Godzilla Versus The Banhammer

[GSX-R35]

As an R32 owner in the USA that's been spending time here on SAU to learn more about my car I've noticed that a lot of foreign Skyline enthusiasts are undestandably bewildered by the fuss being made over the old R32 Skyline in the US currently. The biggest reason for all the hubbub is our country's importation ban that outlaws bringing in cars not made for sale in the US if they're less than 25 years old. Now that the R32 is finally of that age the pent-up demand has burst like a flood onto the Japanese used car market.

Another reason for the fuss is because for a very brief moment in time Skylines actually were legally imported into the US through a company named Motorex. The story is famous in import circles in the States but is largely unknown in foreign countries. The saga is fascinating though since it's a Hollywood-worthy epic of fast cars, dirty dealings, and easy money. I learned of the great story of Australia's official importation of the R32 from people here on this forum so I thought I'd return the favor by sharing the equally fascinating Motorex story to you guys. I just wrote about it on my blog and I hope you all find it a great read:

http://23gt.blogspot.com/2015/09/godzilla-versus-banhammer-sad-tale-of.html

[GTR-N1]

Thank you for that history. I can only hope that the GTR vehicle can speak for itself and not carry the history of Motorex's reputation (that precedes it)!

[GSX-R35]

Thank you for that history. I can only hope that the GTR vehicle can speak for itself and not carry the history of Motorex's reputation (that precedes it)!

You're welcome! Thankfully the GT-R is still much loved here in the US as shown by how crazy people are getting over the now-legal R32s and how many R35s have been snapped up and modified here. Most import fans here don't hold any animosity to Motorex and we still get all excited when hearing about one of the few Skylines that got through but a lot of us do lament that Motorex didn't keep its sh*t together because considering the demand right now for R32s they could have sold a ton of Skylines legally - and I might have my R34 already lol.

[GTR-N1]

Do USA enthusiasts await with eagerness 1991 R32 GTRs coming up next year? Is the USA awareness of 'godzilla' (an Aussie's term) growing?

Do you you guys have your eyes on Australian Delivered R32 GTRs in light of the fact that hardly any have rust issues?

[GSX-R35]

Do USA enthusiasts await with eagerness 1991 R32 GTRs coming up next year? Is the USA awareness of 'godzilla' (an Aussie's term) growing?

Do you you guys have your eyes on Australian Delivered R32 GTRs in light of the fact that hardly any have rust issues?

I'd say there's definitely a lot of eager potential buyers for upcoming years of Skyline especially judging from the insane prices right now. I just finished writing on my blog last week about how now's not the best time to buy an R32 because prices have more than doubled. A year ago you could get a decent R32 GT-R for US$18K or so, nowadays some people are asking that much for GTS-Ts! And it's not uncommon to see a GT-R being advertised for 30 grand and up now. Things should settle down as more years become eligible for import and demand gets met more.

Because of Gran Turismo and the Fast and the Furious movies the GT-Rs have always been well-loved and mythical here in the US and the Godzilla moniker was adopted by the media and enthusiasts a long time ago. We just couldn't get them so that's why there was a HUGE fuss over Motorex, another gigantic fuss when the R35 first came out (some were selling for 20-30 grand over retail price), and again now with the R32 being legal to bring in. The next big surge will probably be in 9 years when the R34 becomes legal because that's the one EVERYBODY and his brother wants. Even I'm starting to plan ahead to purchase one of those before prices get too crazy. My brother lives in Australia so I might have him start looking in a couple of years lol. I see the R33 as getting some interest but probably nothing like the R32 or R34.

As for the ADMs, most American's don't even know they exist. I know even me, a huige Skyline fan, didn't know about them until I started coming here to SAU. Even at current inflated prices though I've yet to see anyone - importer or private individual - mention anything about sourcing from Oz mainly because it's not that hard still to come by acceptable R32s from Japan. Every week I see another guy posting about getting a car from Japan - often from import/export companies I hadn't heard of yet. There's just so many R32s out there and it's so much easier to import from Japan, Canada, or the UK that I don't see much interest in Australian cars anytime soon. Plus the average US buyer is happy just to have an R32 after they were illegal for so long, not too many have the money or the interest to pony up for a rare model like my Nismo or the ADM cars. Since the ADM cars are a regional variation I have to be honest and say I doubt they'll get much interest in America except for maybe the one in a million rich completist collector. The Nismos are smoking hot right now and I expect the N1s to be the same starting next year so the more well-heeled enthusiasts will be gunning for those most likely.

[GTR-N1]

Question From Left Field (USA term):- Did values of collectible cars (or even collectibles per se) drop at all when you guys were hit by the Global Financial Crisis?

[GTR-N1]

Are there several tuners of note in the US who are experienced with the plethora of ECUs and performance mods, that can extract the great potential of the Skyline GTRs?

[Hadouken]

They will love the 33 over the 32. It has more space inside

[GTR-N1]

Are there R32 GTRs making appearances on the tracks?

If so, how well are they doing?

