The "Show or Display" rule is a statutory amendment to the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that allows certain privately imported automobiles to be exempted, if the vehicle in question is deemed to meet a standard of "historical or technological significance".
The amendment, which became law on August 13, 1999, [1] is intended to apply to vehicles that could not feasibly be brought into compliance with the FMVSS, including requirements for destructive testing – and that do not have a similar make or model certified for sale in the United States market. Applications are managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and may allow limited use on public roads (2,500 miles (4,000 km) annually). [2]
The permitted vehicle list is mostly restricted to expensive sports and touring automobiles due to the cost and effort needed to import a vehicle with this exemption. [3]
The United States is not signatory to the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. Until 1967, Americans were still allowed to purchase cars from overseas with no restrictions. From 1968 to 1988, Americans were permitted to purchase recent vehicles abroad and modify them to meet NHTSA and EPA design regulations, in what was known as the grey market. [4] In 1988, Americans were largely forbidden from owning individually imported vehicles. [4]
The approval for "Show or Display" import is granted if the prospective importer is able to show historical or technological significance of the vehicle in question, and if the vehicle was produced in limited numbers (with 500 being used as a threshold value.) Import approval is granted on a combination of make, model, and production-year; thus, there is no need to re-apply for approved vehicles when further examples are imported in the future.
NHTSA originally proposed an annual mileage limitation of 500 on-road miles, and also required that a certified mileage statement be submitted annually during the first five years after import. During a comment period on the wording of the statute in May 1999, the Special Vehicles Coalition recommended that the figure be increased to 2,500 miles (a figure already in use by the insurance industry as a threshold to describe a limited-use vehicle.) The Coalition also recommended the elimination of the annual mileage statement requirement, as such a statement would not accurately reflect on-road mileage for vehicles that are also used off public roads. Both recommendations were incorporated into the final wording of the statute, though NHTSA retains the right to inspect an imported vehicle for the purpose of verifying mileage.
Citing unspecified concerns about public safety, NHTSA reserves the right to approve a vehicle for "Show or Display" import, but disallow it from being registered for use on public roads. The administration also reserves the right, at the time of import, to place any other arbitrary restrictions or limitations on the use of an imported vehicle. Regardless of "Show or Display" approval, imported vehicles must also meet the import restrictions defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
NHTSA does not require FMVSS compliance for any imported vehicles that are above a certain age, currently 25 years. [4]
Microsoft founder Bill Gates bought a Porsche 959 which did not have Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency approval. The contraband car was stored for 13 years by the Customs Service at the Port of San Francisco, until the Show or Display rule came into force so it could be released into his custody. [5] [6] [1]
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As of November 2022 [update] , these are the only cars that have been approved for import under the Show or Display exception. [7] Some of these models have since passed the 25 year mark, meaning that both they and even the less-limited versions of the same car (i.e., the non-Nismo Nissan Skyline R32) are exempt from import restrictions anyway. [8] [9]
A vehicle identification number (VIN) (also called a chassis number or frame number) is a unique code, including a serial number, used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 3779 (content and structure) and ISO 4030 (location and attachment).
The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1986 to 1993, first as a Group B rally car and later as a road legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring at least 200 units be produced.
Corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards are regulations in the United States, first enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, after the 1973–74 Arab Oil Embargo, to improve the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks produced for sale in the United States. More recently, efficiency standards were developed and implemented for heavy-duty pickup trucks and commercial medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles.
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Grey import vehicles are new or used motor vehicles and motorcycles legally imported from another country through channels other than the maker's official distribution system or a third-party channel officially authorized by the manufacturer. The synonymous term parallel import is sometimes substituted.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on transportation safety in the United States.
A daytime running lamp is an automotive lighting and bicycle lighting device on the front of a roadgoing motor vehicle or bicycle, automatically switched on when the vehicle's handbrake has been pulled down, when the vehicle is in gear, or when the engine is started, emitting white, yellow, or amber light. Their intended use is not to help the driver see the road or their surroundings, but to help other road users identify an active vehicle.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading, commonly abbreviated as UTQG, is the term encompassing a set of standards for passenger car tires that measures a tire's treadwear, temperature resistance and traction. The UTQG was created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1978, a branch of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). All tires manufactured for sale in the United States since March 31, 1979 are federally mandated to have the UTQG ratings on their sidewall as part of the DOT approval process, in which non-DOT approved tires are not legal for street use in the United States. It is not to be confused with the tire code, a supplemental and global standard measuring tire dimensions, load-bearing ability and maximum speed, maintained by tire industry trade organizations and the International Organization for Standardization.
A used car, a pre-owned vehicle, or a secondhand car, is a vehicle that has previously had one or more retail owners. Used cars are sold through a variety of outlets, including franchise and independent car dealers, rental car companies, buy here pay here dealerships, leasing offices, auctions, and private party sales. Some car retailers offer "no-haggle prices," "certified" used cars, and extended service plans or warranties.
Odometer fraud, also referred to as "busting miles" or "clocking", is the illegal practice of rolling back odometers to make it appear that vehicles have lower mileage than they actually do. Odometer fraud occurs when the seller of a vehicle falsely represents the actual mileage of a vehicle to the buyer.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are U.S. federal vehicle regulations specifying design, construction, performance, and durability requirements for motor vehicles and regulated automobile safety-related components, systems, and design features. They are the U.S. counterpart to the UN Regulations developed by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations and recognized to varying degree by most countries except the United States. Canada has a system of analogous rules called the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), which overlap substantially but not completely in content and structure with the FMVSS. The FMVSS/CMVSS requirements differ significantly from the international UN requirements, so private import of foreign vehicles not originally manufactured to North American specifications is difficult or impossible.
Japanese used vehicle exporting is a grey market international trade involving the export of used cars and other vehicles from Japan to other markets around the world since the 1980s.
A kei truck, kei-class truck, or Japanese mini truck is a mini truck, a type of pickup truck available in rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive versions, built to satisfy the Japanese keijidōsha statutory class. They are known as keitora in Japan alongside the microvan.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association and lobby group whose members include international car and light duty truck manufacturers that build and sell products in the United States.
Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., 562 U.S. 323 (2011), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, in which the Court unanimously held that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, does not federally preempt state tort lawsuits against auto manufacturers from injuries caused by a defective lack of certain types of seat belts.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 regulates automotive occupant crash protection in the United States. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 208 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226 regulates automotive ejection mitigation in the United States. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 226 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 116 regulates motor vehicle brake fluids in the United States. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 116 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 106 regulates motor vehicle brake hoses and related assemblies and fittings in the United States. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 106 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 401 establishes the requirement for providing a trunk release mechanism which allows a person trapped inside the trunk compartment to escape from the compartment in a passenger car in the United States. This standard does not apply to vehicles with a hinged back door found on hatchbacks and station wagons. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 401 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.