Every new vehicle sold in the U.S. must meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (also known as FMVSS) requirements specified in. Due to strict FMVSS regulations, many vehicles popular in foreign markets are banned from use in the domestic US market. For example, the Land Rover Defender is locked out of the US for not having airbags. Other popular models such as the Lamborghini Diablo Strosek, Nissan Skyline GT-R, Aston Martin Virage and Alfa Romeo 8C were also banned in the US domestic market. However, you can import one that is not sold at US dealerships brand new model. The problem is, you have to wait 25 years after producing a prohibited vehicle before importing it. Or, if you don’t have the patience to wait 25 years to import your dream car, you can invoke a show or display clause with certain exceptions. Patience or not, there are a lot of cars banned in the US that most people want to own. But given the chance, most car enthusiasts would import the most wanted banned vehicles? The best way to find out is to investigate, and we do.
Most people want to own a Lamborghini Diablo Stroseksupergenijalac/Shutterstock
In a SlashGear poll of 590 US respondents, 27.97% said they would love to own a Lamborghini Diablo Strosek. Italian supercars aren’t legal in the U.S. because they’re so fast. If pushed to the limit, the Lamborghini Diablo can exceed 200 mph – making it the fastest car when it was released in 1990. But it was a German designer named Vittorio Strosek who modified it to make it more difficult to pass the FMVSS regulations. Due to the 25-year rule, you can only import Lamborghini Diablos produced between 1990 and 1997.
The second most popular option in the poll is the Porsche 959, voted by 25.25% Respondents selected. Like the Lamborghini Diablo, the Porsche 959 is super fast, but not over 200 mph – the best it can do is the Sport’s 198 mph. However, the real reason the Porsche 959 was never sold in the U.S. is that the automaker didn’t want its very expensive car to be crash-tested by NHTSA. Although the Porsche 959 sold out quickly after its release, the manufacturer has been selling the car at a loss — more money if the NHTSA crash-tested at least four cars.
In addition, 19.83% of the participants said they preferred the Honda ATC, 16.95% of participants said they preferred the Nissan GT-R Skyline. The Smart Crossblade was the least popular option at 10 percent.
