For a quarter century, the Mitsubishi Magna Ralliart has been one of those cars that American enthusiasts could only read about and envy. A turbocharged, rally-bred sedan sold exclusively in the Australian market, it never crossed the Pacific because U.S. safety and emissions regulations blocked the door. Now, as production examples from the late 1990s and early 2000s cross the 25-year threshold, the federal import ban lifts automatically, and collectors finally have a legal path to bring one stateside.
What Made the Magna Ralliart Special
Mitsubishi built the Magna Ralliart as a limited-run performance variant of the Australian-market Magna sedan, tuned by the company’s motorsport division. The car combined a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with sport-tuned suspension and aggressive bodywork that set it apart from the standard family sedan. It was a factory sleeper: understated enough to blend into traffic, quick enough to embarrass cars that cost twice as much. Mitsubishi never offered it in the United States, where the Magna platform was absent from dealer lots entirely, which only deepened its mystique among American fans of obscure performance sedans.
Rarity amplifies the appeal. With just 500 built throughout its short production life, the Magna Ralliart is far scarcer than better-known forbidden imports like the Nissan Skyline GT-R or the Toyota Supra Mk IV. That tiny production volume means surviving examples in good condition are already difficult to find in Australia, and international demand from newly eligible markets could thin the supply further. For collectors who prize low-volume Japanese and Australian performance cars, the math is straightforward: scarcity plus new legal access equals rising interest, especially for cars that still offer everyday usability alongside their performance credentials.
How the 25-Year Federal Exemption Works
The legal mechanism that opens the door is surprisingly simple. Federal law under 49 U.S. Code Section 30112 broadly prohibits importing motor vehicles that do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. But subsection (b)(9) of that same statute carves out a clean exception: the prohibition “does not apply to a motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old.” The clock starts from the date of manufacture, not the model year, which means individual cars become eligible on a rolling basis rather than in a single annual wave, and a car built in December 1999 will qualify months later than one built in early 1999 even if they share the same model year designation.
On the safety side, the importer files NHTSA’s Declaration Form HS-7 with Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry. The form includes a dedicated checkbox stating “The vehicle is 25 or more years old” along with a field for the date of manufacture, corresponding to the requirements laid out in 49 CFR Section 591.5(i). According to NHTSA’s own importation FAQs, a qualifying vehicle “can be lawfully imported without regard to whether it complies with all applicable FMVSS,” and it is entered under Box 1 on the HS-7. That is a significant distinction from newer gray-market imports, which must either be brought into full compliance by a registered importer or refused entry altogether, often at substantial cost to the would be owner.
The Emissions Side of the Equation
Safety clearance is only half the paperwork. The Environmental Protection Agency requires its own declaration for every imported vehicle or engine, filed on EPA Form 3520-1. The emissions framework, governed by federal regulations such as 40 CFR Section 85.1511, includes date-of-manufacture provisions that can exempt older vehicles from modern tailpipe standards. This parallel track means a 25-year-old car does not need to meet current catalytic converter or onboard diagnostics requirements that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to retrofit, so long as it fits into one of the recognized age-based categories on the EPA declaration form.
One wrinkle worth watching involves the EPA’s evolving treatment of older engine exemptions. A CBP bulletin referenced as CSMS #56840547 addressed the removal of the so-called “Ancient Engine” exemption for certain nonroad vehicle and engine filings, along with updates to the EPA Implementation Guide. While that change targeted non-road engines rather than passenger cars, it signals that federal agencies are actively reviewing age-based exemption categories. Importers should confirm current EPA filing requirements through official DHS channels or directly with their customs broker before shipping a car, because regulatory details can shift between the time you find a car overseas and the time it arrives at a U.S. port, and misunderstandings at the dock can lead to storage fees or even forced re-export.
Why This Matters Beyond One Rare Sedan
The Magna Ralliart is a useful case study for a broader pattern playing out across the collector car market. Every year, a new cohort of foreign-market vehicles ages past the 25-year line and becomes eligible for legal import. The Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R, various Subaru WRX STI variants sold only in Japan, and Australian-market Ford Falcon performance models are all part of the same rolling wave. What distinguishes the Ralliart is its extreme scarcity. A car with 500 total units produced has almost no margin for error in terms of supply, and if even a modest fraction of American enthusiasts decide they want one, the available pool in Australia could dry up quickly, especially as buyers in other right-hand-drive markets join the hunt.
The conventional assumption that the 25-year rule primarily benefits high-profile sports cars deserves some pushback. Low-volume sedans like the Magna Ralliart may actually see sharper price appreciation precisely because they lack the name recognition that drives speculative buying years in advance. Nobody was stockpiling Magna Ralliarts in anticipation of U.S. demand the way dealers hoarded R34 Skylines. That means current prices in Australia likely reflect local collector interest rather than a global import premium, at least for now. As more American buyers learn that the legal barriers have fallen and that the safety and emissions paperwork is manageable, that information gap could close quickly, pushing the Magna Ralliart from obscure curiosity to coveted prize in a relatively short window.
Planning a Magna Ralliart Import
For enthusiasts seriously considering a Magna Ralliart, the process starts well before the car reaches a U.S. port. Verifying the build date on the chassis plate or registration documents is essential, because eligibility under the 25-year rule turns on the exact month and year of manufacture. Buyers should also factor in the realities of sourcing parts for a model that was rare even in its home market; while the underlying Magna platform shares components with more common Mitsubishis, Ralliart-specific trim and performance pieces will not be easy to replace. A pre-purchase inspection in Australia, ideally by a shop familiar with the model, can help avoid surprises related to rust, accident damage, or modifications that might complicate registration in a particular U.S. state.
On the U.S. side, working with an experienced customs broker or import specialist can streamline the bureaucratic steps that follow. The broker will typically coordinate the HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 filings, calculate duties, and interface with Customs and Border Protection during clearance. While the 25-year exemptions remove the need for expensive safety conversions or emissions retrofits, they do not eliminate the need for accurate paperwork, shipping insurance, and realistic budgeting for transport, port fees, and state-level inspections. For a car as rare as the Magna Ralliart, those transaction costs may be easier to justify, because the combination of limited production, new legal access, and growing enthusiast awareness suggests that well-bought examples are unlikely to get cheaper once they are safely on American soil.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
