Imported a car lately? read this heads up:

[Vteckidd]

Laws passed now cannot go after anything previously.

Meaning if a MOTOREX car was deemed LEGAL 5 years ago by the feds, even if they passed a law tomorrow saying a motorex car was illegal, it would only be going forward, it would not be counteractive.

Laws can only affect things going forward.

I suspect them impounding the Motorex cars was more as an evidence kind of thing. IE to compare the REAL R34GTRS to Darryls KAIZO cars, and see if he really was "manufacturing" new ones, or if he was lieing all along.

ANY JDM car you buy, if it doesnt have a FEDERAL TITLE or release paperwork, it isnt legal, period.

I dont care if you have a florida title, or a montana title, etc. IT DOESNT MATTER. Fed Law supercedes state law.

The only reason why people can get state titles, is the DMV as a whole is a state run organization and is meant for raising taxes for the local governments. Ad valorem , tag fees, registration fees , license fees etc are all for raising money. So the Feds typically let the states decide what is legal and not legal. The problem is, the states cannot dictate what is legal when it comes to a japanese import. The States are only supposed to be tagging and registering cars that meet DOT Crash standards and NHTSA rules and regulations.

The JDM cars DO NOT.

Simply put the states DMV rules simply werent meant to govern over Jap or any other non USA compliant imported car. People have been exploiting that for years, it seems the Feds are getting wise to it.

Rupertakers car has no title IIRC. So yes, you buy it at a risk. The CTR came from a place in california, so most likely it passed through a container /customs yard. If anyone from the federal govt at the port wrote down its JDM vin and checked for paperwork (deregistration paperwork) then its logged somewhere as coming in the country. Meaning they can go back and look for the car eventually and trace the sale. IE eventually finding the current owner.

If it passed through somehow without ever being written down, then you might be ok for now and possibly forever.

ALl i can say is almost ALL JDM CARS ARE ILLEGAL. They will NEVER meet crash standards, they will never meet any DOT compliance. So dont hold your breath.

Thats the risk, you buy knowing what you are buying is illegal, if you get caught, you can lose the car.

Now IMO, thats why im a fan of not STATE TITLEING the car, cause it will get traced for sure that way. Vin Swap it, and get rid of the JDM VIN on the firewall, and no one will ever know it wasnt a US car that has been converted.

But thats illegal too

[ash7]

Laws passed now cannot go after anything previously.

Meaning if a MOTOREX car was deemed LEGAL 5 years ago by the feds, even if they passed a law tomorrow saying a motorex car was illegal, it would only be going forward, it would not be counteractive.

Laws can only affect things going forward.

I suspect them impounding the Motorex cars was more as an evidence kind of thing. IE to compare the REAL R34GTRS to Darryls KAIZO cars, and see if he really was "manufacturing" new ones, or if he was lieing all along.

ANY JDM car you buy, if it doesnt have a FEDERAL TITLE or release paperwork, it isnt legal, period.

I dont care if you have a florida title, or a montana title, etc. IT DOESNT MATTER. Fed Law supercedes state law.

The only reason why people can get state titles, is the DMV as a whole is a state run organization and is meant for raising taxes for the local governments. Ad valorem , tag fees, registration fees , license fees etc are all for raising money. So the Feds typically let the states decide what is legal and not legal. The problem is, the states cannot dictate what is legal when it comes to a japanese import. The States are only supposed to be tagging and registering cars that meet DOT Crash standards and NHTSA rules and regulations.

The JDM cars DO NOT.

Simply put the states DMV rules simply werent meant to govern over Jap or any other non USA compliant imported car. People have been exploiting that for years, it seems the Feds are getting wise to it.

Rupertakers car has no title IIRC. So yes, you buy it at a risk. The CTR came from a place in california, so most likely it passed through a container /customs yard. If anyone from the federal govt at the port wrote down its JDM vin and checked for paperwork (deregistration paperwork) then its logged somewhere as coming in the country. Meaning they can go back and look for the car eventually and trace the sale. IE eventually finding the current owner.

If it passed through somehow without ever being written down, then you might be ok for now and possibly forever.

