Every year, car enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the release of a list of foreign cars, not sold in the United States, that will be eligible for import. According to US law, these cars must be at least 25 years old and this year auto enthusiasts, racing movie fans and video game enthusiasts are particularly excited. The reason for all the excitement is the announcement that the iconic R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R is now legal to import into the U.S.
The R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, originally available between 1999 and 2002 in Japan, has been praised in both the video game industry, where it dominated the racing game assets, and film industry, where it became the star of the “Fast And The Furious” franchise. While certain older models of the Nissan Skyline are already import-eligible, car connoisseurs consider the R34 the most desired variation.
The hurdle that has kept this treasured vehicle out of the U.S. so far is the Imported Vehicle Safety and Compliance Act of 1988, popularly known as the 25-year rule or IVSCA. Essentially, under IVSCA, all foreign vehicles not originally sold in the U.S. and younger than 25 years must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) before legally permitted. FMVSS guidelines include rigorous regulations on everything from airbags to brakes.
Thus far, limited edition variants of the R34 have been given ‘show and display’ exemptions from FMVSS compliance, allowing for a driving limit of 2,500 miles per year. To the layperson, the compliance requirement may seem like a safety measure, but followers of the automobile industry will be well aware that IVSCA was, in fact, introduced to protect domestic car sales. In the years leading up to IVSCA’s introduction, a trend towards imported or ‘grey market’ cars had started to impact local sales. Grey market cars, often foreign models, were intrinsically cheaper and had superior engine capacities compared to their U.S. counterparts.
It has not gone unnoticed that an unfortunate byproduct of IVSCA has been to make the car importing process incredibly costly and impractical for individuals. Although this enhances the exclusivity of successful imports, it has also led to a few infamous cases of companies falling foul of the regulation, most notably Motorex’s defunct effort at making the Nissan Skyline GT-Rs FMVSS compliant.
Getting a taste of driving the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R on American roads does not come cheap. Currently, these imported gems are fetching six-figure sums. That price doesn’t include the hefty import fees, inspection costs, and expensive repairs needed to make them street legal. However, it is a small price to pay for the devoted enthusiasts who have waited decades for the chance to legally own one of these rarities on U.S. soil.