Some cars are like the forbidden fruit-you’ll never taste it. They just send you home drooling, thanks to National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Though it may be discouraging to realize that you can’t have your most coveted car, keep in mind that some of these bans are for our good. Some vehicles are so powerful and dangerous hence the need to keep unfit drivers away from them.
In the United States, you can’t have it all, even when your pocket allows. When it comes to cars, the NHTSA determines what car is deemed safe for its passengers, environment, and the economy. All these aspects of American lives need to be protected and calls for a lot of legislation, rules, and regulations for manufacturers to follow. If you're one of the Americans with an affinity for extreme (or strange) cars, there’re some forbidden fruits you can’t have, no matter how tempting they may seem. Others are eligible for import after 25 years from the month and year of manufacture.
Without further ado, these are fantastic cars you never knew were banned in the US and some States.
10 Porsche 959
The Porsche debuted as the fastest street-legal production car in its era. The twin-turbocharged 959 attained a top speed of 197 mph, and some variants were capable of 211 mph. It was also the most technologically advanced all-wheel-drive sports car.
However, before the Show or Display Law was passed, the Porsche 959s was not street-legal in America, although a few were imported through the “grey market.” The German carmaker failed to provide the United States Department of Transport with a car for crash testing; thus, the 959 didn’t pass the US safety regulations. But, seems like some renowned personalities were itching to get their hands on the 959, though. Bill Gates didn’t mind his Porsche in the Customs Service storage for 13 years until the “Show or Display” law was passed.
9 2012 Lotus 340R
So, someone decided to strip the Lotus 340R to bare bones. And they gave the US regulators enough and good reason for banning the car. The car has no doors, windows, or roof. It begs the question, what happens when it rains? So we are to hop into the bucket seats to just about nothing else? Let’s say this is a strange one that the American gearheads will never have spin.
Lotus 340R was initially introduced as a concept car in 1998 and later manufactured as a special edition of Lotus Elise. The ultimate street racer uses the Very High Power Derivative (VHPD) 1.8-liter Rover-K Series engine pumping a standard 177 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque. The juice is enough to propel the Lotus to an acceleration speed of 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 133 mph. Although street legal in the UK and Europe, the existing cars are used for demonstration or track use.
8 2005-2006 TVR Sagaris
This one here is a death trap. There are no airbags or Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). To top to its scarily 406 hp and 349 lb-ft of torque, the Sagaris lacks the electronic driver’s aids. The TVR Sagaris is too extreme for the United States regulations, and yes, it received the ban-stamp.
Powered by a 4.0L Speed Six I6 engine paired with a 5- speed manual transmission, the sports car is way up to 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 185 mph. The manufacture of Sagaris lasted between 2005 and 2005 with 211 cars produced.
7 2011 Noble M600
The Noble M600 was banned due to safety issues, but its price alone should have been declared illegal. The expensive car lacks ABS and has limited servo assistance, and for everyone’s safety, NHTSA banned this car in America.
The hand-built M600 offers three specifications: the standard, Carbon sport, and the Speedster. Built on a steel backbone and aluminum body chassis and carbon fiber on vital parts, the interior may offer leather upholstery, wool carpeting, and wood trim. Powered by a 4.4-liter Volvo/Yamaha twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an output of 650 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque, it achieves 0-60 mph in 3 seconds and a top speed of 215 mph. Still, this is car Americans continue to admire over the fence.
6 1996-2001 Lotus Elise Series 1
Before Lotus 340R, there was the older sibling, Elise. They shared standard features of no doors, windows, or roofs. Named after Romano Artioli’s granddaughter, Elisa Artioli, she weighed 1,598 lb and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds.
Powered by a 1.8-liter Rover K-Series engine, the 5-speed manual transmission produced 118 hp. The reduced weight enhanced the braking capability and improved fuel economy. Elise would have been a great car to have here, but it seems America was not a priority. None of the Elises conforms with NHTSA regulations.
5 1993 Jaguar XJ220-S
There were only six XJ220-S ever developed. Needless to say, it’s unlikely any of them would have ended up on this side even without the ban. NHTSA considered the street-legal version of the XJ220-C too fast to be safe in America. Powered by a V12 engine with 690 hp, it attains a top speed of 212 mph.
In June 2001, one was imported into the United States under the “Show or Display” law and remained a private collection for 14 years.
4 1997-2012 Saab 9-5 SportCombi
The production of the executive car was between 1997 to 2012. The first-generation offered ventilated seats and asymmetrical turbocharging in the 3.6-liter V6 engine-a first in a production vehicle. It also featured Saab’s Active Head Restraints to prevent whiplash, extensive side-crash protection, torso, and head airbags, among other cool safety features.
Saab was one of the most desired vehicles in the US. Sadly, the production ended in 2011 due to Saab’s bankruptcy. Still, Saab produced several prototypes and production 9-5s, but you can’t have them either. For unknown reasons, NHTSA banned the import of Saab 9-5.
3 1993 Lamborghini Strosek
The original Lamborghini Diablo was subtle. Powered by a 5.7-liter V12 engine with 485 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque, the 5-speed manual transmission achieved a top of 202 mph. Somehow, the supercar design didn’t impress aficionados such as Vittorio Strosek. He decided to mess up with the car a little bit which proved too much for Uncle Sam.
Strosek replaced almost everything with his kits, but that doesn’t bother us much. We’re more curious about the side mirrors that resemble short antennae and how they work. They’re placed high up in the roof corners instead of the usual spot of a typical car. This minor feature and its speed rendered it illegal in America.
2 2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster
Due to its power and speed, the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Roadster was tagged as a dangerous car for the American roads. The Limited production of the Spider began in 2009 with 500 units produced. There were allegations of emissions on the diesel engines, hence the ban.
Although the Alfa Romeo was in high demand in other countries, it seems the manufacturer was not interested in the American market.
1 Nissan Skyline GTR R34: Banned in California
Several rumors surround the ban of GTR R34, one being the police cannot outrun the 1000 hp produced. We’ll never know how true that is, but NHTSA deemed the R34 illegal due to emissions and safety standards.
After 16 years hiatus, Nissan revived the production of Skyline GTR in 1989. However, none of the variants produced completely meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) regulations. Still, with the 25 Year Rule that allows the import of banned vehicles in the US, you’ll likely be seeing a lot more GTRs everywhere except in California.