from Autoweek
We're almost at the point when it's possible to import just about any car from the blessed 1990s decade, with a few exceptions. But even most of those exceptions will float into the 25-year window through the course of this year, finally delivering what some segment of car enthusiasts could only dream about for years, ranging from the slightly embarrassing to the highly coveted.
That's right: Almost every cheap but adorable European or Japanese car from the 1990s you may have seen once on an overseas vacation is now within reach. And most of them are not only fully depreciated, but are either almost free or pretty close to it, because in a lot of countries in Europe (and Japan for that matter) you often have to pay a lot of money to keep old tubs on the road.
The tough part, of course, is finding a 25-year old car that doesn't have the mileage of an asteroid research spacecraft or a taxi that's been on the road 16 hours a day for the past 25 years, or hasn't been drifted to death through a muddy field in Finland. But once you've found your car for sale, you can give West Coast Shipping a call and they can have the Peugeot 406 of your dreams shipped to your door to re-enact scenes from Ronin.
There are more than 9.
I think these would be fun to take for a spin.
Nissan Skyline GT-R
This is easily the crowd-pleaser star of this list, many will argue, and a car that already had its own cult following despite being officially unavailable here this whole time. Collectors have already been buying them in Japan and keeping them there while paying the storage fees, waiting for the floodgates to open in 2024. (If this reality doesn't illustrate the deeply depressing and arbitrary nature of the 25-year rule, then we're not sure what will).
With a twin-turbo inline-six paired with a six-speed manual and all-wheel drive, the GT-R ticked all the right boxes, complete with a brash exterior that didn't quite try to be a sleek coupe, preferring an angular shape that is a perfect window into that era. With a nominal 276 hp on tap (the real output is perhaps far north of this number) paired with a relatively light chassis, the Skyline GT-R delivered plenty of thrills in 1999, and still does.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI
This is one of the two big stars of this list, and it's easy to see why. The rally legend got a fresh dose of upgrades and brash bodywork for 1999, while relying on a 2.0-liter inline-four turbo good for 276 hp and 274 lb-ft of torque, provided you have the skill to make the most of all of those horses.
The version you want if you are of the collector persuasion is the Tommi Mäkinen Edition, which arrived at the end of 1999. This variant featured several unique interior and exterior items, including white wheels, and also a number of further performance tweaks in honor of the winner of four WRC drivers championships for Mitsubishi.
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