If you live in the U.S, and love JDM cars like GTRs, and specifically the R32, R33, and R34s, you understand owning them was a pipe dream — thanks to the 25-year rule. Don’t get confused, though; the '90s GTRs for a short time (while it lasted) did get their way into the U.S market. Paul Walker owned one, and all thanks to MotoRex.

The MotoRex GT-R importation dream was short-lived, but the story behind it is crazy enough to fit a blockbuster Hollywood film. No one tells this insane story like Craig Lieberman. In an Interview with VINwiki, he narrates the facts that led to the MotoRex scandal.

The Birth of MotoRex

R34 GTR for sale in Japan

MotoRex is a formerly registered importer that specialized in importing specifically Nissan Skylines into the Unites States. The models ranged from the GTR C10s, C110s, R32, R33, and the granddaddy R34 generations of the Skylines. So, if MotoRex was the company that imported Skylines, why is it impossible to legally get one into the U.S? Well, part of that has to do with Craig’s story.

Today, if you try to import a Nissan Skyline from Japan that is not 25 years old, isn’t complying, or isn’t a former MotoRex car, the Feds are going to come after you. You’ll face hefty fines, and on top of that, your new import will get impounded and probably get crushed!

“Of all the cars I have had, the one I get asked about the most is the Skyline R34 that I bought; it was the very first one that MotoRex had imported to the United States and legalized,” Craig revealed.

In the U.S, we have something called the 25-year old rule, thanks to Mercedes and BMW lobbying Congress back in the 1980s. Gray market sales were affecting actual new car sales of manufacturers like Mercedes and BMW, leading to a sanction.

MotoRex Federalized R32, R33, R34 GTRs for the U.S Market

GTR R34 Midnight Purple

Here’s where MotoRex came in. They found a way of getting JDMs into the states. They started with the R34 GTRs, which had been newly released in 1999. According to Craig, MotoRex federalized the cars with all the requirements, including airbags, crash tests, emissions, and other certifications to pass NHTSA inspection. G&K Auto Conversions was the company that did the certificates of the cars.

“They were having good business, and they were starting to legalize some cars, and they went through a total of 14 to 16; it’s a little fuzzy there,” Craig revealed.

The Fall of MotoRex

R34 GTR on sale

 

At the end of the day, the money that was supposed to pay the vendors and G&K supposedly went elsewhere and eventually, things started to pile up, and clients started getting frustrated. Just where the money went exactly, at least according to Lieberman, is worth checking out in the video.

Related: Here's How Much A Nissan Skyline R34 Is Worth Today

“Basically, people started coming to get their cars, and a bunch of cars got stolen; there was a kidnapping involved with somebody, gun charges, all kinds of stuff,” claims Craig.

As dramatic as it may feel, athat’s why MotoRex is gone and why getting those generations of the GT-R are still illegal, according to Lieberman’s story.

“I know everybody is saying, I see R34s at every car meet, there are hundreds of them floating around, it’s contraband okay?” he warned. “Just because you can get plates on it from Montana, or Florida, or Texas, or Nevada, or Washington, or Oregon, doesn’t make it legal. It’s still cocaine as far as the Federal Government is concerned.” He added.

You can finally get the R33 in the U.S from 2020 and the R34 hopefully some time in 2024. The R34 is a genuinely iconic JDM car. It would be nice to see them in the U.S. Legally finally!

Next: The Evolution Of The Nissan/Datsun GT-R In Pictures