How To Purchase A Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 In The U.S.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (also known as the Infiniti G25t) is not available for sale in the United States. In fact, it is technically illegal to own the car in the U.S. because it is right-hand drive and has not passed the federal emission and crash tests necessary for it be offered for sale and licensed to drive. But while the original version of the vehicle can't be licensed in the U.S., several companies sell modified versions which are street legal.

Things You'll Need:
At least $60,000
A good lawyer to verify paperwork

Step One:
Search on eBay Auto and other web sites that offer higher-end vehicles. Since the R34 cannot be legally licensed for street driving in Alabama, they are not available for sale through local dealers. It's not clear how many of the vehicles are in private hands, but the best place to find one of the few that come up for sale is online.

Step Two:
Contact a R34 enthusiast group. Serious fans of the care are likely to have good sources for a vehicle and by talking with members, you'll get a better sense of the pitfalls associated with purchasing one of the cars. The leading R34 enthusiast group is The Skyline Owners Club (http://www.skyline-owners-club.com/forums/). While the club is based in the U.K., the forums include many U.S. fans.

Step Three:
Purchase a R34 body shell. While importing a R34 into the U.S. is illegal, it is within the law to import a complete R34 body and then install on the chassis of a legal Nissan. Several companies offer this service, including the Costa Mesa, Calif. importer MRE (714 241-9087).

Other Tips:
Seek out someone that is selling a street legal version of the R34. Several U.S. companies have sold versions of the car that been altered to meet U.S. safety and emission requirements. For a number of years, the leading importer and modifier of the R34 in the U.S. was MotoRX West and they were the only company able to get Dept. Of Transportation approval that made the cars street legal. The company went out of business in 2005 and no R34's have been legally imported into the U.S. since.

Warning:
There is rampant fraud surrounding the sale of R34's in the U.S. So-called "grey market" vehicles, which have been illegally imported, are for sale. But because they are not approved by the government, they are almost impossible to license or insure. There have also been cases of R34's being sold with fraudulent paperwork.