After previously successfully purchasing a Jaguar XK8, which Autoshippers shipped to New Zealand via our shared container service, Richard decided that he would use our services again. This time, he found a 1976 Suffolk Jaguar SS100 Convertible replica and decided to use our dedicated Full Container (FCL) service.
Yet again we had a returning customer who was impressed by the service that we offered previously to be confident enough to ship with Autoshippers a second time.
Quoting and Booking for Autoshippers FCL Car Shipping Service
Every journey with Autoshippers begins with a quotation from our dedicated and knowledgeable sales team. Our simple to use quote form is found on our website, and gives our customers the opportunity to provide all of the required information for their own personal car shipping needs.
Aside from the quote form, the website itself is worth a browse for anyone interested in shipping a car overseas. We have lots of information about our shipping services for all main destinations worldwide, along with Customs guides to give you all the help you need once your vehicle actually arrives, including cost indications and timings. We also provide shipping schedules so that you can plan when you need to make your booking to meet your preferred arrival date.
Richard completed the quote form, giving our sales team all of the details of the car along with his chosen destination and contact details. Our rates are constantly negotiated with key shipping lines to ensure a level of service at an unbeatable price. We can offer multiple service options, as we did in this case, so that our customers can choose the best option for their vehicle, and their budget.
For this 1976 Suffolk Jaguar SS100 Convertible Replica, we gave Richard shipping options on our Ro/Ro and dedicated container services. Ro/Ro stands for Roll-on/Roll-off and uses specialist vehicle carrying vessels that are loaded via a ramp by driving the cars and other wheeled vehicles on. The vehicles are then secured below decks ensuring that they do not move during transit, and are then driven off at the destination port once they have arrived.
The other service option we gave to Richard for this shipment to New Zealand was our dedicated container shipping service. Shipping containers come in standard 20-foot and 40-foot sizes, meaning that they are easily loaded and secured onto giant container vessels. To give you an idea of the size of these container vessels, the current largest is around 1,300 foot in length and 200 foot wide. This can carry over 24,000 20-foot containers in a single voyage!
Once he had reviewed both options, Richard decided on this occasion to ship his newly purchased 1976 Suffolk Jaguar SS100 Convertible replica to New Zealand on our dedicated container service. Next step was to make the booking with us, and this is also done via the website. The easy booking form takes you through the details that you need to give us to work with our shipping partners and arrange space on the next available sailing.
Part of the booking process is to supply us at Autoshippers with documentation needed to secure this space, this includes a copy of the V5 registration. Autoshippers has a secure online portal that you can use to send this documentation to us, and we save your details onto a secure server.
After sending a copy of the V5, along with a copy of the Bill of Sale as the V5 was not in his name as he had just bought the vehicle Richard then paid his freight costs and the container booking was confirmed with the shipping line and we were ready to roll.
Comparing Shipping Methods: The Benefits of Container Shipping vs Ro/Ro Shipping
Although there are benefits to Ro/Ro shipping, dedicated container shipping offers its own benefits depending on the type of vehicle and individual requirement;
- Containers are sealed and secured at the time of loading
- With dedicated container shipping, you are allowed to load personal effects into the vehicle
- Containers can be tracked individually with the shipping lines and even whilst they are in the container stack at quay
- Containers can provide a consistent environment for a vehicle during the shipping process
- Using container shipping, a vehicle can be shipped from the point of loading to the delivery to door without additional handling if needed
- For rare, valuable or fragile vehicles, container shipping can offer better protection during the loading and shipping process
Overall, container shipping can provide added protection and security to vehicles that might sustain damage due to multiple handling, and is used mainly for high value or rare vehicles.
Loading and Securing a Vehicle in a Shipping Container
Our shipping quotation can include collection from anywhere in the UK, or there is an option to deliver to the port, or to the container loading facility in this instance, and all address details will be given once the booking is secured.
Once delivered, great care is taken to safely load a vehicle into a shipping container, so that it remains securely positioned for the duration of the transit to New Zealand. The vehicle is secured in such a manner that is does not move whilst the container is being loaded onto the vessel, during the sea transport, or being unloaded at the destination port.
When this 1976 Suffolk Jaguar SS100 Convertible replica was received at the container loading facility it underwent a vehicle condition report (VCR). Photographs are taken, and any damages are noted on the VCR form, giving a record of the condition of the vehicle before it is loaded into the container. This record is kept for our customer’s benefit in case of any damages that are sustained during shipping, and is also peace of mind if you are buying a vehicle from the UK to ship overseas without seeing it in person.
