Imported specialty cars are no rare thing in the U.S. Collectors all across the nation have been shipping in rare automotive gems for decades. Laws regarding foreign-market car shipped into the U.S. aren’t taken lightly, though, as several Nissan Skyline owners are finding out.
Making a splash on the Web today is the plight of some Southern California-based previous-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R owners who’ve found out they’re being targeted by Federal authorities for driving illegally registered vehicles. The cars were imported using loopholes in customs laws regarding automobiles and automobile parts and now that the Feds have caught wind of it, they’re shutting it down quick.
According to some owners, at least two R34 series Skyline GT-Rs and one R32 have already been confiscated by officers. Many more cars, they speculate, will be receiving a similar fate.
As the story goes, many of the California Skyline GT-Rs have been imported by a company called Kaizo, which has for a number of years made a profitable business out of importing individual GT-R shells and drivetrains, presumably to be sold for parts.
Upon delivery of the components, the company reassembled the GT-Rs and several owners have registered the cars as “kit cars” under a California-specific Specially Constructed Vehicles (SPCNS) 4750.1 title. The title is fairly rare – only 500 permits per calendar year are issued – and grants a ‘Specially Constructed Vehicle’ a highly desired smog exemption. Legal details are many, but essentially, a “kit car” by law cannot resemble the vehicle its components are based on. Additionally, the engine used must be California-legal. Previous-generation Skyline GT-Rs were never sold in the U.S. and do not meet either EPA or DOT regulations. That’s two strikes against the reassembled GT-Rs, and registering the cars may have been what brought them to the Feds’ attention.
It seems the Feds have had enough with the shady importation and titling procedures and have begun their sweep on illegally titled, assembled, and publically-driven Skyline GT-Rs. According to the Feds, the vehicles have violated both EPA and Department of Transportation law as they have neither been crash-tested or smog-approved per Federal mandates and will therefore be confiscated. So far, the confiscations have all taken place in Southern California where the local branch of the U.S. District Attorney’s office has been handling the case. If the Feds learn the whereabouts of any GT-Rs imported to other states, it’s possible they could be confiscated as well.
If you happen to be wondering what the big deal is, pristine, low-mileage Skylines GT-Rs can go for a pretty penny that’s usually close to the six figures. Also, other states have been known to be more lax on their emissions regulations, so if you know of 10 Skyline GT-Rs running around in your town, you most likely live in one of those states.
Check back for more as the story unfolds.
And another story from a diff site
was just informed that a Kaizo R34, an individual owners vehicle was seized this morning by ICE agents. The agents in full Kevlar served a seizure warrant to an owner in the LA area. I know the owner and the car. Again, they came to the owners residence, and seized the car from there. Details are sketchy right now, but as far as we know this is the first “owner” vehicle seized. Still no charges against Kaizo, but it seems like the government is seizing cars. The car in California was an SB100 car, so this could be one of the focuses.
SB100 is a specialty constructed vehicle exemption in California. It allows for up to 500 cars per year to be registered with no smog checks if the car is accepted as a 1960 or does not resemble any other vehicle.
Per California Vehicle Code §4750.1, the first 500 program applicants in each calendar year may choose whether the inspection is based on the model-year of the engine used in the vehicle or the vehicle model-year. If the engine or the vehicle does not sufficiently resemble one previously manufactured, the referee will assign 1960 as the model-year.Its a good program for specialty vehicles. Cars that are driven very little, and mostly just used to go to shows.
580. A “specially constructed vehicle” is a vehicle which is built for private use, not for resale, and is not constructed by a licensed manufacturer or remanufacturer. A specially constructed vehicle may be built from (1) a kit; (2) new or used, or a combination of new and used, parts; or (3) a vehicle reported for dismantling, as required by Section 5500 or 11520, which, when reconstructed, does not resemble the original make of the vehicle dismantled. A specially constructed vehicle is not a vehicle which has been repaired or restored to its original design by replacing parts.#1 SPCV can be a kit
#2 SPCV can be new or used parts (aka does not need to be a “kit”)
#3 SPCV can be a vehicle reported for dismantling that does not resemble original car.
A SPCV can be any one of these three things. It does not need to meet all 3 requirements.
The last line is ambiguous and open to legal interpretation.
On another note, we heard that Ivy Wang is no longer the DA in charge of this case. We will be on the lookout for more information on seizures today.