 1986. Drives of two Cahalane Turbos appear in AutoWeek in the Aug. 8, 1983 issue. "We can attest to the fact that the Turbo 2 as it leaves Sun International is fast," we said 15 years ago. After the Renaults it was the Ford Cosworth RS.

Sun International is now working to bring in the Lotus Elise and the Renault Sport Spider. Exactly how is something of a black art. "The simplest explanation is that we have to certify that these cars are in compliance with all the same standards that the OEM would have to do," says Cahalane. "It's a matter of starting from the beginning and certifying everything on our own. People think all you have to do is hang a catalyst on the car and you're in. That's not all. It's a nightmare."

So how does he do it? Cahalane cites as an example the DOT requirement for a bumper on the Ferrari 512 BB.

"A U.S. bumper solution would have been sacrilege. So we designed a solution that passed the U.S. standard beautifully but looked ugly."

Using existing holes in the front grill, Cahalane threaded bosses on the front and rear frame and attached big metal plates with 5-mph bumper shocks that supported the bumper bar and matched the standard exactly.

"The beauty to this solution was that the bumpers could be removed in 30 minutes," says Cahalane. "Our solutions follow this philosophy." I.e. satisfy the government, the customer and the original vehicle.

To meet EPA and CARB standards, Cahalane has to access the engine management computer. Some extra components are necessary, such as pre-catalysts, second catalytic converter, air pumps, emission micro controllers, etc. Then everything has to be verified with mileage, durability testing and volumes of documentation.

It's a lot of work, Cahalane says. And he still has a long way to go before the Elise and Spider are U.S.-legal, according to the bureaucrats we spoke with at EPA, DOT and CARB.  So he's got to work out a few things, but that's what he does - work things out. Government officials know Cahalane and his track record, so if past performance is any indicator, he will deliver.