Forbidden fruit sportscar never seen in America before can now be imported to USA

Good news if you live in the North America and love the Lotus Exige S1.

For the first time ever, U.S. buyers will be able to legally drive the Lotus Exige S1 in the country.

There are only a couple of things to consider.

No, it’s not just about the price.

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Based on the Lotus Elise (just like the first-gen Tesla Roadster, believe it or not), the Exige S1 was even more hardcore and lightweight.

It used a Rover-sourced 1.8-liter with 177 horsepower or 190 horsepower with the ‘track spec’.

It doesn’t sound like much, but we have to remember that the car only weighs 780 kilograms.

Now, U.S. buyers will finally be able to import and drive it everywhere due to the 25-year import rule.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, any car over 25 years old, including vehicles that were originally not street-legal in the United States, can be imported and driven as a ‘classic’.

Obviously, you’ll still have to comply with customs procedures laid down by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation, but it’s still good news.

This is a neat loophole because it automatically makes illegal vehicles… legal.

This is how a YouTuber managed to import an ultra-rare Nissan Skyline in Midnight Purple to America.

This is good news to car fans in North America, because the list of cars that can only be driven thanks to this rule is quite long and, aside from the aforementioned Skyline, it also includes some icons such as the 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution III.

There are two things to bear in mind, though.

First, the Exige S1 isn’t particularly cheap.

And second, 604 were built in total, and only 177 of them were left-hand drive.

This means it isn’t easy to find either and, if you do, there’s a strong chance you’re going to drive it from the ‘wrong’ side of the vehicle.