If you're in the US and are looking to import a classic car that was never sold in the country, you're going to have to ensure that it's at least 25 years old. That's because all classic car imports have to adhere to the infamous 25-Year Rule, which was established in 1988.
While the 25-Year Rule has many haters, there's no denying that it has played a vital role in improving road safety as it ensures all classic cars coming in are of good quality since they have stood the test of time. Every year, classic car lovers have a reason to smile since a bunch of new models become eligible for import into the US based on the 25-Year rule. Let's explore ten of the best classic cars gearheads can legally import in 2022.
10 Honda Civic Type-R EK9
The modern-day Honda Civic Type-R is one of the coolest Japanese cars available today. However, the first Civic to wear the Type R badge - the EK9 - was arguably better, as it's widely considered to be one of the greatest hot hatches ever.
The EK9 was powered by a fantastic 1.6-liter four-cylinder producing 182 horses and 118 lb-ft of torque, giving it a 0-60 of 6.7 seconds and a 140-mph top speed. Buyers also got red door cards, Recaro bucket seats, Type R floor mats, a titanium shift knob, and a leather-wrapped Momo steering wheel.
9 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
The Pajero has always been one of the top Japanese SUVs, which is why Mitsubishi chose it to compete in the Dakar Rally in the '90s. To meet homologation requirements, Mitsubishi needed to build 2,500 road-legal examples - that's how the Pajero Evolution came to be.
The Pajero Evolution is best described as a performance SUV. For starters, it looks cool with its large fender flares, hood scoop, and two fin-like rear spoilers. It's also a joy to drive, thanks to a 3.5-liter DOHC V6 cranking out 275 hp.
8 Toyota Century V12
In the '60s, Toyota saw an opportunity to build a luxury sedan that would appeal to wealthy Japanese people. After several years of development, Toyota unveiled the Century. The Century may not get the same respect as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Rolls-Royce Phantom, but it's definitely one of the best full-size luxury sedans, particularly the second-generation variant.
The second-generation Century debuted in 1997 with an elegant design and plush interior. What impressed gearheads most about the 1997 Century was the massive V12 under the hood.
7 Ford Puma
The Puma is a small three-door coupe produced by Ford Europe in the late '90s for the European market. The Puma's athletic looks, limited mass, and exciting four-cylinder engines earned it many fans, which is why we're happy to finally get the chance to buy it in the US.
There were four engine options for the Puma, with the best being a 1.7-liter four-cylinder making 153 hp and 119 lb-ft of torque. This doesn't sound like much, but the Puma weighs just over 2,000 lbs.
6 Honda NSX Type S
The NSX needs no introduction, as it's widely considered to be the greatest Honda vehicle ever created. The NSX wowed gearheads when it debuted in the early '90s with a sleek Ferrari-rivaling design and advanced technologies.
In 1997, Honda went back to the drawing board and built the NSX Type S exclusively for the Japanese market. The Type S was developed as a "winding road" type of vehicle and had several features to reduce weight and improve performance, including a titanium shift knob, BBS lightweight aluminum wheels, Recaro carbon-kevlar bucket seats, and a lightweight battery.
5 TVR Cerbera 4.5 V8
TVR may not be mentioned in the same vein as McLaren, Aston Martin, and Bentley, but the small automaker has built some of the best British sports cars ever. One of TVR's best sports cars is the Cerbera, which debuted in the late '90s.
The Cerbera had a beautiful design and the power to match, coming from a range of engines. In 1997, TVR introduced the 4.5-liter option for the AJP8 V8 engine in the Cerbera. With an output of 420 hp, the Cerbera 4.5 was insanely fast.
4 Ford Falcon GT 30th Anniversary
In 1967, Ford Australia introduced the Falcon GT as the high-performance version of the Falcon XR generation. The Falcon GT's looks coupled with a Mustang-sourced 4.7-liter V8 made the Falcon GT the first Australian muscle car, which is why it is an icon.
30 years after the Falcon GT's introduction, Ford Australia decided to honor it with a special Anniversary model. The 1997 Falcon GT Anniversary had an aggressive design and was powered by a punchy 5.0-liter V8 producing 268 hp. With only 270 examples built, the Falcon GT 30th Anniversary is one of the rarest Fords.
3 NISMO 400R
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Nissan's tuning division Nismo rarely misses when it works on a car, and the 400R shows that perfectly. The 400R debuted in 1997 as the highest-performing version of the R33 GTR. It had many upgrades over the base R33, allowing it to compete with the best European sports cars of the day.
Under the hood of the 400R was a 2.8-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder engine blurting out 400 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque, making it super fast. The 400R also had a twin-plate clutch, high-performance Nismo brake pads, an intercooler system, an upgraded exhaust system, and a carbon-fiber rear wing.
2 Toyota Caldina GT-T
In the early '90s, Toyota needed a new wagon to replace the Corona and Carina wagons, so it built the Caldina. The Caldina was a huge success for Toyota, so they introduced a new generation in 1997. The second-generation Caldina had an updated design and a lot more power, particularly the top-of-the-range GT-T version.
At the heart of the GT-T was a 2.0-liter 3S-GTE turbo four-cylinder, sending 256 ponies to all wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. With a 0-60 of around 6 seconds, the Caldina GT-T is among the quickest wagons ever.
1 Nissan Stagea Autech 260RS
When the Nissan Stagea debuted in 1996, there was nothing particularly interesting about it. It was a large wagon that looked like the perfect car for gearheads with large families. However, that all changed in 1997 when Japanese tuning company Autech built the crazy 260RS.
The 260RS has all kinds of cool features - a 276-hp RB26DETT engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission, an all-wheel-drive system from the R33 GT-R, high-quality Brembo brakes, 17-inch BBS forged alloy wheels, and an Autech body kit.