You’ve heard this story before. Someone getting into trouble for daring to dabble in illegally imported vehicles in a gray market and it’s a very real thing. No doubt you’ve heard of countless R33 Skylines being crushed, including the famous yellow R33 coined “Big Bird” from the Fast and the Furious movies.
Anyone who is a fan and enthusiast of the Nissan brand, has heard a similar story from a friend or a message board. It’s a huge gamble for people especially the JDM vehicles we were never graced with here in the States.
If you haven’t heard about such things, then buckle up because we just might have heard the worst case so far.
According to the Clarion Ledger, a man is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 dollar fine for illegally importing the S15 Silvia. Apparently he’s another guy who thought he was smarter than the system, by illegally importing cars as parts cars and assembling them for a huge markup.
We’ve all heard stories and watched videos of Homeland Security coming to crush these vehicles, but this man is facing 20 Years for smuggling Silvias.
The gray market for this kind of transaction is a lot larger than many people realize, which may seem like harmless fun for many, but it’s still plenty illegal. A fact no doubt on the mind of this man who is facing a huge penalty for a car that can be purchased outside of the US for under 10,000 USD.
What is the Nissan 240SX?
The Nissan 240SX is a coupe that in the United States enjoyed a decent amount of success as a mid 90s tuner’s car. It wasn’t until much later that the 240 began gaining traction, as enthusiasts moved away from straight line racing and front wheel drive applications. The growing drift movement as well as the relatively cheap cost of the 240SX, as well as the many engine swaps that are available for it, make it greatly desirable.
It’s not just a pretty face either, as this chassis is legendary in it’s home nation. The Nissan 240SX has won won 7 D1 Grand Prix championships with 5 different drivers driving the S15, Nobuteru Taniguchi in 2001; Ryuji Miki in 2004; Yasuyuki Kazama in 2005; Masato Kawabata in2007; and most recently Youichi Imamura in 2009,2010, as well as 2011.
Why is the S15 so popular?
While the two previous generations of 240SX or Silvia as it’s known in Japan, were available as the 1989-1993 S13 Nissan 240SX, and the 1995-1998 S14 240SX, the S15 never made it to the US. Powered by a 4 cylinder turbocharged SR20, this coupe is still greatly desired and has spawned a whole line of conversion kits, giving that aggressive S15 look to your S14 or S13.
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Want to learn how to legally own a R32 Nissan Skyline? Check out our DIY Guide on the entire process, where we walk you through the legal paperwork.
