Issue #7 · 10, 2026
The 25 Year Rule
Published August 10, 2026
Japanese Auto News
Laguna Seca will debut a dedicated JDM Car Show during the 2026 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 12-15, as part of its "Salute to Japanese Motorsports" celebration.
Nissan president Ivan Espinosa confirmed the next-generation V38 Skyline sedan will debut by the end of 2026, with work also underway on the R36 GT-R.
A rare R34 GT-R Clubman Race Spec by NISMO sold below expectations at Broad Arrow's Villa d'Este auction, part of a five-car GT-R collection that underperformed in Italy.
Yen Snapshot
¥1 JPY =
$0.0063
USD · as of Aug 10, 2026
Live rate as of Aug 10, 2026. Don't forget to factor the 27.5% import duty into your landed cost — use the calculator for your exact numbers.
US-Japan Trade Deal Sets Tariff at 15%
— Trade UpdateUS-Japan Trade Deal Sets Tariff at 15%
A US-Japan trade agreement established a 15% tariff rate on Japanese vehicles imported to the US, comprising a new 12.5% tariff plus the existing 2.5% base duty. This replaced the 25% Section 232 tariff that had been in effect since April 2025. Vehicles over 25 years old remain exempt from the Section 232 tariff under heading 9903.94.04 of the HTSUS, though importers should confirm current duty treatment with their customs broker at time of entry.
Featured From the Feed
1998 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
V55W · white · 21000 km · 3500 cc · Grade 4
The Pajero Evolution is the homologation special nobody expected Mitsubishi to build — a short-wheelbase, wide-body rally refugee with a 3.5L MIVEC V6 producing 280 PS. Only 2,500 were made between '97 and '99, and clean examples like this one are vanishing fast.
Auction
¥3,900,000
USD Est.
$26,520
Landed
$33,320
Landed cost estimates include shipping (~$1,500), US customs duty (27.5%), broker fees, and port handling. Actual costs vary. Use the calculator for your exact numbers →
August 2001: The Month Japan Sent Its Best
This week marks the 25-year eligibility date for vehicles manufactured in August 2001 — a month that gave us the Integra Type R DC5, late Mazda RX-7 Spirit R editions, and a wave of sport compacts and turbocharged sedans that defined an era. If you've been waiting for the DC5, your clock just started.
Honda Integra Type R (DC5)
The DC5 arrived in July 2001 with the legendary K20A i-VTEC engine, a helical LSD, 4-piston Brembos, and Recaro buckets — everything the USDM RSX Type-S left out. This is the FWD Type R that never made it to America in proper form.
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD3S)
August 2001 brought the final Spirit R editions of the FD — Type A (touring-focused), Type B (hardcore), and Type C (base). These were the last factory 13B-REW rotaries Mazda sold before the RX-8, and they're cultural relics.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA (GDB)
The first-gen GDB STI launched in late 2000, but August 2001 production includes early coupes and sedans with the EJ207, close-ratio 6-speed, and DCCD. RA and Spec C variants from this era never came to the States.
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