[GTR-N1]

They will love the 33 over the 32. It has more space inside

Tut-tut...

I know you could say more but you shan't!

[GTR-N1]

Are Hawaiians with so many Japanese latching onto these JDM Imports?

[GSX-R35]

Question From Left Field (USA term):- Did values of collectible cars (or even collectibles per se) drop at all when you guys were hit by the Global Financial Crisis?

I'm no expert since I mainly focus on Japanese imports but everything collectible was hit by the drop in the economy. With everyone losing their shirt as the real estate bubble burst in America there inevitably was less people buying luxuries but it was mainly muscle cars that were hit bad since the surge in prices for those was relatively recent compared to more classic collectible cars like Ferraris and other classic European marques. Things have since mostly recovered and car auctions in the States seem to be doing bigger business than ever. Japanese classics are actually showing signs of being the next big thing with Hakosuka Skylines and Toyota 2000GTs commanding premium prices now.

Are there several tuners of note in the US who are experienced with the plethora of ECUs and performance mods, that can extract the great potential of the Skyline GTRs?

Even though the cars themselves were illegal until now there are lots of shops in the US that know how to tune an RB25 or 26 because they've been popular choices for engine swaps. Bringing in just the engine wasn't illegal so lots of people have thrown RBs over here into everything from 240SXs, classic Zs, to C10 and Kenmeri Skylines. Not a lot of shops have made a name for themselves specifically as RB tuners yet since they're still fairly rare engines over here compared to Honda K-series, Toyota 2JZ, Nissan SR, VQ (or even VR), or Mitsu 4G63s but there are a few that have become known like SP Engineering in California - they have a couple of Skyline shop cars.

http://www.sp-power.com/

They will love the 33 over the 32. It has more space inside

Well, it's quite a bit bigger so I don't doubt the extra space but the 33 just isn't that popular in the States - it's the least loved Skyline in other countries AFAIK and it's the same here. The R34 is the big one because it was featured in two Fast and The Furious movies as the hero car so it's ridiculously well-loved here. The R32 got shown in the latest F&F movie in the funeral scene while the R33 only has had one little cameo in the very first one that's barely noticeable. I'm sure there'll be plenty of R33 buyers too but I just don't see it getting the fuss the R32 is getting or the massive rush the R34 will surely get.

Are there R32 GTRs making appearances on the tracks?

If so, how well are they doing?

The R32s being bought here are mainly headed for street use by regular joes. It's an old platform that's relatively hard to get parts for in the US so there's not much interest in racing them. That being said, I do know a guy in the club racing association I'm in that has run one for a while but he's up against much newer tin and mainly does it for fun. There are probably going to be quite a few GTS-Ts headed for drifting because they're relatively cheap but GT-Rs are going to stay a rare sight at the track because of the current high prices and lack of parts.

Are Hawaiians with so many Japanese latching onto these JDM Imports?

Funny you should ask because I've been finishing a blog post about Hawaii that I should put up sometime this week. The answer is no because Hawaii is a special case. In the US, like in Oz also I believe, state regulations can vary so while in most US states 25-year old foreign cars are okay as far as state laws, in Hawaii you can't register one because they have an additional requirement that you have to have an FMVSS or "Fed" label. That's a little sticker that says the car meets US standards. All cars made for sale in the US have that from the factory but being foreign-market cars JDM imports don't have one so they're basically banned from Hawaii.

[GTR-N1]

Many thanks for answering these questions thoroughly and promptly.

Yes, I've asked these out of personal interest but also, I think your responses in detail would make SAU Community more interesting. You've performed above and beyond...,

I hope my 'journalese' isn't bothersome?

[GTR-N1]

Many people over the past 2 yrs have switched to Facebook for chit chat and to run car cruises without responsibility or strict adherence to rules which also leaves organisers open to litigation if things go pear shaped.

There is always a surfeit of visits back to this SAU Forum though for resource information.

Thank you sir for your assistance in making SAU just that... - a resource information success.

[GTR-N1]

May I ask what the USA vehicle safety design rules are, which might stipulate additional items to be installed before registration in your state?

Do these rules differ much from state to state as you indicated in Hawaii? In other words, are there many states as strict as Hawaii?

Did Wisconsin state really crush one or more GTRs?

[GSX-R35]

May I ask what the USA vehicle safety design rules are, which might stipulate additional items to be installed before registration in your state?

Do these rules differ much from state to state as you indicated in Hawaii? In other words, are there many states as strict as Hawaii?

Did Wisconsin state really crush one or more GTRs?

You're welcome as far as answering your questions. I like sharing info when I can, which is why I started my blog in the first place.

Automotive safety standards in the US are dictated by the national government - or federal government as we like to call them here, "the Feds" for short - and not by state governments. States are responsible for specifying what is required of an owner to allow them to register a car in their state so in this case Hawaii just basically wants your car to display federally required certification saying it meets the national safety standards.

