Slurpees, MotoRex, and the North American Skyline Fiasco

SamuraiSam · 07:48 AM

Today is 7-11-08, which means Free Slurpee day at 7-11's across America- so stop by and pick up one 7.11oz Slurpee of any flavor (try the new Monster one, it's pretty good.) While you are there, if you are lucky, pick up a copy of 0-60 Magazine, whose Summer '08 issue has an in-depth insider's look at the rise and fall of MotoRex- the DOT, assault, extortion, partying, drugs, shady business practices- it's all part of the Hollywood-esque Skyline importation saga.

The magazine is carried at some: 7-11's, Barnes and Noble's, Borders, Albertsons, Brooks Drug, Eckerd Drug, Duane Reade, Harris Teeter, Hastings, Indigo, International News, Sears, Kroger, Mac's Convenience, Pharma Plus Drug, Publix, Shoppers Drug Mart, Stop & Shop, and Wegman's, and other newstands. I tried 2 Barnes and Nobles, 5 7-11's, and many grocery stores before finding it at the Seattle U-District B&N.

*EDIT: The article is posted at my wiki in scanned and plain text versions*

-Sam

skylinegt-r.wikidot.com

Autobacs · 07-11-2008, 02:22 PM

Back in 2003 while I was getting ready to head back stateside from Japan, I was contemplating bringing my GTR back to the States through Motorex. I weighed the pros and cons and actually spoke with Hiro. One of the things I remembered while speaking to him was that for DOT certification and crashing purposes they used a regular Skyline. As anyone knows, the difference between a GTS or GTS-t to a GTR is night and day. Then I asked him how does that make the GTR legal considering they did not actually test it, he remarked that it does not but they (as in DOT) do not know the difference. That, along with other reasons, made me decide not to do it because that sounded to shady for me.

I'm glad I did not push through with although I feel bad for those who did and got screwed.

SamuraiSam · 07-11-2008, 05:45 PM

Of all the things that have been points of contemption, one thing that was never argued was the similarity of the R33 GTS to the R33 GT-R. They are extraordinarily similar vehicles as they use the same chassis and have the same safety devices in place as far as FMVSS is concerned (door impact, crumple zones, headlamps, gauge clusters, mirrors, glass, glass seals, glazing). The hundreds of other issues, though, are unarguable.

2003 would have made you around the same time as some of the ones that were in the group of 35 or so 2006 post-rescindance bond releases... some of those guys were waiting since 03, maybe even 2002, for their cars to sit around and get lost, have parts damaged and stolen off them. In the end, some that went through hell are glad they did it, since they are now grandfathered in and almost 'untouchable' at least federally. Some don't think it was worth the hassle, but are glad they got their cars.

Some people spent a lot of money, and never got their car.

PWRDbyUNCLEbens · 07-11-2008, 05:47 PM

I just read that article in 0-60 (awesome mag btw) interesting read.

Interceptor · 07-11-2008, 06:04 PM

I've always been curious as to what happened to them.

sphynx88 · 07-11-2008, 06:07 PM

oh snap 7-11 is today.

i got that far now im bolting out the door

Triple8SoL · 07-14-2008, 01:11 AM

Share the article!

T-MiL. · 07-14-2008, 04:49 PM

i cant find the mag, but this article sounds very interested. hopefully soon you can post it.

SamuraiSam · 07-17-2008, 03:50 PM

0-60 MotoRex article uploaded.

This will subject me to a world of sh*t from a few of you I'm sure, but I felt that the rest of the world should be able to access and read this article. It contains good, important information that GT-R fanatics out there don't want to wait 3 months to read (I was initially going to wait until the current issue of 0-60 was off newsstands, which would have been fine for a 1 month rag, but for a quarterly publication, it's a bit much to ask.)

