Japan Vehicle Data
Japanese-language primary sources, aggregated for buyers outside Japan

JDM Cars Becoming US-Import Eligible in 2027 — By Build Month

Published 2026-07-31

Every 2027 eligibility list you can find in English is organised by year. The rule runs on month of manufacture. That gap is where money gets lost, because a car you assume unlocks on 1 January 2027 may not unlock until August.

The largest English calendar states the problem itself: its table covers chassis whose status changes during 2027, using production years, and “the table does not contain manufacture months.”

This one does. It is built from Japanese and manufacturer production records, so it can tell you when each chassis actually stopped being built — and therefore when the last of them clear.

One headline finding worth stating up front: August 2027 closes the book on four of the most-wanted JDM chassis at once. The R34 GT-R, the S15 Silvia, the FD3S RX-7 and the A80 Supra all ended production in August 2002. From September 2027, every example of all four is eligible, everywhere in the US, forever.

Read alongside how the rule actually works and how to establish your specific car’s build date.

How to use this

2027 unlocks cars manufactured in 2002. A car built in March 2002 becomes eligible in March 2027; one built in August 2002 waits until August 2027.

A precision note: sources differ slightly on whether eligibility begins on the first day of the 25th-anniversary month or on the exact anniversary date. The practical consequence is small but real — do not schedule a vessel to arrive in the opening days of your unlock month. Leave slack.

The 2027 calendar

UnlocksChassisWhat’s happening
Jan 2027R34 GT-R · S15 Silvia · A80 Supra · FD3S RX-7 · Evo VII · DC5 Integra Type R · Impreza WRX STI2002-built examples begin rolling in month by month
Feb 2027R34 GT-R NürNür announced February 2002 — the final R34 variant starts clearing
Apr 2027RX-7 Spirit RFirst Spirit R built 9 April 2002
May 2027NSX-R (NA2)Announced 23 May, on sale 24 May 2002; ~140 built
Jul 2027Final A80 SupraLast car built July 2002, Higashi-Fuji plant, Susono, Shizuoka
Aug 2027R34 GT-R · S15 · FD3S · A80 Supra — all completeAll four ended production August 2002. Last Spirit R built 26 August 2002
Sep 2027 →—Nothing further from these chassis. They are fully eligible

Chassis notes

Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 — production ends August 2002

Built January 1999 – August 2002, 11,578 units. (An older figure of 12,175 circulates and is now generally considered incorrect; registry-based revision gives 11,578.)

Informally split into Series 1 — start of 1999 to July 2000, 7,066 cars — and Series 2, August 2000 to August 2002, 4,512 cars. If you are looking at a Series 2 car, it is a 2027-or-earlier unlock, not a 2026 one.

The Nür was released in February 2002: 1,003 built, 718 V-Spec II Nür and 285 M-Spec Nür. (Source conflict: registry lists give 717/285; some earlier references claim 750/250. Treat the split as approximate; the February 2002 launch is the load-bearing fact.)

A correction worth making: some English sources place the Nür in 2028. Production ran February to August 2002, so Nür eligibility runs February 2027 through August 2027 — a year earlier than those sources suggest. Verify the individual car, but don’t write off 2027.

Nür cars are identifiable by gold valve covers and gold VIN plates, Millennium Jade paint, a 300 km/h speedometer and the N1 engine.

Mazda RX-7 FD3S — the best-documented case

Mazda’s own press release of 25 March 2002 stated FD3S production would end in August 2002. The Spirit R went on sale 22 April 2002 as the final limited series: 1,500 units, of which 1,000 Type A (two-seat, 5MT), the remainder Type B (four-seat, 5MT) and Type C (four-seat, 4AT). Roughly 700 in Titanium Grey.

