quote:Originally posted by Joules:
I beleive a Porsche 959 would be eligible under the 25 year old rule, Canepa has two for sale.
When the law was passed (1999), the 959 was not yet 25 years old. Furthermore, I just found the NHTSA list of Show or Display Approved Vehicles and the 959 is listed on it. NHTSA's list of Nonconforming Vehicles Eligible for Importation specifically excludes the 959.
Here's where you find those lists: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/
Here's a layman's explanation of the show or display rule from Jalopnik:
If you're a car enthusiast in the United States, you're probably familiar with the Show and Display rule: the law that Bill Gates got passed in order to drive a Porsche 959 in America.
In reality, the history of the Show and Display law is a little more complicated. For one thing, it wasn't just Gates who wanted the law passed, but actually several wealthy American car enthusiasts – including Ralph Lauren and Otis Chandler, former publisher of the Los Angeles Times.
Eager to drive the 959 and various other rare vehicles never offered in the United States, the group banded together and hired an attorney in Washington, D.C., to approach the EPA, the NHTSA, and major automakers in order to come up with a "Show and Display" rule – essentially a law that allows certain unique vehicles to be exempted from the government's stringent rules and regulations, provided they are brought over solely for purposes of "show and display."
The law was eventually passed in 1999, and it exempted certain unique vehicles from the federal government's challenging regulations and rules surrounding motor vehicle safety. In other words: No crash tests. No side marker lights. No headlight swaps. No seat belt chimes. Contrary to popular belief, however, vehicles imported under the "Show and Display" exemption must still conform to EPA rules and regulations – but that's the easy part. And most importantly, it's better than nothing.
http://jalopnik.com/here-are-t...o-the-uni-1682067632