Why Did the U.S. Place a Ban on Nissan’s Skyline Series?
Hannah DeWitt
· 4 min read
When it comes to
car brands
and models, the Nissan Skyline GT-R family is one of the most legendary. The first one debuted in Japan around the late ‘60s, winning pretty much any race that it entered. With its ruthless reputation and a great powertrain to match, it became known as the “Godzilla” of the Japanese domestic market.In fact, you couldn't even get a Nissan Skyline GT-R of any kind in the U.S. until 2008. For the longest time, Americans could only glimpse its majesty in
movies and video games
. That's because it was illegal under something called the Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act.
How did the Nissan Skyline series evolve?
The Nissan Skyline was originally a luxury sedan released in 1957. When the very first performance-spec GT-R was released in ‘69,
Nissan
said that the vehicle won 52 races in Japanese domestic competitions. The Skyline GT-R was quickly put on hold afterward due to shifting emissions standards, but the Nissan Skyline was still alive and well throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s.The R30 Skyline, released in 1981, was one of the most popular versions. It was available in 26 different body styles and color combinations, including coupe and hatchback models. The Nissan Skyline GT-R would return in 1989 with the R32, complete with a powerful inline-six engine and AWD.
While both the R32 and subsequent R33 models were impressive, the Nissan Skyline R34 has a truly long-lasting reputation. In addition to its beastly performance, it was also known for its highly advanced driver display unit inside. It displays oil or water temperature, turbo pressure, and basically anything else you need to know for honing the car's performance potential.
Why was the Nissan Skyline illegal in the U.S.?
Just before the Nissan GT-R's grand return, the U.S. government started enforcing the new safety act mentioned above. It was a collection of strict safety and environmental laws set in place to curb the sale of "gray market" vehicles. According to
LeithCars
, the gray market was mostly made up of U.S. soldiers that were importing foreign cars to the U.S. since these models were cheaper. The fact that they had exciting powertrains, as we've seen in many exotic sports cars, also sweetened the deal.Of course, those foreign automakers started to realize that they were losing lots of cash over these imports. The gray market had already been facing challenges in the late ‘60s due to new
emissions requirements
. The Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act was pretty much the last nail in the coffin for the gray market. Under its rules, foreign cars could not be imported into the States if they didn't adhere to national safety standards. The gray market shrank from 70,000 to only 300 cars in the span of 10 years.
Can Americans buy a Nissan Skyline today?
Times may have been tough back then, but now it's perfectly legal to import any Nissan Skyline built in 1996 or earlier. That's because the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) added a new rule allowing any vehicle over 25 years old to be imported, regardless of safety compliance.
Older Skyline models, even the ones prepped for racing, typically only make between 160-270 horsepower. Some models are reportedly able to make 330 horsepower, but even that is considered street-legal. Potential Skyline owners still need to be wary of
California
, especially if they're after an original 1969 model with a carburetor. Although a Nissan Skyline might be legal in the States now, some older models are quite expensive. You can offset that cost by saving on car insurance when you sign up with
Jerry
. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and will even help you cancel your old policy.
