WHY R34 GT-Rs ARE ILLEGAL IN THE USA

For more info, car specs, stories and information, go to my website www.fastandfuri...
In this video, we talk with Sean Morris who was the caretaker of the BigBird R33 Skyline GT-R that was owned by MotoRex. Sean used to work there and he was a big part of the R33 GT-R and was also responsibile for building the RB26 used in the Mustang in Tokyo Drift.
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[@kristianbrandt3012]

Still think it's funny that Leon, a minor and extremely forgetable character, actually had the most powerful car in the gang/team.

[@IGamingStation]

If you're gonna have a forgettable character, might as well give him a badass car.

[@Andino.]

He was one of the directors on the movie too

[@unholyloaf]

Yeah but he has one of the most memorable lines.

[@athulskumar9361]

Until Paul had the Supra... Yes Leon had the fastest car

[@smokeroverstroker2778]

Torture Killah2 on god lmao

[@Hanibul_Lecktor]

They didn't meet NHTSA CAFE crash test rating, no airbags installed from the factory. Figured I'd say this because this entire video said nothing on why they're illegal.

[@MonkeyChessify]

For fucks sake this video is interesting but don't call it why they're not legal.

[@carbonfiber492]

Um pretty sure you will find all skylines after 96 had airbags from factory

[@bishop_98]

No. They were rubber-stamping them. He mentioned it. They were delivering cars to customers that hadnt been converted.

[@thenismoman4854]

Sean Price The R33** passed crash tests. They didn't test the other two.

[@Hanibul_Lecktor]

They didn't meet NHTSA CAFE from factory cause Japan never wanted them sold here in the first place and didn't pay for the testing or provide the cars. They have to crash 10 cars, that never happened. If the car isn't factory equipped, not retrofit it won't pass CAFE standards. The NHTSA they have to meet now is nothing to do with CAFE standards, just sayin.

[@HeyBigChriss]

Thank you for taking your time to give us this content man. I’ve seen a huge jump in popularity with the classic F&F films.

[@zephyr3332]

@gilbert martinez Hop off Universals nuts boi.

[@brightboycherryblossom2328]

Initial D Tax

[@F0rg0re]

Maybe think of changing the title of the vid to something along the lines of “The history of importing r34 gtr’s”

[@08650rRider]

yeah... nothing in here is "illegal" just banter of a by-gone era.

[@Carlos_Jzx]

That is true friend! Why just single out just one generation of the car platform and dew to as well of the car being brand freaking new at the time.

[@Carlos_Jzx]

@@08650rRider That's exactly what I tell ppl! They are not ilegal to certain extent,They take a big factor out of the picture and that is the manufacturer and that is Nissan and if they don't want to comply plain and simple they won't be ok to export how can ppl go ahead and blame the government.

[@NAK3DDesigns]

I had a 94 R33 GTS4 that I owned when I lived in Italy and had planned to have imported before motorex went under. After they went under the NHTSA changed the rules that only R33's 96-98 could be imported because only those years had driver and passenger airbags.. My argument was why does my 94 R33 need airbags when my 94 dodge colt and 94 Nissan pickup (both US spec) didn't have airbags either.. Sadly I had to sell the car for way less than I had in it because I couldn't import it..

[@FatalDyZr]

That’s tragic man F

[@JamesRussoMillas]

Guess you're a lucky man Craig for having owned the #1 R34 from Motorex at the time!

[@joelsims98]

I remember that car. They called it the ‘Blackbird’. Then Mr. Lieberman had it painted blue (a special shade of blue) with red stripes.

[@roadrage212]

I have a poster of it in my garage.

[@brianorris2943]

I remember some guy Vik completly made his Integra replicate his Skyline. All everyone woud say is "its nice but he's a biter" lol.

[@oriongear2499]

Joel Sims One of the coolest paint jobs you could have on an R34 GTR IMO.

[@JDMJDK]

So much nostalgia from this series, I remember people leaving the premier of FF going nuts and getting pulled over in the same block, I also never missed an issue of Sport Compact Car or Import Tuner back in the day. The MotoRex story was crazy, I’m blown away to hear the actual guys recall what actually went down. 🏁💯

[@split150]

That Motorex history lesson was fantastic. I can still remember some of their ads in the back of the low 2000's Sport Compact Car magazines.

[@nickkosakowski3181]

Please make more videos on F&F this is GOLD!!! You are GOLD!!!

[@Rafaellasvegas]

"You're breathtaking!"

[@petequinones3454]

The people involved in crushing GT-R's should be banished to deserted islands... SHAME ON YOU!

[@Marcihun-wl2vy]

I know right, why can't they at least send them back to Japan and sell them there.

[@houseofno]

How about not breaking the law in the first place?

