10 CARS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WEREN'T STREET LEGAL IN THE USA

As we all know, car enthusiasts and the US government don't always see eye-to-eye. Whether it's emissions, safety, or design, there's a constant tug-and-pull between the two sides over what we're allowed to do with the vehicles we already have or just the vehicles we want. Sometimes, it means some of the cars we lust over can't be driven here in the US, and it's not always JDM classics from the 1990s, either. Surprisingly, a whole lot of relatively new cars from major manufacturers aren't legal in the US, and we're talking about high-dollar supercars that can afford to go through homologation, with guaranteed spots in the collections of local collectors.

Fortunately, there is a loophole that allows some of these cars to be driven, which means you may actually have seen some of the cars on this list on American streets, all while never knowing they weren't technically street-legal.

The loophole is a law known as the "Show or Display" exemption, allowing cars newer than 25 years old to be imported to the USA and driven on the streets, with a few stipulations. We've covered the law itself in detail, even exploring how Bill Gates' love for the Porsche 959 led to the law's introduction, but a look through the NHTSA's list of cars approved for Show or Display reveals some cars we never even suspected were illegal.

We knew about cars like the Gordon Murray T.50 not being homologated for road use, but some of the other cars on this list came as a surprise. Fortunately for us, they've been deemed of "historical or technological significance," and as such, get to be driven on US roads, albeit with an annual mileage limitation.

2021-2024 Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is an ultra-exclusive hypercar developed in collaboration with Red Bull Racing, Cosworth, and Rimac as a racecar for the road. It's a gorgeous revelation, combining the best modern-day technology with the iconic roar of a V12 and some of the best Aston Martin bodywork to date.

With the 1,140 horsepower 6.5-liter V12 hybrid powertrain, Formula 1-inspired engineering, lightweight carbon fiber construction, and extreme aerodynamics, the Valkyrie offers a top speed of 220 miles per hour and can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds. It may very well represent the pinnacle of road-legal performance cars, but unfortunately, its radical design fails to meet U.S. crash and emissions standards, thus making it illegal for regular use without special permission.

2021-2023 Lotus Evija

The Lotus Evija is an all-electric hypercar that may just prove there is such a thing as too much power. Lotus shocked the world with the model, claiming an astonishing 1,972 horsepower from its quad electric motors and 0-60 mph time of under 3.0 seconds. The range wasn't the goal here, so the company did anything in its power to make it as light as possible, and the model easily pushes the boundaries of EV performance. As Lotus’s first all-electric hypercar, it represents a new chapter in the company’s history, but it has not been certified for U.S. roads due to failure to meet safety regulations. Thank goodness for Show and Display.

2021-2022 Bentley Mulliner Bacalar

The Bentley Mulliner Bacalar is a limited-production, ultra-luxury grand tourer meant to tap into the ultra-luxury market with a sky-high price tag. Powered by one of the last iterations of the iconic 6.0-liter W12 twin-turbo engine, the Bacalar can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 200 miles per hour. Only 12 of the models were ever made, and the entire production run ended in 2022. Thanks to its limited production, the company never deemed it necessary to homologate it for the US, and thus the only way you can drive one on our streets is through Show and Display, but good luck even finding one.

2020-2021 Bugatti Divo

The Bugatti Divo is what you get when one of the world's once-premiere coachbuilders is given the freedom and money to do so again. The Chiron was the generation that fully proved Bugatti is here to stay for the long haul, and the Divo once again showed just what the brand was capable of. This one-of-40 model was based on the Chiron, with exaggerated bodywork and aero, yet the same unparalleled 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine producing 1,479 horsepower. 0-62 mph arrives in just 2.4 seconds on the way to a 236 mph top speed, and the vehicle is more comfortable on a racetrack than anywhere else. Unfortunately, its low production run meant it was a non-starter stateside, despite being underpinned by the Churon platform, which was street legal, but anything's possible if you own a hedge fund.

