Foreign Cars that are Illegal in the USA and how to Legally Own One !
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the governing body in the United States responsible for determining what defines a vehicle as being “safe.” Safe for its passengers, safe for other drivers on the road, safe for the environment and safe for the economy. In protecting all of those assets of American life, there’s a lot of legislation created, and a lot of rules for manufacturers to follow.
As a result, many vehicles created by foreign manufacturers need an American variant able to comply with all of the regulations put forth by the NHTSA, otherwise, it is deemed illegal in the United States and will fall in the list of illegal cars in USA . Of course, that becomes a large endeavor that many manufacturers aren’t necessarily willing to undertake, and as a result, there’s a significant number of vehicles that cannot be imported to this country.
Last year, we looked at the list of illegal cars under NHTSA regulations, and now we’re back with an update and a further look into how you can bring your dream car into this country for a trip down some famous American highways. Show and Display regulations allow collectors to import a car that may not meet US homologation standards. There are 5 requirements for cars to be imported under Show and Display, which you can read in our last article covering this topic.
As of October 22, these are some of the top manufacturers with banned vehicles. According to the NHTSA, these are cars that have been denied a request for import under Show and Display for one reason or another:
Rival to the Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7, the Nissan R34 GT-R V-spec boasted some of the most advanced technology that a 1999 car could. It was one of the first to introduce a display screen on the dashboard that listed various statistics about the engine and car during operation, including a reading of the amount of G-forces the car was experiencing. The driver’s seat had a computer jack hidden under its seat skirt to enable uploading information from the car’s system to a laptop for analysis. A quick search around the internet instantly shows the Skyline r34 car to be the most hotly requested model of the used jdm cars that is present in the NHSTA’s banned list. Other banned Skylines are the 1995 GTS-T, R32 GT-R’s built between 1989 and 1994, the 1995 R33 GT-R, 1995 and 1996 R33 GT-R V-spec’s, the 1994 R34, the 1999 R34 GT-T and the 2001 R34 25GT-T. We all agree is a fast car !
Model: 8C Spider Roadster
Years: 2010
Model: Virage Volante
Years: 1993
Model: M3 Cabriolet
Years: 1989
Model: M3 Sport Evolution III
Years: 1990
Model: XJ220 S
Years: 1993
Model: Strosek Diablo
Years: 1993
Model: 340 R
Years: 2000
Model: Elise S1
Years: 1996-2001
Model: Le Mans ‘ 62 Prototype
Years: 2002
Years: 1989
Years: 1990
Years: 1992
Model: Sagaris, T350, Tuscan, Cerbera
Years: 1996-2006
There is still one way around this. However, you cannot be an American citizen for this to apply. On their website, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that Canadian and Mexican citizens can travel within the United States using their own vehicle. As a result, “Such vehicles are not subject to EPA emission standards and other requirements.” Section 2.2.5 of the July 2010 “Procedures for Importing Vehicles and Engines into the United States” does note, however, that these cars cannot be sold to Americans, and that vehicle and traveler both must leave the country after one year.
Of course, the best method for getting these cars into the country is simply waiting. After a vehicle is 25 years old, it is no longer subject to these rules, and can be legally imported through the proper methods.Today, any vehicle created before 1989 is considered an historic car under importation guidelines.
Check out the full list of cars rejected for Show and Display here (organized by alphabetically by manufacturer):
Other car ban s:
Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster 2010
Aprilia Moto 6.5 1995
Aston Martin Virage Volante 1993
Audi Avant RS2 1995
Bancroft Roadster 1993
Beijing Auto. Ind. Holding Rodedawg 2005
BMW M3 Cabriolet 1989
BMW M3 Sport Evolution III 1990
Chevrolet Jimmy 1998-2009
Crosslander 244X 2005
Daimler-Chrysler Smart Car 2000
Fiat 126 P 2000
Fiat 500 Abarth 2008
Honda Beat 1991 – 1996
Honda Civic Type-R 1997-2000
Honda CRX Exclusive 1989
Jaguar XJ 220 S (race car) 1993
Lamborghini Strosek Diablo 1993
Land Rover Defender 130 2000 – 2001
Lotus 340 R 2000
Lotus Elise S1 1996 – 2001
Mazda Cosmo 1992
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Tommi Makinen Edition RD- RHD 2000
Morgan LeMans ’62 Prototype 2002
Nissan Figaro 1990 – 1991
Nissan Pulsar 1991
Nissan Skyline GTS-T 1995
Nissan Skyline GT-R Autech Version 40th Anniversary Edition 1998
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R 1989 – 1994
Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R 1995
Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R V-Spec 1995-1996
Nissan Skyline R34 1999
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec 1999
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-T 1999
Nissan Skyline R34 25GT-T 2001
Pegaso Z-103 1991
Porsche 959 S (race car) 1989
Porsche 962 RLR 1990
Porsche 964 RS 1992
Porsche Carrera 4 Lightweight (race car) 1990
Rover Mini Cooper 1995, 1998 – 2000
Rover Mini Cooper RSP / LE 1990
Saab 9-5 SportCombi 2012
Skoda Fabia Greenline II 2012
Smart Crossblade 2002
Toyota HDJ81 Land Cruiser 1990
Toyota Sera 1991
Toyota Supra 1994
Trabant P601 1989
TVR Sagaris, T350, Tuscan, Cerbera 1996-2006
Volkswagen Beetle (Old Style) 2000
Volkswagen Beetle (Ultimate Edition) 2003
Volkswagen Beetle (Ultima Edition) 2004
Volkswagen Corrado Magnum Sport Kombi 1990
(Source: NHTSA.gov)
As a result, many vehicles created by foreign manufacturers need an American variant able to comply with all of the regulations put forth by the NHTSA, otherwise, it is deemed illegal in the United States and will fall in the list of illegal cars in USA . Of course, that becomes a large endeavor that many manufacturers aren’t necessarily willing to undertake, and as a result, there’s a significant number of vehicles that cannot be imported to this country.