And here is something no other chassis in this calendar offers. Enthusiast research compiled from Mazda’s own electronic parts catalogue gives dated chassis numbers for the Spirit R run:

Chassis numberDate
First Spirit RFD3S-6045099 April 2002
Last Spirit RFD3S-60731326 August 2002

That is a chassis-serial-to-build-date pair at both ends of the run — precisely the lookup that Japanese paperwork doesn’t give you. A Spirit R serial sits somewhere between those two, and its position gives you a usable estimate of build month.

Treat it as an estimate, not a certificate. It comes from enthusiast compilation rather than Mazda directly, and production doesn’t run evenly across a period. But for narrowing a Spirit R it is the best public data we have found.

So: Spirit R eligibility runs April 2027 to August 2027. None of them unlock on 1 January.

Toyota Supra A80 — last car July 2002

Production April 1993 – August 2002, JDM-only from August 1999. Ended because meeting Japan’s 2003 emissions standards would have required re-engineering the 2JZ-GTE for an already low-volume car.

Sources give both July and August 2002 — the discrepancy is the last car built (July 2002, Higashi-Fuji plant) versus the official close of the production programme (August 2002). For eligibility purposes the individual car’s build month governs, so a final-run Supra is a July or August 2027 unlock.

The final turbo cars are RZ-S grade — the last with VVT-i.

Nissan Silvia S15 — production ends August 2002

Nissan ended S-platform production in August 2002, the S15 being the final variant, as part of a platform-reduction programme. Sold new only in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier S15s have been eligible since 2024–2026; August 2027 completes the model. For what to inspect, see our S15 owner-reported issues analysis — the rear subframe and fuel system findings there are not in the English buyer’s guides.

Honda NSX-R (NA2) — May 2027 at the earliest

Announced 23 May 2002, on sale 24 May 2002 through Honda Verno dealers. Approximately 140 built.

English sources say “2027” without a month. The launch date puts the realistic earliest unlock at May 2027, though individual cars built shortly before launch could clear marginally earlier — verify the specific car.

(Terminology caution: “NA2” broadly denotes post-facelift NSXs from 2002–2006, most of which are not Type R. Confirm you are looking at an actual NSX-R.)

Evo VII (CT9A) and Integra Type R (DC5)

Both launched in 2001, so 2001-built cars became eligible during 2026 and 2002 builds continue rolling in through 2027. Neither ended production in 2002 — the Evo VII gave way to the VIII, the DC5 ran to 2006 — so these aren’t completions, just continuations.

Our analyses of both: Evo VII — where the ACD computer failure is a finding English guides miss — and DC5, where Type S cars converted to look like Type R is the buying risk that matters most.

Also listed for 2027

Subaru Impreza WRX STI version VIII. European-market cars sometimes cited for 2027 include the E46 BMW M3 CSL — verify build dates carefully, as first deliveries were 2003 — 2002-build pre-production Ferrari Enzos, and first-year Lamborghini Murciélagos.

Verifying your specific car

The calendar tells you the chassis. It cannot tell you your car.

  1. Read 初度登録年月 (first registration) off the paperwork. If it is 25+ years ago, you are eligible on registration evidence alone and need nothing further — the shortcut most buyers miss
  2. If not, establish the build date: seat belt labels, MLIT recall range cross-reference, or manufacturer inquiry
  3. Remember the build date is not on any Japanese vehicle document. Registration date is what’s recorded
  4. Separately confirm EPA: the 21-year route requires the original engine, and the certificate’s 原動機の型式 field is where that shows up — document guide

And a market note. Prices on newly-eligible desirable chassis move sharply — English trade sources cite 30–50% swings around the opening of the window. Cars whose unlock month is late in the year are still sitting in Japan when the year’s buying frenzy starts, which cuts both ways depending on whether you are buying early or waiting.

Method and limits

Sources. Mazda’s March 2002 press release, Toyota corporate history, Honda’s NSX-R announcement, Nissan production records and registry-based compilations, enthusiast VIN research from Mazda’s parts catalogue, and English-language import guidance. Collected 2026-07-31.

Limits:

Sources