[@hybridShinx]

I see exotics getting crushed in Japan , so dont cry over a stinking GTR

[@TraceLight]

Brian Weir who the fuck cares about the law. You bend it until you can’t anymore. Literally a good deal of us live on that and that alone for decades.

[@duckysingleton4712]

@@houseofno assuming you American, this country was built on breaking the laws that itself made.

[@kylesoler4139]

The Moterex Scandal would make an interesting movie.

[@thenismoman4854]

Agreed

[@MrRichiarditya]

Hiro basically simping hostess bar.what is good in that

[@blakeslide6919]

@@MrRichiarditya lol

[@kaj750]

Sean is a nice enough guy to talk to, as long as you don't ask him any GTR questions. LOL Great vid! Thanks for posting.

[@Vaettr205]

Whats the story behind this? Lol

[@truelegendinblack]

I remember reading about motorex in 01 I was a 6 grader

[@airfryerdeluxe5543]

Hell yea, 2:34 Racing Hart Type C2! My favorite wheels of all time, got them on my Integra now.

[@greentree6373]

Lasty K......Racing Hart C2 is one of the cleanest wheels ever made, my buddy had them on a spec-v back in the day.

[@MrYessireebob]

There is a genuine love for this history, thank you for sharing

[@JasonMcMullen]

Awesome interview Craig, thanks so much for the content! such a fascinating story

[@jasonhumphrey2837]

Good to see your still around Craig, been along time since the original super Street tours and I worked at MIR You are the grandmaster for imports in the states.

[@joelsims98]

I don’t know if anyone told you this,but you seriously outdid yourself with the cars (the Skyline,the Supra,and even that blue Maxima).

[@djviciousballz]

The Maxima was total ass. lol

[@thenismoman4854]

Vicious Ballz Shut up

[@joelsims98]

WilltheNISMOman he slept on the Maxima. There’s a video where a Maxima beats up on a Porsche 911 Turbo.

[@thenismoman4854]

Joel Sims I’ve seen it. Absolutely badass. Those motor VQ motors are NO JOKE!

[@izayoiaifuyu]

Someone's putting a bad title up. Why are R34's illegal in america? Simple. They didn't meet safety/emissions standards mandated by the USA (Mostly emissions and LHD stuff), and Nissan didn't see a potential market in the USA, so they didn't spend the money they would need to spend to make it legal here. And that's not mentioning the 25-year law, essentially bought and paid for by Mercedes-Benz. Motorex has NOTHING to do with the reason why GT-Rs are illegal in the USA, they were simply an importer that tried to spit in the face of bad legislation, and got beat up because of it.

[@raulferro3998]

Where I can read or find out more about that statement you typed above "Mercedes Benz" and the 25-year law?

[@joemarchione97]

I read an article from like 2008 that went into great detail about the entire thing. So technically, Skylines WERE made legal in the United States. MotoRex basically created a compliance process which the federal D.O.T. agreed was acceptable. But of course, each car had to brought into compliance individually, and it was very expensive and very time consuming. The two main pillars of this process were crash safety and EPA certification. Since MotoRex was the sole company that devised the compliance process and got explicit approval from D.O.T., no other company had the details of the process and no other company could subcontract the work out to actually get brought into compliance. Only MotoRex knew exactly what was to be done. On paper, it made a lot of sense, but the management of MotoRex was problematic. The owner/operator was extremely shady, and by most accounts, not a "car guy". On top of blowing most of the company money on Japanese style "gentlemen clubs", he was known to have a terrible hard narcotics addiction, not show up to work, not delegate, overpromise, underdeliver and even lose track of client's cars. That's bad enough, but the demand for this service was super high given the massive cost and niche factor, so margins were already thin. Eventually, they got sloppier and sloppier to the point of falsifying documentation that the compliance process was even completed. Towards the end of MotoRex, cars were getting NO work done to bring them into compliance, whereas the first cars to go through MotoRex were. Once the federal government caught wind that MotoRex was no longer actually bringing Skyline's into compliance as per their original agreement, they essentially revoked the right for anyone to do so. Based on this, I would agree that MotoRex is directly responsible for the illegal status of Skylines in America before the 25 year exception.

[@joemarchione97]

