5 JDM Cars Americans Can Now Legally Import

Every year is an exciting one for Japanese car enthusiasts in the US. Owing to a long-standing rule that makes cars under 25 years old illegal to import for regular use on roads in the States, so many of the greats that were reserved as JDM models have long been forbidden in America, but are gradually crossing that threshold for legality.

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So many of the greats have already hit that, including every generation of Nissan Skyline GT-R, the GC8 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, early Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, and so many others. Yet, there’s still more to get excited for, like these five legends, which have recently hit legality.

5

EP3 Honda Civic Type R

EP3 Honda Civic Type R Specs

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Horsepower	212 hp
Torque	149 lb-ft
0-60mph	~6.6 seconds
Top speed	146mph

While the Honda Civic Type R was never officially sold in the US until the FK8 hit the market in 2017, the model has a storied history elsewhere around the globe. The first-generation, the EK9 Civic Type R, has been legal to bring here since 2022, and now its successor has passed the milestone.

Introduced in 2001, the EP3 Honda Civic Type R is considered by many to be the best of the nameplate. It was the model that debuted the legendary K20 engine in a Type R, boasting an 8,000rpm redline and VTEC engaging at 6,000rpm.

Although never sold in the States, the EP3 did see popularity in Europe and specifically the UK, the country it was built in. That’s right, this Type R was produced in Swindon, England, for all markets.

Left-hand drive models are available to import as a result of its European presence, but the real gems are the JDM versions. These would be shipped from the UK to Japan, where they gained a limited-slip differential, a lighter flywheel, high-lift cams, higher compression pistons, and a reworked ECU. The result was a peak power output of 212 hp.

The cheapest route to an EP3 is to import one from the UK, where models sell between $4600 right up to $23,000, depending on the condition. JDM versions are around $6000 more, but that’s no surprise given the extensive upgrades.

4

DC5 Honda Integra Type R

via : motor1

DC5 Honda Integra Type R

While the DC2 Integra did have an official US presence in the form of the Acura Integra Type R, its direct successor was never sold here. Instead, the US got the Acura RSX Type S, a fine car in its own right but not quite the full-blown R experience.

Like the Type S, the DC5 Honda Integra Type R did use a K20 engine, but owing to a higher compression ratio, high-lift cams, and plenty of other internal upgrades, it produced around 10 hp more than the Type S.

Not a significant amount on paper, but its more aggressive VTEC system gave the engine more character, and it was placed into a chassis with stiffer suspension and large Brembo brakes. While the Type S was a fun coupe, the Type R was a serious rival to more expensive sports cars.

Again, the DC5 Type R did see sales in Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand this time around, but it’s the JDM versions that had the highest power output. Expect to pay anywhere from around $12,000 to $33,000 for a Type R.

3

GD Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Subaru

GD Subaru Impreza WRX STI Specs

You may be thinking, “Yeah, but the Impreza WRX STI was sold in North America”, and you would be right, but the GD the US got was quite a lot different from the Japanese market version, as these things go.

While the GD WRX STI was on the US market from 2004 to 2007, it first made an appearance in Japan from the start of the generation with the bugeye in 2000.

JDM cars also used a completely different engine. The US market had the EJ25, a 2.5-liter turbo boxer engine that was fine in its own right and had impressive torque delivery, but the JDM EJ20 is the one enthusiasts seek.

These cars had a higher redline owing to a smaller bore and shorter stroke, and technically produced less power on paper owing to the Japanese gentleman’s agreement, which officially capped output at 276 hp. Yet that wasn’t the reality at all, with the EJ20 reported as making as much power as the EJ25 yet delivering it in a more exciting fashion.

Expect the bugeye to only grow in popularity as more examples in its three-year production run cross the legality age. Expect to pay anywhere north of $20,000 for one.

2

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII

Reddit

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Specs

Although the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution wouldn’t debut in the US market until the VIII hit showrooms in 2003, it already had a cult following among enthusiasts here. A lot of that was down to its presence in the Gran Turismo video game series.

When the VIII arrived, though, its US debut aligned with the Evo’s starring role in the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious. One of the star cars, driven by Paul Walker’s Brian O’Connor, this was a VII designed to look more like an VIII, yet it gave more weight to the forbidden status of the model among US enthusiasts.

The VIII is technically superior to the VII in nearly every way, but that doesn’t stop enthusiasts from wanting a VII. It used the same 4G63 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, produced just as much horsepower and still had plenty of clever technology, including its center differential.

While the sensible option would be to buy a left-hand drive Evo VIII, you can get yourself a Japanese-market, right-hand drive Evo VII legally now. Expect to pay around $45,000 for an example already imported to the States.

1

R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R M-Spec

Via: Collecting Cars

R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R M-Spec Specs

You already knew the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R was available for import to the US, and has been since 2024, with production starting in 1999. Yet, with so many special variants offered in its three-year production run, GT-R enthusiasts have still been waiting for some of the most sought-after versions to become eligible for legal import.

Those will all be covered by the end of 2027, but 2026 does see a very special version cross that point, with the M-Spec. This was a more luxury-focused version of the GT-R, featuring leather seats from the factory, as well as a softer suspension setup and “Ripple Control” mechanical adaptive dampers.

Under the hood, though, this was like any other R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R. The legendary 2.6-liter twin-turbo RB26 was still present, still with an official power figure of 276 hp. Depending on the source, though, it’s thought these models produced somewhere around 330 hp in reality.

Sources: Hagerty, Bring a Trailer, Classic.com