Collection of chopped-up Japanese performance cars seized in US
Words: Matthew Hansen
An eclectic assortment of 20 illegally imported Japanese performance car metal have been seized in the United States, going to auction earlier today with no reserve.
According to reports, the cars were brought into the US via container freight partially disassembled. Most have their engines out and front panels removed.
It appears that each car’s engine also made the journey, though, as did all the panels. Meaning that they would all be repairable stateside and capable of returning a tidy profit for whoever brought them into the country in the first place.
The assortment of cars is headed by a host of Nissans, including one purported Skyline R34 GT-R. Several other Skyline R34s also made the trip, as did a Stagea wagon, and a whopping seven Silvia S15s.
Five Toyota Chasers were included in the gathering, four being JZX100s. Three Honda Accord Euro Rs and a Toyota Aristo V300 completes the group.
The state-approved auction for the group of cars had two big catches. The first lesser catch was that it started and finished in very quick succession, with reports of the auction only surfacing hours before it finished. The bigger catch, though, is that whoever won the auction had no choice but to export them out of America.
“BRANDED TITLE: EXPORT ONLY: Non-Contiguous Countries Only,” stated the auction listing.
“This vehicle must be exported outside the U.S.A. directly from the storage location. Attempt to re-import items into the U.S.A. will result in property seizure, property destruction, and possible penalties. A customs form 7512 must be completed and approved prior to removal.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, someone got themselves quite the bargain. The 20 cars have reportedly sold for a total of US$148,000 ($210,940).
Given that a straight Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R is worth well over that price all by itself, whoever won the auction could make themselves a massive profit. Even the Accord Euro Rs, the cheapest cars in the group, are likely worth around $15,000-$20,000 a piece, depending on the market.