@@raulferro3998 Up until the mid 1980s, it was perfectly legal to import any car into America. In the case of Mercedes-Benz, it was actually cheaper to import cars from Germany than to buy one from your local dealer, and often could be had with nicer options and equipment than for those sold stateside. This ate into profits, so Mercedes-Benz along with several other manufacturers petitioned the government to ban the import of vehicles not made for the US market. They used the excuse that these cars were not up to American standards (which was technically true, European and Asian market cars did not follow the same safety and emissions standards that we did, and we were often stricter, so other markets were more lax at the time). The government bought the scheme, and to this day, it's illegal to import and non-US market car into the US. A few exceptions have been made, the easiest is the 25 year exemption, where any car can be imported into the USA and driven like normal if it is 25 years or older. Other less common exceptions are the Show and Display rule, which allows a car to be imported into the USA at any time, as long as it is a car of significance (one popular example is Bill Gate's Porsche 959). There is actually a list of elligible cars (not just any car can come over under this rule) and it has to be restored or in like-new condition. These cars are often used as museum pieces or as a part of private collections. Only allowed 2500 road miles per year. The other exception is what MotoRex was doing, which was bringing cars into compliance for US street use. It basically requires importing multiples of the same car, as modifications and crash testing are necessary. For this reason, it is very very expensive and very very time consuming. Pretty much no one does it for that reason, and the most famous example of a company doing that ended in disaster (MotoRex). That's probably why MotoRex really never had any competition.

[@raulferro3998]

Thank you kindly, gentlemen. I'm pretty clear now.

[@klavier285]

25 years is so obnoxious, 15 years like Canada has would be so much better

[@JLUnit416]

@8:40, it's because you were "granny shifting; not double-clutching like you should."

[@gerardohtx207]

What about the svt lightning??? Do a video on that truck I loved that truck!!!

[@kylesonsalla7620]

Literally a stock Lightning with some Racers Edge decals...

[@kcrossover4267]

Kyle Sonsalla I mean its still a pretty cool truck and held it value well

[@jasonrichardson7242]

The SVT Lightning was before it's time. I've watched that truck destroy ZO6s, track as well as street.

[@paulcarmi8130]

Can't lie. I hate what fast and furious became. It was trash after 2fast2furious(that's not an opinion either, but I'm sure some idiot will disagree). But this content is incredible. Please don't stop Craig. Hoping this channel blows up.

[@joshlarochelle1298]

Paul Carmi sound angry there huh? The philosophy behind every fast and furious movie was dope, was meant to portray the car scene in a way it hasn’t been made obvious to the public and most regular people. However they then ruined EVERY SINGLE film beginning to end with the dumbass Hollywood effects. Like the propane tanks in the trunk with a full setup just to turn the exhaust into a flamethrower for movie effect? Stupid and unrealistic. That’s the shit that ruined this series for ANYONE who actually knows cars, still cool to see all the cars because they did choose a lot of the most presentable saught after cars of the era. Hollywood effect ruined every film though. Nothing else.

[@paulcarmi8130]

@@joshlarochelle1298 yeah dude I agree with all of that.

[@kylesonsalla7620]

Tokyo Drift is better than 2F2F...

[@kcrossover4267]

That's literally the definition of an opinion.

[@steventenney8797]

2f2f had some serious advertisement for year one . But the comedy of tyrese and chemistry of him and Paul made any cheesiness tolerant

[@nocturnal101ravenous6]

Hostess Lounge, aka - Cat Lounges For the younger Gen who have heard the newer term and thought it was familiar upon their explain.

[@MrRichiarditya]

just play Yakuza 0, people will get the gist

[@chumplinz4920]

*Sees the original trailer says June 22, is watching this video June 23 without knowing this info beforehand* NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[@TheA53ford]

I know right Nova.

[@J__C__]

Sean is a Syclone & Typhoon guy, also. He loves the AWD turbo monsters! That's actually how I know of Sean. His handle was Tyndago, I think.

[@BigDapPacino]

2 Fast 2 Furious is what turned me on to the Nissan R34 Skyline...I was reading and watching Intial D before that but i was more focused on the AE86 Toyota and the Mazda Rx7 FD3S...thanks for introducing Paul Walker to Skylines because he ended up owning a bunch of them in real life and pushed to have more authenic JDM cars in the movies for his characters including the 70's Harosuko Skyline....in Fast Five...thanks for sharing!

[@nikobellic2515]

BigDapPacino There are more cars than movie cars my friend

[@zandern9489]

Yeah- about that broken skyline- think it might be the same one that was brought out to Pomona raceway in ‘99 right before they closed it down. Have some pics of the engine bay and the car. Looks the same. (It was right in front of me that day while waiting to run. It was having issues. With regards to yours Craig- the black one, close friend of mine claims he drove it back in the day, have a photo of it on the beach. Guess he knew the owner of the shop. Like this matters but small world. Appreciate the memory lane your taking us down and clearing the air on many rumors. Thank you. (Have a pic of the engine bay on my FB- yeah it’s the same car!)

[@jtadros3250]

What's your fb info? I wanna see lol

[@thenismoman4854]

Zander N the MotoRex Blackbird? RBmotoring? What are you on about?

[@zandern9489]

J Tadros - I’ll post to my insta and can view their. I’ll find the pics of the whole car as well. ‘Zander808’

[@zandern9489]

J Tadros pics are up- yup that’s it.

