Jose asked: So, I went to this conference at a Miami hotel, when I saw a gorgeous silver Toyota Celica GT-Four parked in the hotel lot. As many of you know, this 6th generation car (1994-99) was never sold in the U.S.. Anyway, I waited on the owner and he showed me the interior, the engine bay, etc. so I was convinced that I was looking at the real thing, and not a regular Celica with a body kit. Anyway, he also showed me some papers that basically said the car was LEGAL to drive on U.S. soil!
Needless to say, this car was always one of my all-time favorite cars, and it sparked my interest. However, the man was in a hurry and I didn’t get to ask him probing questions as to what hoops he had to jump to get the car here. By the way, this was a left-hand drive car, so it wasn’t a JDM right-hand model, so I am guessing he must have gotten it from Germany, Italy, Spain or any other euro country that drives left-handed like we do.
So my question is…anyone out there knows how he might have been able to pull it off in bringing the car here? My understanding was that you could import a car if it’s 25 years or older with no problem. Anything newer would be considered a ‘non-conforming’ vehicle and can’t be imported (quoting DOT website). A friend of mine told me that maybe he brought the chassis with no engine…and then probably brought over the engine alone instead of getting the whole car here.
Anyone can shed a light on this? It must be possible to import it here, based on the number of, say, prior Nissan Skylines you see on the road here and there. Bottom line: I am getting a GT-Four over here…just need to know how you Skyline people got it done. Thanks!
Christine