It has also previously been uploaded by a different user on a different forum in a lower quality (smaller pixel dimensions and filesize) and thusly is already available for free on the Internet. Not saying that I'm doing the right thing, by the magazine, but for the foreigners who shouldn't have to wait 3 months to read an article that we have access to. One month, maybe, but I'm not about to hold out on a quarterly publication. Many others with their own blogs have posted magazine articles in times past as well.

Anyways, the link: 0-60mph- Access Denied:
MotoRex and the North American Skyline Fiasco

Walperstyle · 07-17-2008, 03:59 PM

That stuff has been covered by other magazines long before. Not to mention skyline owners had a forum where it all went down!

Young Z · 07-17-2008, 04:27 PM

good read. I wonder if another company will ever take up Motorex's place and do it properly this time around.

SamuraiSam · 07-17-2008, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle

That stuff has been covered by other magazines long before. Not to mention skyline owners had a forum where it all went down!

Really? What magazines, what month and issue, what article?

SamuraiSam · 07-19-2008, 07:48 AM

Plain text is now up as well.

Warder · 07-19-2008, 10:46 AM

I just did the tried and true Google search for MotoRex. Found the forum where all the owners were talking, including a detective who was heading up the case who signed up on the forum for easier communication. Really an interesting story.

SamuraiSam · 07-19-2008, 11:38 AM

Detective_Hsu. He is interviewed.

Freshalloy? or SkylinesDownUnder?

Warder · 07-19-2008, 03:28 PM

I read about it on Freshalloy.

Thompson · 07-19-2008, 05:08 PM

cocaine, one hell of a drug..

Walperstyle · 07-19-2008, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamuraiSam

Really? What magazines, what month and issue, what article?

Looked through my issues, I did find a paragraph mentioned last year in Sport Compact Car magazines may issue. The other writeup that went a little more in depth came from Super Street I believe. ...ever sense I bought this house its been impossible to find any of my old magazines.

Either way, motorex has been closed for a couple years now. Was the forum freshalloy guys? i'm sure someone remembers this from before.

kensuke · 07-19-2008, 10:50 PM

There were quite a few posts about this (with pretty much the same information) on evolutionm over the last couple of years as well. The EvoM guys had a similar fiasco with Evolution Imports back in 2002-2003, so it was no big surprise to anyone when MotoRex came toppling over.

At any rate, thanks for sharing the article with all of us!

Edit: This is the sort of thing that I find REALLY troubling about the entire article:

Quote:

According to Morris, no Skylines (R32, R33, R34) have been imported from Japan since Motorex shut down.

It makes you wonder how much these guys really know. PLENTY of Skylines have been imported since then. This is the sort of thing that people will be falsely quoting for years to come.

SamuraiSam · 07-20-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle

Looked through my issues, I did find a paragraph mentioned last year in Sport Compact Car magazines may issue. The other writeup that went a little more in depth came from Super Street I believe. ...ever sense I bought this house its been impossible to find any of my old magazines.

Either way, motorex has been closed for a couple years now. Was the forum freshalloy guys? i'm sure someone remembers this from before.

Yes there was a 1/3 page article in Sport Compact Car. I'd be interested in the Super Street article.

The forum was almost entirely, FreshAlloy, largest amount of MotoRex customers on any forum I'm aware of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kensuke

It makes you wonder how much these guys really know. PLENTY of Skylines have been imported since then. This is the sort of thing that people will be falsely quoting for years to come.

LOL yeah, you know more than Sean Morris - only the single most knowledgable GT-R expert in America

Find me a single legally imported street-driven Skyline brought in by an R.I. since MotoRex closed.

kensuke · 07-20-2008, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamuraiSam

LOL yeah, you know more than Sean Morris - only the single most knowledgable GT-R expert in America

Find me a single legally imported street-driven Skyline brought in by an R.I. since MotoRex closed.

He didn't say "legally imported by an R.I." He said "no Skylines (R32, R33, R34) have been imported from Japan since Motorex shut down." Doug and Erik at UP Garage BOTH have Skylines, and Erik told me himself that his was legal. Also, http://www.fast4wheels.com/ has sold a few and even have at least one for sale at the moment. Chad purchased at least one of his S15s from them, and his car wasn't a kit car, so I guess people are finding a way.