[@diveaddict6885]

Great info. I still have one of the moto rex display model skylines

[@onesaucynougat7471]

The debonaire song from fast 1 caught me off guard. Still think it’s one of the best uses of music in the films.

[@maverick2242]

I loved this franchise from the get go, having had many turbo cars JDMs and built cars CRX’s track car, Subis mainly, wish they would get back to car aspect and famila of the FnF franchise and less about the Rock! very insightful video though cheers. R34 Vspecc or ZTune is one car Id love alongside the 22b.

[@reaperredni9e605]

Check out the book racer x, it is the inspiration of the original fnf film

[@terrancebarrett727]

It's crazy to think that the R34 was still almost new when fast and furious came out... probably new around filming the movie....

[@OTAlucard]

What still shocks me is in Satellite Beach Florida back in probably 2006 - 2008. I saw a blue r34 going down A1A and I never saw it ever again.

[@zhain0]

You can/could get them on a special show car thing, limits it to something like 1000 miles a year, was very hard to get

[@charlesalberti563]

Could have been a VIN swap

[@malakisands8180]

My friend Bryan in Tampa had a blue R34 GTR driven all over Florida.

[@sonyghazi]

@@malakisands8180 do you mean bryan o conner? XD

[@ThePaaso111]

Man they should do a movie about this :) The whole story is amazing

[@craiglieberman]

Paaso Right?

[@douglaslorin739]

Maybe get Martin Scorsese to direct it too?

[@jasontancer2595]

Doo it

[@oriongear2499]

Paaso Maybe not about the Motorex Scandal itself, but base the story on/off the scandal.

[@jamesseddon5540]

What happened to happened to Paul’s white r34 gtr and was it US Federally legal?

[@thenismoman4854]

Paul's white GTR is a Legal MotoRex car. He owned two at different times. His first MotoRex car was a silver R34 which sean just acquired a few months ago. His white car is managed by his company.

[@johnblackstone5261]

When the feds crushed big bird I was so pissed. Motorex is OG in the scene and they pioneered in ways that still haven't been done again!

[@VIPK9]

My friends older brother witnessed it this happened in brown county, WI people said he swapped 240sx vins but the video says he just removed them so idk he also attempted to sell it to a undercover FBI agent

[@ShaunStevensDSM]

I still dont think they crushed it. I think a government employee has it stashed away

[@johnblackstone5261]

@@VIPK9 probably swapped to make it street legal. I like how in one if the fast and Furious they describe a 240 with an illegal mod and it's an S15, presumably a VIN swap. I thought that was a nice touch in the film. It's when Brian is looking for a car I think

[@johnblackstone5261]

@@ShaunStevensDSM supposedly they auction the cars to offshore buyers

[@VIPK9]

@@johnblackstone5261 which movie?

[@QuickStix26]

Finally the straight story about Motorex. None of the usual "well I heard"

[@Brock_Landers]

I remember back in the day being genuinely interested in purchasing an R34 GTR and MotoRex could import R34s for $80,000. I went to the step of calling someone and was about to drop a deposit and I chickened out. Two weeks later I saw one on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls and I kicked myself in the ass for not following through with it. Thank God I didn't.

[@michaeldavidmontalvo2402]

So do you not regret it or do you regret it?

[@Brock_Landers]

@@michaeldavidmontalvo2402 I regret it in a way because I could've had a sick R34, but I also would've had a hell of a time getting it legal here in the US.

[@LowBoostFilms]

Now that you can legally import R33 into the US (25 year rule) do you think the price of them will come down after a few years? I feel like R32 have come down in price in the past few years.

[@oriongear2499]

I have a feeling that like the R32 and R34, the R33 will be cost a lot more than what is was worth when it was brand new.

[@sarahdell4042]

Ah Kaizo. I had two Evo that went through them back in the day.

[@MotorFrozes]

14:30 for the Motorex scandal

[@leocncpics7225]

James Chen at a hostess bar?! Nooooooooo way!!!!

[@ole88bluegmc]

Love seeing you two talking! Thanks for sharing!

[@qualitygamer5225]

Why does Sean Morris looks like Leonardo DiCaprio😂😂

[@FrisbeeSpider]

He looks like if Leonardo DiCaprio and Bull Murray had a baby.

[@qualitygamer5225]

@@FrisbeeSpider haha yes!

[@leocncpics7225]

@@FrisbeeSpider AHAHHAHAHAHAHHA! I'm so going to tell him that next time I see him!

[@skinz2211]

because his dad travelled the world planting his seed then hitting the road

[@divecolosio4988]

Lol, someone should make a movie about Motorex scandal and make DiCaprio play the role of Sean Morris!

[@sheffie89]

this kindof puts all the crazy stories ive read about this to rest, thanks for this.

