By now, you`re probably familiar with the 25-year rule, which states that any car not destined for the U.S. market must be 25 years old to be legally imported into the U.S. Unfortunately, the R34 Skyline is still one of those cars, as it has never been crash or emissions tested to US federal standards. One important thing to note is that cars implicated in the Motorex scandal and excused by the U.S. government don`t count. It`s a common belief that if you can get a license plate for something that makes it legal. This is simply not true, even if you get the plaque and title through legal channels. You still imported something that was illegal, and you are still breaking the law by driving it. If you were caught, the car would probably be confiscated and crushed. These specific models were selected by the United States. The government for its historical significance: The Midnight Purple V-Spec is a limited edition of the first year of production of the R34, while the 2002 M-Spec is only a limited edition of the very last year.
No other legal GT-R cars on the road can be imported as part of Show and Display, and even those 567 cars would be severely limited in terms of mileage and overall use cases until the 25-year window opens. Now ask the right questions! It turns out that this is not only legal, but also quite common. There has long been a grey area for cars intended solely for use on the race track or for display and storage. Yes. With the exception of two of the limited editions – 1999 V Spec and 2002 M Spec Nur, which can be imported under “Show and Display” conditions, all other versions of the Skyline R34 are still illegal to import until the age of 25. Many people think that cars cannot be imported legally if they are right-hand driven, but this is not what causes problems. In fact, Subaru sold a mail-in version of its heritage in the United States, which was RHD, and other brands did too. You`d better do a lot of homework to make sure the car you found is actually road legal, as roadworthy GT-Rs are almost non-existent in the US. In January 2024, production of the R34 GT-R began in January 1999. Keep in mind that the 25-year rule states that the car`s VIN number must be 25 years old. This means that an R34 GT-R with a chassis number can be legally imported from June 2000 from June 2025.
Yes. Canadian law has a similar rule, but it is 15 years instead of 25. With this in mind, you can legally import an R34 GT-R into Canada since 2014. The Nissan R34 was never sold in the US market. As such, it didn`t have to cover U.S. federal safety and emissions standards, which is why it`s illegal. But can an R34 be legally imported? Is there a legal R34 in the United States? Why wasn`t it sold here in the first place? Can you just drive one? Thanks to longstanding classic car laws, cars that are not eligible for import and registration in the United States stay until age 25. Since the R34 was produced from 1999 to 2002, this means that the first legal sale of Nissan Skylines R34 in the United States will take place in 2024. After that date, importing the car from Canada is actually quite simple. What is the snack? Don`t import cars illegally from Canada, Japan or elsewhere! You may not like laws, but you don`t want to expect the penalty if you break them.
You won`t be driving funny cars behind bars – wait until 2024. However, the rule does not apply to all versions of the R34 GT-R, as limited editions excluded from the list can be imported under the “Show and Display” rules. Two of the limited models are excluded from the 25-year rule. The first is the 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec Early Model Limited Edition, completed in Midnight Purple II, built in the early years of the Skyline R34. The second model you can legally import is the 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 M-Spec Nur, which was approved for import under “Show and Display” in 2017, with only 253 ever built. The R34 Nissan GT-R is a revered sports car coveted by enthusiasts around the world. We know that it`s currently illegal to own one in the U.S. until at least 2024, when the first R34s can be legally imported under the 25-year rule, but that doesn`t stop enthusiasts from looking for loopholes. It`s especially tempting to buy one just across the border in Canada on any day of the week. However, not all versions of the GT-R R34 were equipped with the iconic inline-six.
Some diehard fans may know that the RB26-powered Skyline GT-R R34 GT500 struggled to keep up with the competition at the start of the 2002 JGTC season. This prompted Nissan`s motorsport division, Nismo, to replace the RB26 DETT with a VQ30DETT (not to be confused with the VG30 DETT of the Nissan Z32). Despite mixed reactions, the engine proved more powerful, allowing Nissan`s GT500 race car to win the 2003 season. After production of the R34 Skyline ended, Nissan`s motorsport division, Nismo, bought 20 of the best examples of R34 GT-R it could find and turned it into one of the most sought-after versions of the car, NISMO R34 GT-R Z-Tune. As one of the best and rarest versions of the iconic JDM cars, it deserves its own article, but we will say that all NISMO Z-Tune cars have been painted in Z-Tune special silver (paint code KY0), except one. If you find a car that has already been imported by Motorex or another company with current or past flaws, the U.S. government may have issued a bail release to legalize it. These cars don`t quite comply with federal regulations, but authorities seem to look the other way. The Motorex GT-R are the only legal R34 Nissan GT-R imported en masse into the United States, with the exception of the very few show cars. No. The R34 GT-R can only be legally imported into the U.S.
under the 25-year rule, which states that a car that was not originally sold in the U.S. market must be at least 25 years old. Let`s design a scenario. You are importing your R34 illegally into the United States. You want to have a plate on it, so find a backyard company that offers plates and commits a crime faster than you can say, “Too soon, Junior!” No, a 15-year-old rule currently applies to all imports from countries other than the United States. However, the Nissan Skyline R32 and R33 are legal. Those who have owned or driven an R34 GT-R know this, but it`s worth mentioning for those who haven`t. To prevent the driver from accidentally shifting into first gear instead of third, you need to pull the locking ring not only when reversing, but also when engaging first gear. Doug DeMuro demonstrated this in his video on the R34 Skyline, and now we`re mentioning it because we don`t want you to think your dream JDM car has a transmission problem. For a vehicle to legally enter the United States, it must first meet federal emission and crash safety requirements. That`s something Nissan never did with the Skyline until the R35 generation, and it means all variants of the R34 generation — including the revered GT-R — will be allowed to drive illegally in the U.S.
until the age of at least 25. If you want to avoid spending between $180.00 and $550,000 on one of the limited editions eligible for “Show and Display,” you`ll have to wait until they`re 25. Or you can move to Canada, where they have been legally allowed to be imported since 2014. Why is the Nissan Skylines R34 GTT legal, but the GTR is illegal here in America? The exact date that R34 is legal in Canada is 2014 (or later) due to the date of manufacture of the 1999-2002 generation. Bottom line: If a car doesn`t comply with federal regulations, it will most likely be confiscated and crushed, and the people who imported it could face jail time and hefty fines. That`s right, crushed. And that doesn`t come with a refund. One of the ways humans brought R34 to the U.S. before 2024 comes directly from Japan. They have them dismantled and shipped in a container, then reassemble them in the United States. Of course, this is not the only way they enter the country. Many stores also import them illegally from Canada or Mexico.
These funds are rarely legal, with the exception of the NHTSA wagon clause mentioned above. Subject to a change in the law, you will be able to legally drive the first Nissan GT-R R34 on U.S. roads in 2024. Until then, it is simply not worth taking the risk of bypassing the government and smuggling one across the border. It won`t do you any good sitting in a prison cell while your car queues up to be run over. Our opinion? Save yourself the hassle and get an Acura NSX in the meantime. The most important thing to remember is that just because you managed to register a car doesn`t make it legal, according to the U.S. government.
Your beloved R34 Nissan GT-R could be crushed into a cube at any time while driving it on the road. That`s right – this registration could be revoked. The process of getting a car to meet U.S. emissions and safety standards is called federalization. But even if you could modify an R34 (or other gray market import) in the US.