In 1987, Kansas Republican Representative Bob Whittaker changed automotive history forever by sponsoring and introducing H.R.2628, better known as the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988. It effectively bans the importing of any vehicle less than 25 years old that does not, for any reason, comply with U.S. safety and emissions regulations. Car enthusiasts know it as the 25-year import rule, and it is why a load of very cool cars are now, finally, able to be imported. I’ve set up a list of some of the coolest.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is legendary now. To say it was successful in rallying is a bit of an understatement. The fifth-generation Evo was piloted by Tommi Mäkinen and Richard Burn to Mitsubishi’s first and only constructor’s championship win in the World Rally Championship. Mitsubishi celebrated this success with the limited (and very cool) Evo V Tommi Mäkinen Edition.
Photo: Mitsubishi
Those are wildly expensive now, and will become even more so now that American collectors have their shot. That trend, generally speaking, permeates throughout the 25-year-old impmort market. However, the regular ol’ V is still a somewhat affordable car powered by the legendary 4G63 turbocharged four-cylinder. Nice imported models can be had for roughly $30,000, and the driving experience is quite literally like nothing else on the road today. Mitsubishi killed off the Lancer after ten generations.
McLaren F1
Photo: McLaren
While the Evo V is still somewhat affordable, the F1 is automotive unobtanium now. Still, the car is legal for import and thus on the list. Still, just about anyone who has a McLaren F1 here in the U.S. already has a McLaren F2 here in the U.S. That’s due to the Show or Display Exception, where vehicles of any age can be brought over.
This rule allows cars (for show or display) to be driven on U.S. roads without having to meet our emissions and crash standards. Basically, the rule is a shortcut for automotive museums and very, very wealthy people to have their cars over.
The rule doesn’t make the V12-powered F1 any less cool, and it’ll be another 25 years before Gordon Murray’s other three-seat wonder, the T.50, is legal for import to America.
Fiat Multipla
Photo: Fiat
Hear me out. The Multipla, like the Pontiac Aztec, is no ironic cool. Top Gear may have bagged on the Multipla, but it has that certain je ne sais quoi irony about it like the Aztec. The tiny van can house six, and it’s roughly the same length as a MINI.
The Multipla is known for its prolapsed face, where the nose of the car juts feet out in front of the windscreen. Reportedly, this is actually great, as it helps with visibility. Inside, strange design choices continue. The Multipla’s dash is a concentrated mess of buttons, vents, and dials. Weird? Yes. Cool? I suppose that’s in the eye of the beholder.
Porsche 911 GT1 Straßenversion
Photo: Porsche
This one’s another unobtanium car that is already in America should its buyers desire, again under the Show or Display Exception. Still, you can’t say the 911 GT1 isn’t just about the coolest 911 ever made. Porsche, as the name of the model suggests, made a track-only racer essentially from the ground up for the GT1 class of the FIA GT Championship. Only the headlights and tail lights were shared with the 996-generation 911.
However, Porsche did make a limited run of 25 Straßenversion (street version) cars to satisfy the FIA’s homologation requirements. These cars are now legal, though incredibly rare. The cars may share the 911’s name, but aside from the headlights and flat-6 engine layout, they are as close to a 90s GT1 racer as you can get on the street. Aside from the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, of course.
Nissan Skyline R34
Photo: Nissan
It feels like an obligation to put the Skyline on this list. While the full-fat R34 GT-R is still just out of reach, the regular old R34 generation Nissan Skyline is not. Plus, there are plenty of these laying around, with most powered by some variation of the legendary RB series inline-six. This includes GTST models, which are essentially rear-wheel drive GT-Rs. Some even say that these are just as fun to drive as the full-on GT-R and a bit of a deal comparatively.
Nissan made everything from manual transmission, RWD sports cars to four-door sedans with slushbox automatics under the hood using the Skyline name, and with these turning 25 now, there is one out there for just about anyone.
Obviously, this year’s list of 25-year-old cars is largely filled with cars that we all knew were cool, but some have flown under the radar. Both R34 and Evo V values are sure to rise as American eyes drift towards them, and now is probably the time to snap up either.
Chase's first word was "truck," so it's no wonder he's been getting paid to write about cars for several years now. In his free time, Chase enjoys Colorado's great outdoors in a broken German sports car of some variety. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News