10 Of The Greatest Cars Eligible For US Import In 2025

While the US has its share of cool, collectible cars, there are loads more out there that never made it to our shores. As most of you reading this know, there are laws which prohibit the import of certain automobiles, and these laws are the bane of many foreign car enthusiasts based in the States. After all, how many of us have dreamed of owning a DC5R or a third-gen Toyota Century?

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, ownership of some of these foreign dream cars can soon become a reality. Because America’s import prohibition law spans 25 years, cars built in the year 2000 will soon be eligible for importation, which means a litany of models will be able to be brought over to the US. So, bearing that in mind, we’ve curated a list of ten of the best foreign market models you’ll be able to import in just under a month.

The following list of vehicles was chosen based on their cool factor. As usual, if we’ve missed your favorite, we do apologize. However, we are confident in our selected entrants and their respective cool factors.

1 Lotus 340R

Average Market Price: $63,402

Next up is the Lotus 340R, a model which was only offered for the 2000 model year. In essence, the 340R was Lotus’ first road-legal track car. Despite its small powerplant, the 340R was extremely quick, and weighed just over 1,500 pounds. These days, the 340R can fetch a pretty penny due to the limited nature of its production, with most models coming up for sale regularly exceeding 60k GBP.

2 Noble M12

Average Market Price: $54,775

One of the more obscure brands on our list is Noble, and its debut sports car, the M12, will officially be eligible for import into the US next year. In a way, it would be a sort of homecoming for the Noble, as its 2.5-liter powerplant is a Ford Duratec V6 engine. While 220 Noble M12 GTO-3Rs and M400s were imported legally into the US when new, the original Noble M12 was not, making the reason to import one all the more enticing. Sure, you’d have the slowest version of the M12, but you’d potentially have the only one in the States.

3 Morgan Aero 8

Average Market Price: $105,022

The Morgan Aero 8’s 18-year tenure began in 2000, earning it a spot on our list. The cross-eyed sports car was built with help from BMW, along with Morgan’s expertise gained from racing in the FIA GT series. While the original Aero 8 made less than 300 horsepower, its handling was, reportedly, extremely on-point. And it would have to be, because driving a cross-eyed car definitely doesn’t help its cool factor.

4 Toyota Origin

Average Market Price: ~$70,000

Next up is a car we bet you’ve never heard of: the Toyota Origin. Produced for just one year in the same factory as the Toyota Century, the Origin was a response to Japan’s consumer obsession with nostalgia back at the turn of the millennium. Only 1,073 examples were produced, and cost seven million Japanese Yen when sold new. The best part about the Toyota Origin is its 2JZ heart, and while it’s not turbocharged or tuned like the ones seen in the Toyota Supra of the time, it’s still a near-bulletproof motor with sky-high tuning potential. Because of this, the Toyota Origin would make for a legendary sleeper.

5 Opel Speedster

Average Market Price: $33,761

Also known as the Vauxhall VX220, the Opel Speedster was a tiny two-seater sports car developed in the late 1990s. Its job was, in part, to renew European interest in small, two-seater, open-topped cars. The Speedster and its sub-one-ton curb weight was also meant to take on the likes of the Toyota MR2 and the Mazda MX-5 Miata, along with the Lotus Elise. However, the Speedster didn’t do so well on the open market, and after just 7,207 examples were sold, GM axed the Speedster following the 2005 model year.

6 Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon V6

Average Market Price: $9,460

While the Alfa Romeo 156’s production began in 1996, the Sportwagon iteration didn’t come along until 2000. While it’s a 25-year-old design now, if you look down the sides of the 156 Sportwagon, you wouldn’t be blamed if you mistook it for a newer car. The crème de la crème of the Alfa 156 Sportwagon lineup is those equipped with the 2.5-liter Busso V6. Not only is it a very well-balanced motor, it makes one of the best noises in the automotive world, and because of that, we believe it’s definitely worth its average price.

7 Spyker C8

Average Market Price: $361,780

By far, the most expensive model on our list is the Dutch-made Spyker C8. When it was released in 2000, its asking price was around $250,000, meaning it’s actually appreciated in value since then. The Spyker was heralded for its design then, and we think it still looks sensational some 25 years later. On top of its Audi-supplied 395 horses, the C8 was also able to reach a top speed of 186 mph upon its debut.

8 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI

Average Market Price: $38,077

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI is an oddball on our list, in that it was actually released in 1999. Most gearheads around the world know of the Evo’s famous reputation, which was born straight out of the World Rally Championship. The Lancer Evolution won several WRC races, and also took home the WRC Driver’s Championship four consecutive times, from 1996 to 1999. Mitsubishi’s 1999 win was due, in part, to the rally version of the Lancer Evo VI. The reason we’ve included it here despite its 1999 debut is for an age-old reason: you should never buy a car in its first year of production; let the bugs get worked out first.

9 Mitsubishi Proudia/Dignity

Average Market Price: $9,820

In the late 1990s, Mitsubishi was in the midst of an identity crisis. The Japanese automaker had become more and more synonymous with hardcore vehicles like the Lancer Evolution and the Pajero, so it felt it was losing touch with its more-luxurious past. After the discontinuation of the Mitsubishi Debonair in 1999, the company needed a new flagship to continue capturing the Japanese domestic luxury market. So, a joint operation with Hyundai spawned the Mitsubishi Proudia and the long wheelbase version, the Dignity. Less than 1,300 were made, but when one does come up for sale, they’re surprisingly affordable. Toyota Century on a budget, anyone?

10 TVR Tuscan Speed Six

Average Market Price: ~$40,000

Last on our list is the divisively-styled TVR Tuscan Speed Six. The “Speed Six” in its namesake calls back to its inline-six powerplant. The entire point of TVR’s creation of the Tuscan Speed Six was to hearken back to the original TVR Tuscan, which was released back in 1967. Over the course of the Speed Six’s seven-year lifespan, only 1,677 examples were produced, with its final model year coinciding with TVR’s brief closure.

Sources:
Classic.com
, Supercars.net.