9 British Cars BANNED From American Roads, and the Law That Did It

In 1998 a McLaren F1 ran 240.1 mph, faster than any road car on earth, and Washington would not let you drive one to the hardware store. From the Austin-Healey 3000 to the Jaguar XJ220, these are nine British cars that a real federal rule kept off American roads, or pushed off them, and the 1988 law that locked them out and now lets them back in. Why the Austin-Healey 3000 and the classic Mini left America just before the 1968 federal safety and emissions rules How a San Francisco importer brought Morgans back by running them on propane The airbag rule that ended the Land Rover Defender 90 and the Lotus Elise in the US The Lotus Carlton, a 176 mph family sedan that Parliament wanted banned at home How the 25-year rule and Show or Display finally let the McLaren F1 and Jaguar XJ220 in History and entertainment only. Prices and figures are period estimates. Subscribe for more of the strange, ugly and forgotten cars, and tell me in the comments what your dad drove. 25 year import rule, McLaren F1, Austin-Healey 3000, Land Rover Defender 90, Jaguar XJ220, grey market cars