Oppo Skyline PSA

"Sam" (samwellington)
12/04/2015 at 15:19 • Filed to: None

Nissan Skyline R33 GTRs and GTSs (1/1/1996-6/30/1998) are legal to import to the United States.* They have been since 2006. They have to be modified to conform to FMVSS (currently only able to be done by J.K. Technologies LLC), but you can in fact get one that is completely legal now. The registered importer has 120 days to modify the car according to the documentation (source 3) provided by the NHTSA.

R34s are still barred from entry, however, so those are still mostly illegal if you see one for sale. Also, when you see an R33 for sale, make sure the registration say “Nissan Skyline” and not something else.

So now you all can stop mocking Dsscats for saying that an R33 is legal to import. There are hundreds of cars that are less than 25 years old that you can either straight up import, or make conforming.

Sources:

(1) !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! NHTSA’s info on importing R33 GTR and GTS models

(2) !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! List of nonconforming vehicles which can be imported to the US

(3) !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Document detailing the NHTSA’s decisions on Nissan Skylines

*If they’re federalised.

DISCUSSION (20)

bob and john > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:24

honestly I flat out forgot tht R33 wasnt legal for 25 year rule. I just assumed since motorex brought them in and made them legal you could bring in other R33s and as long as you mod them to the specs needed, your fine.

what concerned me was the number R34s he was around. I counted 5 separate ones he posted. arent there a VERY limited amount legal in the us? (like, under 25?) and he just happened to be around 20% of the US supply?

I somehow have my doubts that all of them are legal. just a little.

Sam > bob and john
12/04/2015 at 15:30

Yeah, I’m pretty sure there are only a handful of fully legal cars. The rest were crushed. Odds are a lot of those R34s are illegal as hell.

People register them as other cars, which is super illegal. One of the common ones is to register it as a “Nissani Skyline”. Notice the issue?

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:31

You still have most of the grandfathered Motorex cars as well, if memory serves me right.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:31

I met a dude who claimed he got his legally through some weird loophole with regards to dealer imports from Canada into Florida, but that seemed super sketchy to me. Obama hasn’t crushed it yet though, so maybe he figured something out.

Sam > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/04/2015 at 15:32

A lot of them just don’t get caught. People register them as things like “Nissani Skyline” or as another Nissan coupe and most of the time, nobody notices.

Party-vi > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:33

Your post is misleading in-that an R33 Skyline is only legal to import to the US if it is converted to meet the emissions and safety requirements per FMVSS. Taken out of context your first sentence presents an issue.

That being said, any registered importer can import the R33 and perform the necessary modifications to make them legal to own, the problem is Motorex was the only company that actually had an approved process for this and since they shuttered JK Technologies purchased the rights to said process. So it’s possible that some other company could purchase more R33s and go through the rigmarole of creating their own confidential certification process, but it’s highly unlikely.

All-in-all A+ for this post.

Leon711 > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:33

The ridiculous thung is the 25 year rule. If only you had our rules where almost everything goes.

Sam > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 15:36

I’ll add an asterisk. Another importer can do the modifications, but J.K. Technologies is the only one who is certified to do the modifications.

Basically, your car will be caught in bureaucratic hell for a while if you don’t use J.K. Tech.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:36

Well now the only question that remains is.... Who wants to give me money?

Party-vi > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:38

Correct. Any other importer would need to repeat the process to certify the R33 meets the standards established by FMVSS, IIRCC things like the airbags, lights/bulbs, bumpers, and door bracing among other things.

Sam > Leon711
12/04/2015 at 15:38

It is isn’t it. I really feel like, if they want to keep us safe or something, just make it anything goes, if it can be modified to meet emissions. Then they can ban individual cars that they don’t want here.

Sam > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
12/04/2015 at 15:49

The list is incredibly small, though. I’d guess it’s less than 50, maybe even less than 20.

Leon711 > Sam
12/04/2015 at 15:54

Think of all the gear cars you could have! Be it newer Citroën’s like the C6 or Cactus, maybe a Dacia Sandero would be up your street, or A Lotus. Some people over import USDM mustangs and pickups and I even saw a hellcat over here, all LHD in a RHD market, as long as they pass an MOT they are ok.

daender > Sam
12/04/2015 at 17:07

Meh, I’ll wait 5 more years and copy what Demuro did except with a V-Spec R33. 1995 = no OBD II worries since it appears that 25-y.o. imported cars newer than 1995 will have to be OBD II-compliant in some states. Sure, I’d have to deal with first model-year issues but it’d be worth it.

Admiral-cb > Sam
12/06/2015 at 02:01

*49 state legal, right?

One of the few things I hate about my state.

Dsscats > Sam
12/07/2015 at 20:24

Funny thing: That R33 GTR I posted really was federally legal. It was converted at G and K back in 2003-2006ish and had the EPA label and a bond release on file with the NHTSA.

Dsscats > Sam
12/07/2015 at 20:25

There are 15 legal Motorex Skylines, along with 2-3 rumored independent JK Tech cars.

Dsscats > Sam
12/07/2015 at 20:26

Nissani was Kaizo, independent individuals can’t do that. What you DO see though is “2007 Nissan Special Construction.” More often than not, the cars have legitimate titles on the original JDM VIN in the state they’re titled in, but they aren’t fed legal cars.

Dsscats > Sam
12/07/2015 at 20:26

Motorex actually did a few hundred cars. The most common was the R33

Dsscats > Sam
12/19/2015 at 20:08

II meant R34s. There are hundreds of Motorex cars