[@nfamousjj]

Awesome video! Brings me back to the early days of the import scene. #importbeat newspaper

[@Lidond]

Can i ask you a question, what if you have an r34 gtr already in the states thats illegal obv, but isn’t registered yet and you just wait for it to be 25 years old, can you then register it easily, or do you have to unimport it and reimport again to be legal?

[@MistaaFrosty]

Belfonti i too would like to know this answer

[@karlgreen2709]

Its funny how the movie was going to be called RedLine in the beginning. Its funny how someone put out a movie called RedLine later on. Looks to me someone that was involved with fast and the furious heard about RedLine and ran with it.

[@brianorris2943]

I have a picture from I believe 2002 or 2003 of the yellow R33 from the movie at Battle of the imports Pomona. After it went down the track it got towed back. I was surprised it was racing that day. Motorex was always at shows in Del Mar before shat hit the fan.

[@sithlordsoup]

I briefly talked about this in one of my vids, this is awesome

[@thenismoman4854]

I saw that in your R33 video. Was that a motorex car or did the owner Import it himself?

[@sithlordsoup]

WilltheNISMOman it was already here in the states imported from a 3rd party, he made a deal with the previous owner

[@thenismoman4854]

sithlordsoup Ah 👍🏻, thankyou for the reply. Great video of yours btw 🤟🏻

[@nolamesfoo]

What happened with XS ENGINEERING? Are they still around?

[@kennyduarte783]

I remember a specific R34 that was painted that “mystic” paint (it changes color in the light) that Ford offered on the Mustang Cobra’s from the late 90’s/ early 00’s, if I remember correctly, it was Hiro’s car and he had abandoned it.... I remember seeing it (hell, even touching it) as it was parked outside of a shop with a heavy coat of dust, anybody know what happened to that 34?

[@chuchoshoots]

Kenny duarte i think the car your talking about was just reviewed on jalopnik

[@charlestannehill7537]

All this government control is ridiculous.

[@NapFloridian]

Control is power... Imagine if it was very very easy for almost anybody to bring in BMW from Germany, R34s from Japan, and the list goes on and on; just like that. The Government and local "Economy" would "Suffer"... that is their "pledge" to "protect us" from "foreign" influences and or "threats". I guess most of it comes down to $$$$$

[@charlestannehill7537]

@@NapFloridian it's always about money. That's why they fucked up by letting me have a busa. They'll never get my money again.

[@charlesalberti563]

@@NapFloridian a family friend of ours imported his BMW. He said at the time( long time ago) it was cheaper for him to import one than buy one in the states. He said he even took a trip to the factory and after a trip to Germany for a week, renting a car for that week and all that it cost him the same

[@hank1556]

our government should take our guns away

[@NapFloridian]

@@charlesalberti563 was he military at the time? Was he ever stationed in Germany? If the answer to any of the first 2 question os yes, then ypir friend used a loophole, which exploits the common law of import, he declared the car as a relocation or repatriation item. If you were to go now, you would pay full price and import tax, then you would have to go through technical inspection and certification which is not cheap... Same would happen with a Japanese car

[@shawnclyne1904]

Remember seeing Craig and the r34 in Grip video. They actually had the owner of Motorex on reviewing the WRX " Tommykaira" edition they were going to export next. Good to see the real owner the tangellow supra and R34 from the F F series!

[@thenismoman4854]

Can you link me hiro's review on the tommy kaira WRX?

[@shawnclyne1904]

@@thenismoman4854 Look up GRIP Video Volume 1 i believe and you will find it there. If not definitely on Volume 2.

[@thenismoman4854]

Shawn Clyne I remember seeing volume 2 with Hiro and toshi hayama. Thanks man I'll look for it 👍🏻

[@shawnclyne1904]

@@thenismoman4854 anytime brother! Peace!

[@thenismoman4854]

Shawn Clyne 🤟🏻

[@JamiesonM]

All this information and I still can't get my license to experience a damn engine rev. Thankful for videos!

[@traviswalker8933]

7:50 Dom: You owe me that 10 second car.

[@og_halo5111]

I understand that dealerships have the right to be protected and so on but at the same time I don't agree with the 25 year rule in America and how mercedes Benz took away peoples constitutional right to buy any car anyone want as long as they can afford the payments or pay out right for a car or import a car they want, Lucky I live in Canada so we have the 15 year rule except for Quebec but dealerships are trying to change the 15 year rule to 25 here but it won't happen considering there's not enough a good reason to change the 15 year rule and also there sales hasn't decline to go out a business over a imported car. I'm not gonna let dealerships pay money to someone that works for the Canadian government to take away my constitutional right to buy/import my dream car, I already bought a new car last year and I'm not being limited to what car I can and can't have.

