This man had one goal, and that was to have a legally imported Nissan GT-R in the United States that he could drive without fear of it getting impounded.
Car enthusiast and GT-R fan Reggie Draper is the proud owner of one of the few legal Nissan GT-R R34s in the United States. Draper shared news earlier yesterday this week (July 2, 2020) that he took delivery of a 1999 R34 Nissan Skyline GTR in MIdnight Purple II, a long and challenging process that took him over 20 months and four international flights to make happen.
Check out his story and series of photos below.
As it stands, you can legally import Nissan Skyline GT-Rs into the United States since they only have to be 21 years old. But, to register one and make it fully street legal, you have to wait until 2024 when 25 years or older DOT exemption kicks in.
That’s why you might see a handful of your friends with R34s already in the United States but it’s in storage or they’re driving around with some funny papers.
Reggie, however, wanted to do it the right way.
There’s a little thing called Show and Display which allows ultra-rare cars already approved by the NHTSA to enter the country given they’re already on the governing body’s pre-approved list.
While Regular R34 Nissan Skylines aren’t, Skyline GTR R34 V-SPEC Early Model Limited Edition ones are.
Since this is a limited edition model made within a small window and with only 300 ever made, this R34 qualifies as an “Early Model Limited Edition.”
While regular R34s might cost a couple thousand dollars on the used market, this car is extra-special. They pop up for sale every so often and these Midnight Purple IIs usually fetch north of six figures.
This one in Canada sold for over $200,000.
Another on Import A Vehicle sold for $150,000.
So, you can only imagine how much Reggie paid for his.
But, for the next three years, he will have one of less than a handful of R34 Nissan GT-Rs that he can legally drive without fear of being pulled over and towed away. And for that alone, it’ll be worth it.