After the VCR has been completed, it is time to load the vehicle into the container, which is known in the freight industry as “stuffing” the container. The vehicle is driven into the container and carefully positioned in the middle and the wheels chocked with wood, which is then screwed to the wooden base of the container.
Once the vehicle is in place, strong, padded ratchet straps are then used to securely lash the wheels to the containers in-built metal eyelets, tightened so that the car cannot budge at all during the long sea transit to New Zealand from the UK.
When a vehicle is completely secured into the container, the container door is shut and sealed using a uniquely numbered container seal, meaning that it could not be opened during transit without detection, until it has arrived at the unloading facility in New Zealand.
Shipping to New Zealand via Autoshippers FCL Service
The container holding this 1976 Suffolk Jaguar SS100 Convertible replica was booked onto a vessel called the MSC Bianca Silvia, which is capable of carrying over 15,000 20-foot containers (or TEU, which stands for twenty-foot-equivalent unit) and is over 350 feet in length and 50 feet in width. This vessel took the container to Singapore, where it was then transhipped onto the MSC Rebecca III for the onward journey to Lyttelton port in New Zealand, and the average transit time from port to port is 49 days from Felixstowe. A transhipment service such as this is widely used in the shipping industry, and can often be quicker than a direct service.
All export Customs formalities in the UK were dealt with by the in-house Customs clearance team at Autoshippers to ensure that there were no delays due to Customs holds before loading onto the vessel.
Once the vessel set sail from the UK port, the shipping line issued the Bill of Lading to Autoshippers and this was then passed on to Richard. The Bill of Lading is a document that is a receipt and contract for shipping goods, and one is issued for every shipment that moves from country to country. This is needed to lodge with the shipping agent once the vehicle arrived in New Zealand, although as we issue an “Express Bill of Lading” the vehicle can be released without an original document being available.
As well as sending a copy of the Bill of Lading to Richard, details of the Customs clearance agent in New Zealand was also provided once the container vessel had left the UK. All of the required documentation to enable the agent to clear the car with New Zealand Customs when it arrives is provided to the import agent, and Autoshippers has been working with them for many years.
The vehicle has marine insurance cover in place for its entire journey, this is provided by a specialist insurance broker, and there are 3 different options for insurance cover, meaning that there is suitable insurance coverage available for every budget. This means that a vehicle can be covered for damages that might be sustained during the shipping process, giving peace of mind for our customers.
On arrival in New Zealand, the import agent works with the shipping line and New Zealand Customs to ensure that the container is released to them and they can arrange to either unstuff and deliver, or deliver the container direct to the customer’s door meaning that they can open the seal and unload the vehicle themselves.
The Suffolk SS100
The Suffolk Jaguar SS100 Convertible was a replica of the classic 1930s Jaguar SS100 sports car, produced in limited numbers by Suffolk Sports Cars in the mid-1970s. Suffolk Sports Cars was a small British company that specialized in building high-quality replicas of iconic pre-war automobiles on modern running gear and the SS100 replica captured the aerodynamic lines and vintage glamour of the original Jaguar SS models from the 1930s.
Under the stylish exterior bodywork, the Suffolk SS100 used components from more modern donor cars. It was powered by the Jaguar 4.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine producing around 245 horsepower. This gave the lightweight replica brisk performance, with a 0-60 mph time of around 7 seconds. The chassis was based on a reinforced Jaguar XJ6 platform and the car featured independent front suspension and a limited-slip differential. Rack and pinion steering and disc brakes all around provided sharp handling.
Only around 25 examples of the Suffolk Jaguar SS100 were built in the mid-1970s before the company ceased operations. With their meticulous construction, gorgeous pre-war styling, and robust Jaguar mechanicals, these replicas offered an exciting open-air vintage driving experience in a more reliable and practical package. The combination of iconic looks and modern drivability made them highly coveted by collectors then and now.
Autoshippers – The Car Shipping Experts
At Autoshippers, we can advise you on the best option for shipping your vehicle and we have been handling car, motorbike and other vehicle shipments overseas for more than 25 years. As well as our Ro/Ro and dedicated container services, we have a shared container service to the major car shipping destinations, as well as airfreight and a crated seafreight service for Motorbikes.
If you would like to know the best shipping option for your own vehicle shipment, or would like a quotation to ship from the UK to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Cyprus or anywhere else in the world, then simply visit our website and complete the simple car shipping quotation form. Our sales team are waiting for you to contact us so we can assist you with your vehicle shipping needs.
