We are in the process of importing our car from US to Switzerland. The car just arrived in France (Le Havre) and I was going to drive it from there to Switzerland with US license plates. The agent who takes care of the custom paperwork in Le Havre tells us that the car can only be transported in a truck while in France, so he doesn't want to give us the car to drive in France. I know this is nonsense, other people here on EF have driven their cars through France. Any suggestions on how to deal with the agent?
For the moment, the best reference on the matter I found is this:

"Article 11 En savoir plus sur cet article...
Modifié par Arrêté 2001-12-11 art. 1 JORF 23 décembre 2001

Les véhicules immatriculés dans un pays étranger sont admis à circuler en France, sous le régime des conventions internationales en vigueur, en conservant leur numéro et leur(s) plaque(s) d'immatriculation."

Answering my own question. After many calls to the French customs and the agent, it seems that there are 2 ways to get the car from Le Havre to CH. The agent wants to do a T1 document and then transport the car in a truck across France (costs a fortune). With a T1, I'm not allowed to drive the car in France. Another way is to do the customs clearing myself, and basically drive it as a tourist on US license plates to CH. The customs said that in this case there is even no need for a "caution" check that would otherwise be required.

For comparison, I imported my vehicle through Germany in early 2009 and was required to leave a deposit with the importer of 19% tax on the value of the vehicle. I was also required to show proof of vehicle insurance to the local customs office before exiting Bremerhaven port. When I reached the Swiss border, I had the German and Swiss border control stamp a document (I believe it was a T1 but I could be wrong) verifying that the vehicle had left Germany. The Swiss border control issued a temporary document that permitted me to bring the vehicle to Zurich and register it here. A few days later I sent a copy of the stamped document to the importer in Germany and I was promptly refunded the deposit to my Swiss bank account. If you have difficulty finding auto insurance for your vehicle, I can recommend Geico Insurance (same Geico from the US). They will check your driving record in the US and their prices are reasonable. I have used them for two years. You can call their Germany office (+49 631 414 63100) and the coverage is valid across all Europe.