[@carbonfiber492]

OG_Halo the issue comes when you get a market like nz where at one stage there were more gray imports than nzdm cars sold and registered

[@og_halo5111]

Well mainly because you can get there grey market cars so cheap in Japan depending on the vehicle with little to no rust on the chassis and the mileage are also low, so you can’t blame people in New Zealand for choosing grey market cars, idk anything about there importing laws there. My whole point about this is that people should have a right to choose which car to own and drive weather it’s a brand new car at a dealership, used car, or a grey market vehicle. I do think the importing law should be there to protect dealerships like the 15 year old here in Canada but nothing over like 25 year old which is over kill.

[@7sins979]

yea the rule makes no sense. for new cars it would be more expensive to have it imported so the only reason to import would be if the car is not available in dealers. for used the dealer probably isn't selling that car anyway and by that logic local private sale would be a far larger proble for them.

[@oriongear2499]

OG_Halo I personally wouldn’t mind the law being changed to 15 years old. Its a shorter amount of time to wait and provide more time for automakers and dealers to make whatever money the need off the latest cars.

[@MegasXLR]

14:23 NERD - Rockstar i used that song in the canyon race scene from tokyo drift. I've made all races with custom songs :)

[@joeygutierrez2657]

ive seen a couple of motorex r34 here in cali

[@johnblackstone5261]

#Rare

[@connoisseuroftigolbitts]

Yea I seen them here in NJ too Scotty Cranmer had a few R34 GTRs and R33GTRs from motorex

[@kennyduarte783]

Doug Demuoro did a video on a bayside blue... but yeah, they’re super rare.

[@f181234]

Kenny duarte come to Canada in Toronto we got tons of them

[@thenismoman4854]

Connoisseur Of Cars & Tig Ol Bitties Buddy, with all due respect but don’t go around throwing the term MotoRex at every skyline you see. All of Scotty Cramer’s cars are illegally imported state titled cars that have nothing to do with MotoRex. The only MotoRex R34 in California is Black bird. All others are illegal.

[@the_m34]

Sometimes I wonder where that car could be right now, it could literally be anywhere, crushed on whatever junkyard left to rot for the rest of its days, imagine finding it somewhere, someday, just sitting on some junkyard car pile

[@johnblackstone5261]

One of the Few R34s in the country that is a GTR just was stolen in Florida from black ops auto. So yeah these cars could be anywhere. One time at a shop I saw a early gen EVO that shouldn't even exist here but in Florida allot of these cars are smuggled off the books

[@the_m34]

@@johnblackstone5261 Some people really know how to keep things on the down low, thats the amazing thing about the car community, some people really know their stuff and know how to keep it

[@joshlarochelle1298]

MJTGamez not hard to hide a vehichle you don’t drive.

[@joshlarochelle1298]

I’ve seen many r34 gtrs all either here in Florida or California. None are driven almost at all though.

[@joshlarochelle1298]

John Blackstone they aren’t “smuggled” they are imported to Canada legally after being 15 years old then registered and insured in Canada and driven down. You can actually drive an r34 LEGALLY in the USA by registering it under a business in Canada. Even registering it under an individual in Canada whose a Canada resident is an easy way to drive these cars mostly legally. And evo 5 exist in the USA right now legally, other even earliest are brought in through the same means, same with the s15 and many other cars. Not uncommon a practice at all, any jdm car guy knows this stuff.

[@XJordanx89]

It was a hard interview to watch. Seems like Sean kept stumbling to get his words out every time he talked.

[@rcairforceone]

You have to tread lightly on topics like this because of slander and defamation laws.

[@JorgeCanovas]

rcairforceone exactly. Essentially, he’s talking about certain people, and giving dates and places. And the same people he’s talking about aren’t there... so naturally you want to treat lightly as to not step on any ones toes “legally”.

[@strixwho6622]

Loving the videos, great behind the scenes inside pov on things.

[@steventenney8797]

I remember the website and pricing . I was very fortunate one day to spot an r34 in Torrance off western pulling up to a gate on a warehouse property

[@ThePandasian34]

Steven Tenney i know that feeling, i saw one as well in Cerritos, in the across the street from the Cerritos mall, it was a Jade Green v-spec with a Montana plate r34 GTR with Volk matte bronze TE37 wheels

[@thenismoman4854]

Rick Moises Jade green was a Nür spec car specific paint color. And there was only one Nür spec car brought in and legalized by MotoRex. A 2002 V.Spec II Nür in Pearl white. Probably a modified paint color

[@gunterm2009]

Thanks for sharing always enjoy the great info on these cars

[@Vampirebear13]

Craig this is only the 2nd video of yours I've watched but I subscribed with notifications.Oh btw. Redline is a really good movie with the Goddess Nadia Bjorlin :-) But it can't touch the Fast & Furious franchise. Thumbs up from OHIO !!!!

[@uptownsamcv]

In my opinion the R33 looks so much better than the boxy R34.....

[@notserp1836]

At least you guys chose Dope, Saliva, and Limp Bizkit over Machine Head.