I've seen you post up a lot of information regarding the legal truth on importing these vehicles, but everything I see happening goes against all of the sources you've cited. It's disturbing, in fact, considering that you've cited government websites!

I didn't say that I know more than Sean Morris, but apparently anyone whose used the internet within the last two years knows something that he doesn't.

Globerunner513 · 07-20-2008, 07:17 PM

its one thing to legally import a car...

its quite another to legally drive an imported car.

SamuraiSam · 07-20-2008, 07:19 PM

Most people who have used the internet within the last few years don't know anything about vehicle importation, especially those who think they do. You can get just about anything black-market or grey-market. Doug and Erik are great guys but if they don't have Motorex'd cars then they are not legal. Sean Morris isn't concerned with illegally imported vehicles that usually stand a good chance of being (if passed through customs) confiscated and exported, auctioned, crushed- as happened pretty recently to 8 unlucky guys who used "importers" (none of who are ever registered with the federal government as R.I.'s)

I haven't looked at Fast 4 wheels, I don't know what kind of loop hole they are using. Maybe they are doing the same thing as Kaizo? It would be cool to see another legal route if they are doing the Kaizo gig. I wonder what their cars are titled as?

kensuke · 07-20-2008, 08:48 PM

F4W does go the Kaizo "kit car" route, but many of their cars aren't kit cars. They are indeed registered as Nissan Skylines and Nissan Silvias, as verified by a few of their customers (Chad is the only local guy who comes to mind). To be completely honest, I don't know which loophole they're using, but it does appear to be working.

I've heard a few rumors about those cars that were crushed. The one I've heard most often is that our government doesn't take too kindly to a person importing an S15 and an R34, then declaring them as $5000 in "Japanese used cars." Apparently our government has also been known to "confiscate" vehicles, which amounts to nothing more than them paying your declared value and taking the car to the crusher or customs auction house. Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed too if I received $3000 for an R34, but if the hearsay is true, they had it coming. IF it's true, it would seem to me that the people upholding these regulations pick their battles and choose to make examples of these extreme cases.

I'm not saying that I'm about to put 20 Skylines on a boat just to try to prove everyone wrong, but I am saying that I must remain skeptical. Until I see all of the Washington-registered Skylines head for the crusher (including a few well-knowns that make it out to the bigger meets), I'm just not convinced.

I definitely respect you for looking for the truth in all of this, but obviously there's something that we're missing.

kensuke · 07-20-2008, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Fast4Wheels, LLC. does not condone circumventing US EPA or DOT laws put forth on the importation of Vehicles. There are a lot of importers who will simply ship cars in as parts and have them registered in a state that is more relaxed on their titling procedures. We at Fast4Wheels, LLC. sell unibodys. Our unibodys have been re manufactured by a Licensed Kit car Manufacturer in Japan. The unibodys undergo several changes and are assigned a new VIN before being issued an MSO. We do not sell engines for our unibodys. It is up to the customer to source the engine and arrange assembly of the parts. Please check our inventory often.

Funny how they also sell completed vehicles titled as Nissans. I'm so confused!

It's extremely likely that the only truly legal way to import one of these vehicles is to go the kit car route (which I personally find to be a completely acceptable alternative), but it just doesn't seem to be the case in many situations.

I'd love to hear some people who have imported grey-market vehicles within the last few years chime in a bit on this. It seems, however, that most generally aren't ready to divulge many details.

Maybe all of these cars truly are black market, but that raises a few questions! Why isn't anyone doing anything about it? How can government institutions NOT know? How are they coming in to begin with? ("Up the Mississippi" is the most common answer I receive to this last one) How can reputable people from reputable shops get away with not disclosing any information?

The most frustrating part is how people fight over the issue itself. Whether it's legal or not, there seem to be a select group of people who, without any "inside" connections (presumably), are managing what many call the impossible.