In short, the Nissan Skyline GTR was/is actually illegal in the US (depending on which generation you`re talking about). There can be several reasons for this, usually due to loopholes in the law or potentially illegal activities. We`ll explore these options later in this guide. Wait for the 25-year rule, then legally bring one with you without having to worry about SWAT teams showing up at your door and ready to turn it into a scrap metal cube. There are several ways to get legal ownership and use of a Nissan Skyline: In this article, we`ll discuss why Nissan Skylines are illegal in the United States, as well as everything you need to know before trying to import one. That means you can now legally import and own a Nissan Skyline R31 or R32 GT-R in the US (unless you`re in California, which comes with its own typical complications). Given that they had already created such an amazing car, which was already legal in Japan and was also accepted in most countries around the world, the chances of it being profitable once it was redesigned for the US market were slim. Hi Bracken, thanks for the comment. With this option, you can legally register the car and drive on the road? Our research has shown that this is the big deal (meaning you can import a Skyline just like any other product – but it`s a question of whether or not you can register it on the go). They also stopped making the necessary modifications and adjustments that had made the vehicles legal in the first place. So yes, the Nissan Skyline GT-R in R32, R33 and R34 is one of the fastest cars of its generation. But despite the myths, speed, high acceleration, and the fact that the Skyline GT-Rs are right-hand drive (RHD) aren`t the real reason they were illegally imported into the United States. However, any vehicle that was already certified legal (although Motorex hadn`t taken care of the modifications for some time) was still allowed to be used on the road.
At least not the R34. But R33 and R32 are legal in the U.S. because they`re over 25 years old. If you really want to get your hands on a Nissan Skyline, you may be wondering what mechanisms are available to make one legal for import and compliance. Many urban legends surround the legality (or, more accurately, illegality) of importing a Nissan Skyline GT-R into the United States. Experts claimed that the Skyline was too fast for American police cars to catch up, that its powerful turbocharged engine was capable of pumping more than 1,000 horsepower against a range of spare parts. The fact that the Skyline is AWD and has a top speed of 200 mph didn`t help either, and it was a time when police cars had rear-wheel drive and were handled like a boat. Therefore, it will be until 2024 before an R34 GTR can be legally imported into the United States under the 25-year law.
Interestingly, a decade after the law was passed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) granted immunity to imported cars over 25 years old. This means you can legally import R32 and R33 Skylines, but not the R34, not until 2024. One way to legally import an R34 Skyline is to buy a race car. That is, an R34 that has been driven professionally in several recognized racing series. Basically, you bring it to the U.S. to drive it to similar events. These guys made some of the first import requests to legally bring the R33 Skyline to America following the required protocol. That is, by subjecting several cars to crash tests to make them compliant.
How come a car you can`t (apparently) legally buy become so desirable? Are you planning to get an R35 instead of waiting for R33 or R34 to become legal? Read everything you need to know in our VR38DETT guide. In short, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is illegal in the United States because it does not meet the requirements of the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988. The Skyline was not built with the right safety features to comply with relevant road safety laws. That`s why we decided to write a comprehensive guide that will bring you all the fascinating facts and answer the all-too-common question. “Why are Nissan skylines illegal in the United States?” The illegality of these cars breaks the hearts of countless car enthusiasts in the United States. If you don`t want to spend a fortune or risk a hefty fine (and maybe jail time), you can`t own the R34 Skyline. At least not before 2024, thanks to the 25-year-old import law. Be aware that there are legal consequences to turning an old race car into a tram. You have to jump through a lot of tires and do a lot of steps to be able to legally drive one of them on the road.
But the fact is that it is possible. We have heard of cases where people who were driving these cars illegally across the United States had to pay a $250,000 fine or serve a 3-year prison sentence. Or, if you`re not yet fully convinced of the Nissan Skyline, did you know that the Nissan Silvia S15 can be legally imported into the US at the same time as the R34 in 2024? 1999 was certainly one of Nissan`s best years! Vehicles brought under this system are only allowed to travel limited kilometers, which are currently up to 2500 miles per year. This is one of the hardest ways to legally import a Skyline GTR into the United States, as you need to be wealthy and well-connected enough to secure one of the extremely rare skylines that exist in the wild. A normal R34 GTR, for example, is not enough. Otherwise, if you want to bring an R34 GT-R, we recommend waiting until 2024, when the first models will become completely legal in the US, assuming it still has the original engine under the hood. As far as we know, there is no way to make a Nissan Skyline legal in the US by modifying it – other than being able to provide other modified specimens for crash test and compliance purposes, which is clearly not feasible. First, right-hand drive cars are not illegal in the US, and since R32 is now legal in the US, this clarifies this fact. There are two simple reasons why the Nissan Skyline is allowed to be illegally imported for road traffic, and it depends entirely on U.S.
import laws. At the time of writing, importing the R34 Skyline remains illegal unless you obtain one through one of the methods described above. Nevertheless, it is one of the most sought-after imported tuning cars today. ICE said nearly all of Kaizo`s backgrounds were classified as “contraband” and that the FBI, DOT, EPA, and CARB would later join ICE in tracking down all “illegal” cars. They did this with the help of J.K Technologies – a registered importer with a long history of legalizing European sports cars for the US market. There were certainly skylines on the street that were never legal from the beginning. Over the years, all sorts of strategies have been used by various enterprising people and companies, ranging from sticking fake license plates on a skyline to complex exchanges of VINs and the age-old trick of the “car kit kit” (where you import the car as a set of components and then reassemble it). While acquiring an “illegal” skyline may be tempting, there is a huge risk.
If the government catches up with you, your pride and joy could go to the grinder, as happened to that poor landlord. Motorex was founded in 1998 and made the first import applications to legally bring the R33 Skyline to the United States by supplying several cars for crash testing with government-approved processes. For those of you hoping to import a Nissan Skyline GT-R under 25 years old into the US, make sure it`s completely legal, as unlikely as it sounds. There are so many misconceptions, myths and urban legends surrounding the legal status of the Nissan Skyline in the United States that we will try to do our best to clarify what happened during the development and release of the Nissan Skyline to prevent it from being legally sold in America.