Highly desired car was banned from US for mysterious reason

This highly desirable car was banned from the US and much speculation has circulated about why that is.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 is next to impossible to own in the States.

Although it could be owned as a show car or used for a drag race, it is banned from the roads of the country.

Why is that the case?

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Why was the GT-R R34 banned in the US?

The R34 is so iconic that its colors have name recognition among car enthusiasts- bay side blue and midnight purple for example.

Any petrolheads who love loud engines will have a lot of fun with the R34’s RB26 engine.

The R34’s reputation was renowned in the US despite it not being street legal.

Fast and Furious star Paul Walker even got his hands on one to drive in the fourth instalment of the hit movie franchise.

After filming wrapped up, the car was allegedly seized by the US Border Force due to its legal status.

It was then exported to Germany, before going on auction in Belgium for $1.3 million.

No doubt helped by its celebrity tie – but the R34 doesn’t even need that to sell big.

So why had this car been prohibited from riding the roads of the States?

A lot of misconceptions have circulated online to try and explain this.

One theory was that it was banned because it could outrun police cars.

Given that some police forces – namely Dubai’s – are constantly adding supercars to their ranks, this might very soon become a non-issue.

Others speculated that the ban was because the R34s were right-hand drive cars.

To clarify – right-hand cars are driven in countries which drive on the left (Like Nissan’s native Japan), whilst left-hand cars are driven in nations which take the opposite approach (Like the US).

The real reason is not as intriguing as the ones listed above.

It just comes down to government regulations.

Why did the car fail to meet safety standards?

The R34 was illegal because of the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988.

In the 1980s, American manufacturers wanted the government to clamp down on ‘grey market’ imports.

This was largely due to foreign importers dodging rules around car safety.

Many manufacturers simply modified their cars to get them in, but Nissan wasn’t one of them.

It’s not entirely clear why this was, but a factor was undoubtedly the cost that would have come with testing and certifying vehicles for the American market.

However, as of January 2024, the car is now legal to be imported into the US.

This is because the car is now older than 25 years old and has aged out of the regulations on car imports.

This is far from the only car to face the wrath of government regulation – the ‘greatest car ever made’ is also prohibited from being driven on America’s streets.