[@TheRabbitFear]

In the UK a good quality R34 goes for about £25-£30k and you can buy a high mileage one for £12k, Supras are slightly less. For context a good used car depending on the make is around £2,000-£5,000

[@NissanPodcast]

I hate that hear importers started illegally bringing cars in and then the raids to crush them :-/

[@jonechevarria221]

RIP to the Big Bird 😭

[@ShaunStevensDSM]

He said when the government crushes them its for publicity. I have never seen pics or a video of it being crushed.

[@extec101]

its a shame the cars got crushed after the film its sad.

[@williamclangford]

Did you ever interview Daryl Allison?

[@uptownsamcv]

I never liked the boxy look of the R34, I think the R33 looks way better....

[@Streetw1s3r]

I agree R33 is my favourite one.

[@thenismoman4854]

Agreed

[@oriongear2499]

If I had to own an R33 or R34 for any reason, I’d go with the R34 GTR thanks to the LCD display.

[@ryanwolfe911]

Wow this dredges up old memories.

[@Lexz_is300]

So black bird was registered in Oregon?

[@hitmixhyepock9405]

I'm pretty sure there is a legal plated R34 skyline vspec 2 nur edition in my town. I have a pic of it. It has nismo rear diffuser, carbon fiber spoiler/hood.

[@ryanwolfe911]

That means nothing. If it's not a Motorex car, or it's not a show and display MNP II brought in under VCP-32, then it's not here legally. There's several R34's rolling around with state titles (very easy to do in some states), but they are not federally legal. The owners of such cars are taking a big risk that NHTSA will get wind of it and seize their car.

[@hitmixhyepock9405]

@@ryanwolfe911 still doesnt make what I said false. Its legally plated in indiana.

[@thenismoman4854]

HITMIX HYEPOCK yeah that's called a State titled car. They're always legal until they're found lol.

[@joselikescars]

A long time ago when I was in high school I saw a yellow skyline r34 driving on the streets of Anaheim CA. Idk if it was federal legal

[@thenismoman4854]

That car belonged to Focus Autosales. It was a Kaizo car. Not fed legal, now in Canada

[@ValladolidArde]

amazing video for the die hard fans, I helped in the Tenerife location for fast 6, let me know if you need any facts, Thanks for your work and time.

[@K1ng1995]

What can you tell us about the Daytona and Paul's blue Ford Escort

[@charlesd3145]

What was motorex doing to make the cars compliant? Why can't someone else start to import these cars under the new NHTS compliance rules?

[@thenismoman4854]

They modified the cars to meet crash and safety standards. Crash testing, emissions testing etc. very expensive work.

[@charlesd3145]

@@thenismoman4854 Yes, but if they are no longer in business why not share exactly what the requirements were with someone/everyone so they can do the same? They went bust, they will never recoup that lost revenue, so everything they were doing to make the cars compliant can and should be shared.

[@craiglieberman]

Charles D Because people who develop a proven process don’t just give that information away for free.

[@charlesd3145]

@@craiglieberman How much do they want? Lets crowd fund it.

[@thenismoman4854]

Charles D People have the know how. Problem is, JK technologies are the only ones allowed to do it.

[@jammicnix]

very cool man... these stories are nuggets ..

[@GrDProductions]

I dont realy comment often but... i can say fast and furious is one of the best movies that have so much fans even so many years after... (i know the movie has too many inaccuracies) but its my opinion !

[@G90G90]

Craig, is JK TECHNOLOGIES legit? I read online they've claimed to legalize the first R34 GTR since motorex. few other GTR's also meet compliance by JK technologies. do you know if they're 50 state legal or just another one of those 2500 mile a year single state titled imports.

[@Lidond]

GGG yes jk tech is legit, but your going to be spending almost 50k to get all the work done

[@craiglieberman]

GGG Yes. Legit.

[@thenismoman4854]

Craig Seidel owns those MNP R34’s

[@MrWayne__]

Mostly if a car is crushed its bc the VIN was tampered with. Much easier to crush it than fix the VIN issue. Majority vehicles are auctioned for export only "Non USA Border Country" with no VIN Issues.

[@connoisseuroftigolbitts]

Wait a minute Craig Do you still own black bird? If so please upload a full walk around, show us a quick review on all your cars

[@retrofish]

Blackbird is in the hands of a private collector now

[@thenismoman4854]

No. He sold blackbird in 2003. It's changed hands a couple of times since then. Now it's in a private collection on The east coast and the owner has turned down multiple 7 figure offers. Craig owns the better R35 now.

[@wcnktn]

@@thenismoman4854 the better r35??? R33-34s are muchhhhh better and look way better

[@thenismoman4854]

wcnktn Performance wise, the R35 is the greatest GTR. Looks are preference Dumbass

[@jotveerkhangura4109]

WilltheNISMOman I seriously doubt people who say R35 GTRs aren’t fun haven’t ever been in a R35. If you want to own a NASA Spaceship on the street, buy a R35. Best experience I ever had was driving one.

