We Want YOU – To Not Drive These Cars
For one reason or another, there are several types of cars that the US makes it impossible to import…legally. In many instances, it has to do with exhaust output, or a car with an unlimited to speed. In the US, and many other countries, automobiles need to fall under restricted CO2 emissions limits, as well as be electronically limited in speed. Some cars are just too hard to come by. Wired.com’s Autopia gives us a rundown, and we pick our favorite USA-No-Way vehicles.
1989-2001 Nissan Skyline
Known to be one of the least safest cars in the world, occasional Skylines can still be found crashed after illegal street racing in Californian and British Columbia.
1995 Audi RS2 Avant
It’s Audi’s first “RS” model, and can hit 0 to 62 mph in a 4.8 seconds, with its turbocharged 311-horsepower 5-cylinder engine. That’s too fast for the American highway safety authorities. If the cops can’t catch you, they won’t like it.
2005 Cross Lander 244X
This Romanian-built Land Rover Defender knock-off is known as the Cross Lander. It was manufactured by ARO, which was started by businessman John Perez, and has been sold over and over again into obscurity.
According to Autopia: “In 2003, Perez bought a majority share of ARO. Instead of investing money in the company as the sale agreement stipulated, he sold off ARO’s assets. The Romanian state sued Perez for falsifying documents.”
1992 Mazda Cosmo
In Japan, Mazda created an upscale brand: Eunos. The flagship car of the Eunos brand was Cosmo, a technologically advanced vehicle with features including the first factory-optioned GPS navigation system, and the only triple-rotor engine Mazda ever built. Only 8,875 were sold.
1998-2009 Chevrolet/Suzuki Jimny
Jimny, also known as the Suzuki Samurai, had a dedicated following among off-road drivers. Production continues to this day in South America as the Chevrolet Jimny (no relation to the GMC Jimmy).
1996-2001 Lotus Elise S1
The Series 2 “Federal” Elise by Lotus is legal in the US, if you can find one online. The Series 1, pictured here, and its 340R variant, is not.
2003 Volkswagen Beetle Ultima Edicion
Mexican-built Beetles, which look old school, weren’t allowed in the US if they were over 25 years old – not even the Ultima Edicion version shown here, one of 3,000 cars sold as 2004 models.
2000 DaimlerChrysler Smart Car
The first generation Smart Fortwo vehicles took place well before 2006, when the second generation of Smarts began arriving in the US. For years, SMART was for sale overseas, and under the flag of DaimlerChrysler. Today, the American version of those vehicles (which included added safety features not in original models) are sold by Mercedes-Benz.
Photos / Info via Autopia
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