Non-US cars coming off the 25-year ban

But the 959 is sooo bad. It is not the best looking 911 around but if I had the jack there would be one in my driveway. Group B for the win.

Knurled wrote:

DirtyBird222 wrote: twat are/were the technicalities of said ban? what ban? etc? More details and cars? I want an R32 with an LSx, yes I would import one for the sake of putting a GM motor in it.

You'd probably be better off just using a 300ZX, they look to basically be the same vehicle with some wheelbase tweaking. A 240SX is also really similar.

Have you actually driven or at least seen an R32 Skyline up close?

And no, they aren't. Not "the same vehicle" as a 300ZX (completely different engine, for starters, different chassis etc) and you can hide about 1 1/2 240SXs in one.

BoxheadTim wrote: Have you actually driven or at least seen an R32 Skyline up close? And no, they aren't. Not "the same vehicle" as a 300ZX (completely different engine, for starters, different chassis etc) and you can hide about 1 1/2 240SXs in one.

Yep, I've seen one up close, poked around underneath. My impression was, wow, this is a 300ZX. It didn't look like it handled very well, either, it either understeered a lot of oversteered a lot. Sounded absolutely wicked, though.

There was a gentleman in Norway who converted an R32 GT-R to left hand drive with 300ZX. The only custom part was the dashboard. All of the steering parts were 300ZX and it all bolted in...

JFX001 wrote: IIRC, the 959 can be registered on some sort of show-display permit.

I believe that most cars can if they don't meet the 25 year rule (there was a BMW Z1 on ebay about a year ago that was on one of these) but they've got fairly stringent restriction, plus you need to get NHTSA (sp?) approval to sell the car etc etc. It sounded like a massive pain in the posterior when I looked at this as I might have been able to import my Elise that way.

There's also a race car exemption along the above lines.

Knurled wrote:

BoxheadTim wrote: Have you actually driven or at least seen an R32 Skyline up close? And no, they aren't. Not "the same vehicle" as a 300ZX (completely different engine, for starters, different chassis etc) and you can hide about 1 1/2 240SXs in one.

Yep, I've seen one up close, poked around underneath. My impression was, wow, this is a 300ZX. It didn't look like it handled very well, either, it either understeered a lot of oversteered a lot. Sounded absolutely wicked, though.

Hmm. I've had one, and I've briefly toyed with getting a 300ZX so I'd say I'm fairly familiar with R32s at least. I can't remember mine handling like that (a little 'safe' understeer as usual, but not the lots of/lots of). And yes, they sound nice, like only a straight 6 can.

Knurled wrote: There was a gentleman in Norway who converted an R32 GT-R to left hand drive with 300ZX. The only custom part was the dashboard. All of the steering parts were 300ZX and it all bolted in...

OK, I'd buy the 'steering parts are interchangeable' bit, but they are really a rather different beast.

I'm not that massive a fan of them, they're powerful alright - even the 2l GTS-T I had - but they're also rather heavy and the weight penalty gets worse when you move up to the GT-R.

Mind you; I'd love to have an older one like a C110 fitted with an R32 GTS-T engine .

I'll grant you that they are about as similar as a 3rd-gen Camaro is to a G-body. Lots interchange but there are some rather fundamental differences.

For that matter, I've heard of people buying cheap Q45s and turning those into drift cars.

Speaking of Group B.....

I guess my tastes aren't very exotic either because I've long wanted one of these. I'd import one in a few years if I can find one that hasn't been snap-oversteered into a hedge.

Then I'd do something like this to it.

Carson wrote: Then I'd do something like this to it.

whoa.

Actually, you can import many cars fully legally with full registration - including the 959. The procedure is very clearly laid out on the NHTSA website. It always surprises me how many people don't go to the source

The problem is that it can be very expensive. And if you're the first to bring in a particular car, it can be incredibly expensive. Makes sense for a 959 or an R33 GTR, not so much for a 205. So these cars aren't "banned", they're just not worth bringing in. The NHTSA site has a list of all the cars that already have been through the approval process, and you can find out from there what's involved.

After 25 years, the NHTSA basically says "okay, they're all allowed". Transport Canada does the same after 15 years, but I've heard rumblings that RHD cars are starting to get the hairy eyeball especially from insurers. Too many loose nuts behind the wheel of Skylines, I suspect.