[@connoisseuroftigolbitts]

We gotta meet this hero guy, is he still alive? I want to know why he is such a legend

[@SkyMitou]

“You know” Nice work by the way!

[@chuckd_99gt]

Cool to see a video on such a crazy story. I’ve heard bits of it from my buddy who owns bluebird I believe he said it was called (blue r33). Would love to see more videos about this stuff.

[@thenismoman4854]

Proof! Or it didn't happen

[@chuckd_99gt]

If I could post a pic of his car I would but not my car to do that. But he has a dark blue r33 that was a motorex car and came to “legal” standards after the lawsuit to free the cars from holding. So his car never became “us compliant”.

[@thenismoman4854]

Chad Austin Does it have a bodykit and weird graphics

[@acuradc298]

Awesome video! You should talk about Jem Motorsports and Mark Fernandez involvement. Seems to have gotten a chuckle when you mentioned it.

[@pojatatfer4439]

i like how the videos are very thorough

[@tommynobaka]

Next F&F should be about the rise and downfall of Motorex and the drama between hiro, hiroki and tom with all the arrests, or at least a movie about that

[@kennyduarte783]

Rathanak's Life that would work.

[@Kev27RS]

Nice video full of information! 👌

[@RayBen555]

R.I.P Big Bird.. That car inspired me to go R33 GTR.

[@RayBen555]

​@mackthefatcat I got to admit that Rotary from a RX7 is intriguing. But I have always been a straight six engine guy. Having two turbos now with AWD is a major bonus.

[@KingDingie]

id love to hear more on this and into further detail... GIVE US ALL THE INFO

[@chillyourself5208]

20:20 Holding them R34s hostage aint really cool bruh.

[@83K5Blazer]

Super interesting stuff 👍

[@eloygarcia315]

I think one of these motorex R34s might be in Chicago. The owner of Top Speed has had his Bayside blue one for a long time.

[@thenismoman4854]

Yep that’s a MotoRex car. I confirmed the chassis number with them. @danox574 is in Michigan. His is also a confirmed MotoRex car. That Chicago R34 used to belong to DoLuck USA. It was their demo car

[@thenismoman4854]

The MotoRex R34’s I know of are in the following states. Montana, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, and California.

[@eloygarcia315]

WillDagamerkid053 I remember seeing it with a DoLuck body kit. I’ll still never forget the first time I saw that car. Might have been in 2003/2004. He used to park it outside on the street. I saw a video a few weeks ago and he has it in a garage now, heard it’s next to the shop.

[@9thgizzyguy]

I live in Illinois and back in the days there was an import show at mcCormick place down town and he had it on display there and i was lucky enough to see it in person myself 🥰 That car is a work of art 👌🏼 I walked around the entire place and i found myself going back to it at least 10 times. I will never forget that car lol

[@arsinyx]

I was always like why tf didn’t they use that r33 as a main hero cars in the drag race

[@carcrashjayson]

So I'm sure I'll find the answer online, but as someone who doesn't know that much about importing cars to the US, this video never amswered the question of why the R34 is illegal. Why can't another company, or individual, just start modifying them like Motorex did to make them US-legal? Edit: On the Past Gas podcast he says exactly this. Anyone could test and modify the cars for import if they wanted (car availability aside). So the stock R34 was no more illegal after the fall of Motorex than it was before, just no one was modifying it anymore. So the only answers in the video to the actual question in the title of the video is some vague mentions of emissions standards, sweet.

[@FollowerOfAhluBayt]

I'll give you a better answer: the skyline would have destroyed the American auto manufacturers!. This car was so loved that if Nissan would have sold those here.....I know that Ford, Chevy and many other American brands would have gone bankrupt

[@newyorkboss6124]

Is this history of GTR kinda feels like it wrong title

[@usagtrpilot]

Always wondered what happened to Hiro...messed a lot of peeps over...almost me too..whew..Big up Tyndago for your help!!

[@01gtbdaily30]

But won’t the R34 become legal once they hit 25 years just like the R32 and R33 .

[@irfaan7868]

Yes it will

[@turk3sh]

They still wont be cheap lol. If you seen the prices on Supras now, wait till the R34 comes

[@bimmer8602]

So does this mean r35s will become cheaper? Maybe in the $45k in 5 years depending on mileage.

[@jjustyyn_2335]

Javi Avi R35’s are already depreciating like crazy. They were made for so long & there’s just so many of them. So yeah, I can totally see that.

[@turk3sh]

@@jjustyyn_2335 Yup. First couple years models should very affordable. But dealers are still dealers.

[@idontlikecops1]

The one thumbs down is Hiro