Most states are much more lenient as far as registration - some are notoriously so. California and Hawaii are about the only states with major roadblocks to JDM Skyline ownership. In California's case it's because of emissions requirements though instead of safety. Because Cali had big problems with air pollution previously, any car sold there has to adhere to stricter emissions standards than the other 49 states so Skylines are a no go without expensive modifications and testing. A lot of people register their cars out of state to get around this but that's illegal and risks fines.

My home state of Arizona requires an emissions test in the two biggest cities but it's a simple tailpipe test. Other than that there aren't any big problems to register a JDM car. Arizona is also very dry and warm most of the year so it's very friendly for cars. Together with being close to the West Coast where shipments from Japan can come in most easily Arizona's become probably the biggest adopter of JDM cars from overseas in the US. Go to any board with Skyline owners from the US and most likely half the people you'll see posting are from my state.

As for crushed Skylines, that wasn't a state crushing them. That was the Feds. Lots of people have brought over black market cars by driving them in from Canada. Because of the Motorex episode, DOT has actively come looking for black market Skylines and even used SWAT teams to raid importers that aren't on the up-and-up. That's why I made damn sure I bought my Nismo R32 from a legit importer.

[NISSAN GTR]

I'd say there's definitely a lot of eager potential buyers for upcoming years of Skyline especially judging from the insane prices right now. I just finished writing on my blog last week about how now's not the best time to buy an R32 because prices have more than doubled. A year ago you could get a decent R32 GT-R for US$18K or so, nowadays some people are asking that much for GTS-Ts! And it's not uncommon to see a GT-R being advertised for 30 grand and up now. Things should settle down as more years become eligible for import and demand gets met more.

Because of Gran Turismo and the Fast and the Furious movies the GT-Rs have always been well-loved and mythical here in the US and the Godzilla moniker was adopted by the media and enthusiasts a long time ago. We just couldn't get them so that's why there was a HUGE fuss over Motorex, another gigantic fuss when the R35 first came out (some were selling for 20-30 grand over retail price), and again now with the R32 being legal to bring in. The next big surge will probably be in 9 years when the R34 becomes legal because that's the one EVERYBODY and his brother wants. Even I'm starting to plan ahead to purchase one of those before prices get too crazy. My brother lives in Australia so I might have him start looking in a couple of years lol. I see the R33 as getting some interest but probably nothing like the R32 or R34.

As for the ADMs, most American's don't even know they exist. I know even me, a huige Skyline fan, didn't know about them until I started coming here to SAU. Even at current inflated prices though I've yet to see anyone - importer or private individual - mention anything about sourcing from Oz mainly because it's not that hard still to come by acceptable R32s from Japan. Every week I see another guy posting about getting a car from Japan - often from import/export companies I hadn't heard of yet. There's just so many R32s out there and it's so much easier to import from Japan, Canada, or the UK that I don't see much interest in Australian cars anytime soon. Plus the average US buyer is happy just to have an R32 after they were illegal for so long, not too many have the money or the interest to pony up for a rare model like my Nismo or the ADM cars. Since the ADM cars are a regional variation I have to be honest and say I doubt they'll get much interest in America except for maybe the one in a million rich completist collector. The Nismos are smoking hot right now and I expect the N1s to be the same starting next year so the more well-heeled enthusiasts will be gunning for those most likely.

This is a well detailed story of Motorex , well done !

Keep in mind my R34 is available to look at when your ready

[GTR-N1]

Let's presume that "an item of interest" which is less than 25yrs old pops up for sale. Are you USA guys able to make the purchase and put it into storage until it can legally be complied and registered?

[GTR_JOEY]

They will love the 33 over the 32. It has more space inside

Yea it's basically a cruise liner AKA large boat

[GSX-R35]

This is a well detailed story of Motorex , well done !

Keep in mind my R34 is available to look at when your ready

Thanks for the kind words! What color and year is your 34 again? My bro is in your neck of the woods so I'll keep you in mind if you still have it in a year or three lol.

Let's presume that "an item of interest" which is less than 25yrs old pops up for sale. Are you USA guys able to make the purchase and put it into storage until it can legally be complied and registered?

If you mean bring it in to the US and store it undriven until it's 25 years, no you can't - at least not legally. If you could I'd have bought an R34 already lol. But yeah, by law you can't even bring the car in until it's 25 so that's why a lot of Japanese exporters are taking payment on cars soon to be eligible for import and offering to store them for free in Japan until the actual import date arrives. Oh, and the import date is to the MONTH of manufacture or first registration - whichever you can prove to customs - so even a 1990 car might not be eligible yet if it was made in December for example.

If the car's already here in the US illegally the only way to make it legal is to take it out of the country - say to Canada - and then bring it back and file the appropriate paperwork with Customs, DOT, and EPA. Unfortunately that means risking getting caught and seized if they get wind of the car having been here illegally already. You'd need registration in the other country to start with so you'd have to find someone to register it in Canada for example then bring it back.

Yea it's basically a cruise liner AKA large boat

You guys may be on to something with the R33's appeal considering the increasing problem with fatness here in the States lol.