You'll still have to meet emissions regulations for your area, of course. That's starting to be a problem in Ontario, as 15-year-old cars are now required to pass emissions tests. Basically, once you get it in it's registered like any other car.

Alpine(s) -check

Tvr -check

XR2 -check.

...but that RS200....wow. One of the best looking cars ever...

Yus Plz.

Appleseed wrote: Good luck finding that Lancia.

There is one sitting in my friends shop, getting its Sask certification done. Someone brought it in from Japan.

If you look on the RS200 registry, there are a few in the US and some of them are road licensed.

I think there is an RS200 replica kit available in the UK (or at least there was at some point). Might be an easier and cheaper way to a street legal RS200...

Keith wrote: Actually, you can import many cars fully legally with full registration - including the 959. The procedure is very clearly laid out on the NHTSA website. It always surprises me how many people don't go to the source The problem is that it can be very expensive. And if you're the first to bring in a particular car, it can be incredibly expensive. Makes sense for a 959 or an R33 GTR, not so much for a 205. So these cars aren't "banned", they're just not worth bringing in. The NHTSA site has a list of all the cars that already have been through the approval process, and you can find out from there what's involved. After 25 years, the NHTSA basically says "okay, they're all allowed". Transport Canada does the same after 15 years, but I've heard rumblings that RHD cars are starting to get the hairy eyeball especially from insurers. Too many loose nuts behind the wheel of Skylines, I suspect. You'll still have to meet emissions regulations for your area, of course. That's starting to be a problem in Ontario, as 15-year-old cars are now required to pass emissions tests. Basically, once you get it in it's registered like any other car.

I've seen that plenty of times and they do regularly reject cars. There's a list of em, usually ones that are too similar to a model that was already sold in the us, no matter how rare it originally was (Defender 110, for example, which they sold ~500 of here). I don't have the screen up now, but if I remember correctly you can bring it in under a "Show & Display" rule that limits mileage to around 2,000 miles a year (supposedly to drive it to and from shows; you can check me on that one, I'm going strictly off of my memory, but it's relatively low) and the car has to be deemed of historical status. That means they find it believable that the car is rare or special enough to deserve an exemption so that other people can see it. A run-of-the-mill car doesn't fit the bill. And I believe I remember a rule about racing cars being allowed in to race.

What The Man has to say about it: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CARS/RULES/IMPORT/

A 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 is on the list of cars eligible for import, specifically because LR brought them in that year so there's a list of modifications that need to be done to make them legal. Note that this is for full importation, no restrictions afterwards. I've ridden in a 110 that got imported under this rule.

Now, the show and display permit is different. The 1993 LR Defender 110 would be rejected because it's too close to a car that was sold in the US. You'd have to import it as a regular car, not on show and display. Looks like the annual mileage limit is 2500 for that permit.

I'd settle for either one. I know there are a few Golf Rallye's here, but it's a huge pain in the ass to do it legally.

Appleseed wrote: Good luck finding that Lancia. Four more years for the GTR. Four more years.

i'm so waiting impatiently for that. already tentatively scheduled a trip to japan to pick one out and ship it back

Duke Understeer wrote: aren't these illegal in the US?

That is the car that started it all for me. I liked cars. Played with alot of the American muscle cars of the 60's and early 70's but when the 959 came along the game changed. I have been hooked on german goodness ever since.

Wonder if the prices of 962's will be comming down. LOL

Keith wrote: A 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 is on the list of cars eligible for import, specifically because LR brought them in that year

I'd love one; there's a shop nearby where my family lives that does conversions. I ought to swing by and see what they've got. It would have to be that particular year that they imported them and left hand drive, though, right? No '99 RHDs or similar?

DukeOfUndersteer wrote: arnt these illegal in the US?

Didn't Bill Gates or someone (Jerry Seinfeld maybe?) get one of these and it sat in Customs for about 15 years?

Carson wrote:

DukeOfUndersteer wrote: arnt these illegal in the US?

Didn't Bill Gates or someone (Jerry Seinfeld maybe?) get one of these and it sat in Customs for about 15 years?

I was going to post that same thing but it slipped my mind. I was thinking it was Bill Gates too

DukeOfUndersteer wrote: arnt these illegal in the US?

Finally got passed this year with a conversion of the bumpers.