2003-2004 Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe

The Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe is a highly-coveted edition of the iconic MX-5 Miata, featuring a fixed coupe roof design that was exclusively available in the Japanese domestic market. For years, drivers had been dreaming of such a model, and it was created in partnership with Mazda E&T (Engineering and Technology). 179 were produced, and the top models were given the "Type S" designation, featuring a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine producing 158 horsepower. The cars were nimble and better for high-speed driving due to their rigidity, but they were never exported to the US, so it's always been forbidden fruit, despite the NB generation being popular stateside, even yielding the turbocharged Mazdaspeed Miata variant. Fortunately, under Show or Display, you can still bring one in.

2021 Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign

The Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is a collaboration between Nissan and Italdesign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GT-R and the design house Giorgetto Giugiaro built. Very rarely, if ever, do we see an Italian coachbuilder take a stab at a Japanese model of any kind, and the results speak for themselves, as the GT-R50 looks unlike any Godzilla creation we've ever seen. This limited-production supercar features a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that produces an increased 710 horsepower, which should surely help its acceleration speeds over the regular R35. It's a fascinating vehicle, but underneath it's still just a GT-R, which made the $1.2 million price a bit hard to swallow, and meant the original run of 50 units only ever made it to 19.

2004 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996)

The 996 generation of the Porsche 911 was notable for many reasons, but perhaps its most important contributions to the 911 legacy were the introduction of the track-focused GT3 model and the even more hardcore RS version. The latter is the rarest version of the controversial generation and is thus highly sought after by enthusiasts. It came in white with either red or blue accents, and just about anything in the car that wasn't meant for racing was ditched, with additions only being items like a roll cage, fire extinguisher, and safety harnesses. Power was increased to 379 horses, allowing this model to reach speeds of 190 mph. It was a certified race car, but of the 682 produced, Porsche never sought to homologate it for the US, and thus the first generation of an iconic model was forbidden to us.

Fortunately, someone managed to convince the US Department of Transport (DOT) that the GT3 RS is historically significant enough to be given Show or Display status.

2012 BMW M3 CRT

The BMW M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) is an ultra-rare version of the E90 M3, limited to just 67 units, and you've probably never even heard of it. The model, implied by its name, made extensive use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic to lower the weight of the M3 sedan at the time by 154 lbs. But this wasn't all, because underneath the unassuming exterior laid a tuned version of the 4.4-liter V8 pushing out 450 horsepower, manually adjustable coilover suspension, a rigid rear axle subframe, and larger brakes with upgraded lines and pads. The model was a revelation but kept mainly for the European market and a few other specific countries. It's one of the rarest M3s ever made, which gives you all the more reason to import it under Show and Display.

1999-2000 Lamborghini Diablo GT

The Lamborghini Diablo GT is a rare, race-focused version of the Lamborghini Diablo with which the company pulled no punches. It featured an exaggerated body kit, with aggressive ducts, a massive rear wing, bespoke O.Z. wheels, and much more. The V12 was bored out to 6.0 liters, so it now produced 582 horsepower, which was sent to the rear wheels courtesy of a five-speed manual with altered ratios. Only 80 units of the model were produced, and thanks to the changes to the lighting and powertrain, the company never felt it necessary to certify the vehicle for US sales, so Show or Display was the only way to get them here, and a few were imported and can be found to this day.

1993 Porsche 968 Turbo S

The Porsche 968 Turbo S is an ultra-rare, high-performance version of the Porsche 968, that has become the most expensive front-engined Porsche of all time. It was based on the 968 Turbo RS used in the GT Cup Competition, and it was given a turbocharger with a new cylinder head to get the 3.0-liter inline-four to produce 305 horsepower. The suspension was lowered, the brakes off of the 911 Turbo S were added along with a limited-slip differential, and an exaggerated body kit was affixed. The car was a revelation, but it was prohibitively expensive, and thus only 14 were ever built, making it one of the rarest Porches of all time and not road-legal in the US.

2024-09-06T09:03:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd