After warning letters were sent to owners 60 days ago (below), teams of Kevlar-armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are seizing grey market Nissan Skyline GT-Rs imported by Kaizo according to GTR USA Blog. Below, why it happened.
Last August the letter below was sent from the Southern California United States Attorney's office stating that "the referenced Nissan Skyline automobile... is not in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation requirements." The letter goes on to state that the vehicles can't be operated and the feds are coming for them within 60 days. They weren't lying.
According to GTR USA, two R34s and an R32 have already been seized and, if the letter above is an indication, an R33 is on the list.
Importing vehicles without the appropriate credentialing from the appropriate U.S. agencies almost always ends up with cars being seized by the government, especially Skylines, and people getting fined or jail time. In this case, the cars were imported by Kaizo under a special exemption for automotive parts. They brought over the shells and drivetrains separately and then reassembled them. They were then, apparently, registered under the law as SB 100, which is for kit/show cars. This exemption allows vehicles not driven frequently to be registered without smog checks.
We have a feeling these cars are being driven frequently.
The U.S. Attorney ended his letter "Very Truly Yours" but it looks like those Nissans are now "Very Truly His."
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