ALl i can say is almost ALL JDM CARS ARE ILLEGAL. They will NEVER meet crash standards, they will never meet any DOT compliance. So dont hold your breath.

Thats the risk, you buy knowing what you are buying is illegal, if you get caught, you can lose the car.

Now IMO, thats why im a fan of not STATE TITLEING the car, cause it will get traced for sure that way. Vin Swap it, and get rid of the JDM VIN on the firewall, and no one will ever know it wasnt a US car that has been converted.

But thats illegal too

very nice - thanks man.

[wanders off to ponder these things] hmmmm
-jonathan

[Vteckidd]

you can see the shady wording of "remanufacturing" etc used on his website.

I mean he saw a loophole and went for it. Apparently as long as you are selling kit cars with no engine or transmission then you are ok cause you arent a manufacturer. But these cars WERE manufactured at one point in time, by Nissan. I think that is going to be where his problem lies.

But then again the Mclaren F1 was illegal, but you could import one, and a company would modify it to meet crash standards (add door beams and move the driver seat from the middle to the side).

Kaizo Unibodies, Inc. is a company that seeks to provide the opportunity for enthusiasts to build and own cars similar to those that are otherwise unattainable.

Each unibody is handpicked by the most demanding eyes, being scrutinized even prior to the remanufacturing process before undergoing a comprehensive 100-point inspection.

As well as reviewing the car in person, the Kaizo team combs through all documented history to ensure no prior accident, flood or salvage history is present. Any detection of frame damage automatically disqualifies the candidate.

The bottom line? Kaizo starts with the best possible example of each vehicle. Then the reconstruction begins. Worn parts are replaced and the body is stiffened with welded L-brackets under the front fenders and welded bracing connecting the
strut towers to ensure rigidity equal to or better than new.

After the unibody has been reconditioned, selected areas are addressed to create a chassis that is designed to be safe on American roads. The door beams are moved up and welded in place, to protect the driver in case of impact in the land of the SUV. DOT approved passenger seat restraints and brake lines are fitted and the vehicle is equipped with approved glazing.

Only after completing this rigorous process and receiving a 17-character VIN does the unibody become a Kaizo

3. Is what you're doing legal?

We get the question of DOT legality all the time. What people fail to realize is that the DOT and the NHTSA aren't the problem. If kit car companies were selling fully built and running cars, they'd be considered manufacturers. Manufacturers must comply with DOT and NHTSA regulations, but kit car companies who only provide car bodies alone (no chassis, engine or transmission) are not manufacturers, thus not regulated by the EPA because parts are not considered motor vehicles under the clean air act! There are countless fiberglass T-buckets and Cobras that would never make it onto the road if this were the case. A specially constructed vehicle, or kit car, can be completely homebuilt from a variety of parts. The issue of legality comes into play with the EPA, and it only does so in California. Having said that, if you put an EPA approved engine in your unibody, the result is a perfectly legal car. If you don't, then prepare to stand in line to have one of 500 annual California SMOG exemptions.

The problem with his analogy IMO is that the REPLICA COBRA cars you see on the road, people are PRODUCING those.

He is buying an OLD nissan and toyota, doing work to it, and passing it off as new.

He contradicts himself in this next question

8. Why can't I just buy a body in Japan and ship it over myself?

If you could find one, you'd be shipping in a car with a Japanese VIN. There would be no title and no way of legally registering it in the USA without an MSO (manufacturer's statement of origin). Furthermore, the finished product would be an old Nissan, Toyota, Honda, etc., not a remanufactured Kaizo kit car. As such, it would be unregisterable. Kaizo unibodies all come with a 17-digit US VIN

His cars once did have a JDM VIN, how is it mysteriously gone now?

He can word it all he wants, but he was buying OLD produced R34 GTRs, doing some work to them and importing them in selling the "shell" as a "new car".

I dont know for sure but im pretty sure, most of the cars DID have GTR swaps in them even though he is adamant he didnt do drivetrain work. The car from FAST AND FURIOUS had a RB26 in it, and he even gave an interview saying Kaizo did all the work.