Last year, we looked at the list of illegal cars under NHTSA regulations, and now we’re back with an update and a further look into how you can bring your dream car into this country for a trip down some famous American highways. Show and Display regulations allow collectors to import a car that may not meet US homologation standards. There are 5 requirements for cars to be imported under Show and Display, which you can read in our last article covering this topic.
As of October 22, these are some of the top manufacturers with banned vehicles. According to the NHTSA, these are cars that have been denied a request for import under Show and Display for one reason or another:
Make: Nissan
Model: Skyline GTS-T
Years: 1995
Model: Skyline GT-R Autech Version 40th Anniversary Edition
Years: 1998
1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-spec
Rival to the Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7, the Nissan R34 GT-R V-spec boasted some of the most advanced technology that a 1999 car could. It was one of the first to introduce a display screen on the dashboard that listed various statistics about the engine and car during operation, including a reading of the amount of G-forces the car was experiencing. The driver’s seat had a computer jack hidden under its seat skirt to enable uploading information from the car’s system to a laptop for analysis. A quick search around the internet instantly shows the Skyline r34 car to be the most hotly requested model of the used jdm cars that is present in the NHSTA’s banned list. Other banned Skylines are the 1995 GTS-T, R32 GT-R’s built between 1989 and 1994, the 1995 R33 GT-R, 1995 and 1996 R33 GT-R V-spec’s, the 1994 R34, the 1999 R34 GT-T and the 2001 R34 25GT-T. We all agree is a fast car !
Make: Alfa Romeo
Model: 8C Spider Roadster
Years: 2010
Make: Aston Martin
Model: Virage Volante
Years: 1993
Make: BMW
Model: M3 Cabriolet
Years: 1989
Model: M3 Sport Evolution III
Years: 1990
Make: Jaguar
Model: XJ220 S
Years: 1993
Make: Lamborghini
Model: Strosek Diablo
Years: 1993
Make: Lotus
Model: 340 R
Years: 2000
Model: Elise S1
Years: 1996-2001
Make: Morgan
Model: Le Mans ‘ 62 Prototype
Years: 2002
Make: Porsche
Model: 959S
Years: 1989
Model: 962 RLR
Years: 1990
Model: 964 RS
Years: 1992
Make: TVR
Model: Sagaris, T350, Tuscan, Cerbera
Years: 1996-2006
There is still one way around this. However, you cannot be an American citizen for this to apply. On their website, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that Canadian and Mexican citizens can travel within the United States using their own vehicle. As a result, “Such vehicles are not subject to EPA emission standards and other requirements.” Section 2.2.5 of the July 2010 “Procedures for Importing Vehicles and Engines into the United States” does note, however, that these cars cannot be sold to Americans, and that vehicle and traveler both must leave the country after one year.
Of course, the best method for getting these cars into the country is simply waiting. After a vehicle is 25 years old, it is no longer subject to these rules, and can be legally imported through the proper methods.Today, any vehicle created before 1989 is considered an historic car under importation guidelines.
Check out the full list of cars rejected for Show and Display here (organized by alphabetically by manufacturer):
Other car ban s:
Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster 2010
Aprilia Moto 6.5 1995
Aston Martin Virage Volante 1993
Audi Avant RS2 1995
Bancroft Roadster 1993
Beijing Auto. Ind. Holding Rodedawg 2005
BMW M3 Cabriolet 1989
BMW M3 Sport Evolution III 1990
Chevrolet Jimmy 1998-2009
Crosslander 244X 2005
Daimler-Chrysler Smart Car 2000
Fiat 126 P 2000
Fiat 500 Abarth 2008
Honda Beat 1991 – 1996
Honda Civic Type-R 1997-2000
Honda CRX Exclusive 1989
Jaguar XJ 220 S (race car) 1993
Lamborghini Strosek Diablo 1993
Land Rover Defender 130 2000 – 2001
Lotus 340 R 2000
Lotus Elise S1 1996 – 2001
Mazda Cosmo 1992
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Tommi Makinen Edition RD- RHD 2000
Morgan LeMans ’62 Prototype 2002
Nissan Figaro 1990 – 1991
Nissan Pulsar 1991
Nissan Skyline GTS-T 1995
Nissan Skyline GT-R Autech Version 40th Anniversary Edition 1998
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R 1989 – 1994
Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R 1995
Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R V-Spec 1995-1996
Nissan Skyline R34 1999
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec 1999
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-T 1999
Nissan Skyline R34 25GT-T 2001
Pegaso Z-103 1991
Porsche 959 S (race car) 1989
Porsche 962 RLR 1990
Porsche 964 RS 1992
Porsche Carrera 4 Lightweight (race car) 1990
Rover Mini Cooper 1995, 1998 – 2000
Rover Mini Cooper RSP / LE 1990
Saab 9-5 SportCombi 2012
Skoda Fabia Greenline II 2012
Smart Crossblade 2002
Toyota HDJ81 Land Cruiser 1990
Toyota Sera 1991
Toyota Supra 1994
Trabant P601 1989
TVR Sagaris, T350, Tuscan, Cerbera 1996-2006
Volkswagen Beetle (Old Style) 2000
Volkswagen Beetle (Ultimate Edition) 2003
Volkswagen Beetle (Ultima Edition) 2004
Volkswagen Corrado Magnum Sport Kombi 1990
(Source: NHTSA.gov)
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