Just one day into 2014 and it’s happened. Enthusiast Trevor Cobb has become the first person to legally import an R32 Skyline GT-R into the United States under the 25-years-and-older exemption. You get the idea he’s been waiting a while.
Trevor’s particular example appears to have already been imported to Canada, where there’s only a 15-year ban on foreign cars. Though the BNR32 GT-R didn’t officially go on sale until August 21, 1989, according to GTR USA Blog US customs are going only by year of manufacture in order to keep an already complex system as simple as possible. MotoIQ has a great article on the ins and outs of the 25-year rule (Sorry, California, you still need to pass smog on 1976 and newer cars).
So there you have it. Like weed in Colorado, Godzilla is now legal. Trevor’s R32 is the first but it definitely won’t be the last. The Class of 1989 has graduated.
Images by Trevor Cobb.
The only GT-R I have not seen is a R34. (R32’s rank as cooler).
(Because of JCCS I have also seen A Hako, Kenmeri and an R30).
We may see R34’s this year here in the great white north.
They’re nice, but big. The R32 is quite small, which surprised me at first. They definitely grew with each generation, and the R34s I’ve seen have a very strong “muscle-car” vibe in terms of how they carry themselves.
Congratulations, well deserved. Finally real cars can be driven in the us.
Nice. That 25 year deal sucks. There is a r24 in my small little town
I love living in California, but hate the smog rule. At one time there was an effort to move the date for smog test up, is there anything we can do to change it to the fed’s 25 year requirement? I will write my state legislators and contribute whatever it takes.
jim dont bother yourself the facist state of kalifoneya since the 80’s is in bed with car manufacturers to force people into new cars. kali is also partnering with big agriculture for pollution credits and so they love to hate old cars. the term “gross polluter” applies to just about anything older than 6 years now. plan is to shame people who own old cars and to influence public opinion. oh yeah dmv processing (thx to infrastructure defunding) is nearly 30 day turnaround now and dmv field offices closing all around us. yeah but it’s great to live here ain’t it?
Yeah, there’s the government, and they are a drag. But there are also the dry, warm sunny days that seem to go on-and-on, one after the other. I can’t remember the last time I had to cancel anything due to the weather. For guys like me who don’t ski, winters like this are a little slice of heaven.
Move, please. We don’t need you bringing down the average IQ.
Cool. I was in Japan shortly after the R32 came out and would always check the back for that big “R” – look forward to doing it again here in the states.
Just had the best winter JNC in the U.S. question and now you can add the all wheel drive R32! Looked like the first one already had some fun in the snow.
Import my own R32 then move to CO for legal taxed Weed? These are truly the greatest of times.
Beautiful!
THAT should be the core concept for sport coupes even today; fantastic proportions, and just looks RIGHT, without screaming for your attention.
you poor Americans…….poor poor Americans.;)
25 years?!?!?!?!
really?
How do you sleep at night knowing were up here playing with all these toys in the snow?
Filling them with sled dogs and drifting rigorously between our own and neighbors igloos all the while drinking moonshine that we refer to as beer and eating French fries adorned with cheese and gravy.
in all seriousness. Congrats from your Canadian neighbors. It’s about time you guys got to enjoy these cars.
You poor Americans here in OZ we can have basically any car from Japan when we want it as long as it wasnt made here
Unlucky Ive had a R32 GTS-T for years now and enhoy every day of it.
Andy, slate, et all: Remember that the next time you hear your countrymen droning on and on about how the US has no regulations and is behind the “rest of the civilized world” and “does nothing to protect the population or the environment” and all that other crap.
And Americans, make sure you remember it as well everytime you or one of your countrymen drones on about how “free” you are and how important “freedom is in america”.
The 25 year exemption will be wiped out within the next decade year, another sacrifice on the alter of luddite “environmentalism”. Hell NPR has been pushing outlawing “unsafe, polluting” older cars allogether lately. (That’s the federal government sponsored radio mouthpiece in the US for you foreigners who don’t know, its like the Canadian CBC)
Man, without getting into politics, you’re sayin’ what I’ve been trying to enlighten sheeple to for years . . . but hey, just keep votin’ your betters in, and shut up, y’all, ’cause you’re just too stupid to even feed yourselves. Half-surprised they haven’t outlawed shoelaces — yet. Stock up on your lightbulbs while you can!
I don’t think US Customs is going to continue to interpret the law that way.
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/heres-how-the-not-yet-legal-first-r32-got-in-1493437688
California is better than Maricopa County in AZ where it’s 1969 and newer cars for emissions.
I’d think that meeting ’69 standards would be pretty simple, unless you’re running something TOTALLY outrageous…
Not True…. For Maricopa County, AZ , two of the exemptions are as follows:
•Model year 1966 and older vehicles
•Vehicles designated as “collectible” (requires collectible vehicle insurance, reported to Arizona Motor Vehicle Division by insurer)
i hate living in CA. fire arms and cars 🙁