Here Are Five Extremely Cool Cars You Can Import Next Year That Don’t Come From Japan

January is coming quickly, which means you’ll soon start to see lists of the cars you can import into America built in the year 2000. This year, the list of cars you can buy is awesome, but for a twist, some of the best cars that will soon be legal to import won’t be coming from Japan. In 2025, you’re going to want to import these five cars not from Japan, but Europe!

The biggest news early this year was that the first Nissan Skyline GT-R R34s became legal to import without caveats. Finally, the most infamous import and the subject of countless importation stories can be brought in by any Average Joe, provided they have enough money. For some, the Skyline GT-R is the holy grail of imports, so what’s worth waiting for now?

There are a ton of cars out there waiting for their day to come to America, and I want to highlight just a few of them.

Audi A2

Alright, so I’m going to start off by cheating a little bit. I included the Audi A2 on January’s list of cars you can import in 2024. But here’s the thing, Audi A2 production didn’t even begin until November 1999. That means you still can’t import one right now and when you can, you’ll be stuck finding a November or December production example. So, you’re probably going to find a later production unit, anyway.

The A2 was built for a future that never really came, a future where compacts were ridiculously efficient, aerodynamic, and spacious. We did get spacious tiny cars, as owners of Honda Fits and Smart Forfours could attest, but none quite as obsessive about getting everything into one package as the Audi A2.

Why? I love how Audi put supercar levels of engineering into a humble economy car. Audi built the A2 for a future where everyone drove hyper-efficient compact cars constructed out of exotic materials. But the closest we got to that future were dead ends like the A2 and the Smart Fortwo. From a previous piece:

Audi put practically supercar-levels of engineering into the A2. The vehicle bears Audi’s aluminum spaceframe plus aluminum body panels. At its lightest, an A2 weighs 1,973 pounds at its lightest, which is lighter than other vehicles in its class in its day. Audi didn’t stop there, as it carved out a 0.28 coefficient of drag through flush windows, slippery bodywork, and even a wing on the back meant to reduce wind turbulence. It even had a fake grille years before that would become the norm. Another feature is a service flap that allows you to top off the vehicle’s fluids without having to pop off the whole hood.

When you equipped an Audi A2 with a 1.2-liter 60 HP turbodiesel triple, you could score an impressive 78.4 mpg. Not even my 70 mpg Smart Fortwo diesel can regularly touch that. If you don’t care so much for fuel economy, the best gas engine was a 1.6-liter turbo four good for 109 HP and a 1.4-liter diesel triple good for 89 HP. The gasser still got a respectable 40 mpg while the faster diesel earned 54.7 mpg. Mind you, those fuel economy numbers are in US gallons, and this was back in 1999 and the early 2000s.

The best part is the fact that Audi managed to stuff a regular car’s interior in the A2. The rear floor sits really low, so everyone in the car can relax in a more normal seating position. The interior also boasted hidden storage solutions, detachable cup holders, and versatile rear seats that could be folded or removed so the vehicle’s owner could carry large items.

What doomed the A2 was the fact that it was substantially more expensive than other vehicles in its class. Audi effectively made a bet that people would be allured by the fact that the A2 was an engineering masterpiece. In the end, few people cared and Audi sold about half of the A2s it wanted to.

The unpopularity of the A2 is good news for the nerds who love it. A quick search suggests that it shouldn’t be that hard to find a 2000 model year example for under the equivalent of $5,000, but expect the car to have more than 100,000 miles.

Opel Speedster

Before the Pontiac Solstice and before the Saturn Sky there was another small roadster from GM. However, it has been locked out of our borders for more than two decades. It’s the Opel Speedster, a car that if you’re familiar with it, that could be because you drove one in a video game like Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit II.

According to David Tracy from an article at the old site, General Motors was looking for a way to improve the image of Opel. GM noticed the popularity enjoyed by Lotus, a brand it used to own. What if Opel had its own spicy sports car? Lotus was already working on a successor to the highly successful Elise Series I and the two companies struck a deal to develop the two cars in parallel. From the Lotus spokesperson David spoke to:

Lotus had always planned on a Series 2 Elise and when GM approached Lotus to work with them to do a sports car, it was the natural thing to do the two programmes in parallel. Neither car was based on the other and around 8% of the parts were shared but of course the technology and the build process under the skin was similar and some of the suppliers (Bridgestone for example at the time were shared and both cars had cut-down sills).

The VX220 / Speedster was built on a different line to the Elise and Exige, the Esprit was on a separate line as well at Hethel. At launch, the VX220 / Speedster had twin airbags, but the Lotus didn’t – it wasn’t a legislative requirement in Europe at the time. Airbags were introduced when the Elise and Exige entered the North American market in 2004MY

As I understand it, GM was keen to introduce a sports car which then (in the UK) helped launch the VXR performance subbrand…

As the Lotus rep explained above, a Speedster looks a bit like a Lotus, but they’re actually very different. The Speedster had a longer wheelbase, a wider rear track, and was designed for easier entry and exist. The cars even had GM engines, starting with a 2.2-liter four making 144 HP while the hot engine was a turbo 2.0-liter four offering up 197 HP. These cars had aluminum spaceframes and fiberglass bodies too, which was pretty neat for a car wearing an Opel badge at the time.

Think of the Speedster as something like a discount Lotus with a 60 mph acceleration time of 4.6 seconds and good handling. Based on a quick search, you should be able to find a Speedster for $20,000 and up. The first ones were built in July 2000, so you still have some time to wait.

Alfa Romeo 147

What if you like compact cars but aren’t interested in a 25-year-old German car? How about a 25-year-old Italian car?

The Alfa Romeo 147 was launched in October 2000 as a replacement for the 145 and the 146. The 147 was built to compete with the Volkswagen Golf and the Audi A3. As Auto & Design notes, the 147’s design is a mix of past and future. For example, the grille is supposed to resemble the ones slapped on Alfas in the 1940s and 1950s. Alfa intended the 147 to be the best-handling hatch on the market and built it on the Alfa 156. The car featured double wishbones up front, a multi-link setup in the rear, and it was a little bigger than a Golf.

The 147 launched with a base 1.6-liter four that made 104 HP, good for hitting 60 mph in a leisurely 10 seconds. The hottest engine you’ll be able to get next year is a 2.0 TS, which gets a two-liter four making 148 HP, good to cut a little over a second off of that acceleration time. If you can wait two years longer, you’ll be able to get a 3.2 GTA, which nets you a 3.2-liter Busso V6 good for a healthy 247 HP and hitting 60 mph in a quick 6 seconds.

It looks like you’ll be able to find a high-mileage example for under $5,000. Of course, the biggest problem is that the earliest these will be eligible for importation into the United States will be towards the end of next year, which is sad.

Holden Commodore VU Ute

Some American enthusiasts are in love with Australian utes. Heck, if General Motors had its way and the Great Recession didn’t happen, we could have seen an Aussie ute wearing a Pontiac badge. But that didn’t happen, so you’re left either importing a ute or taking your chances with companies that swear it can get you a left hand drive ute that’s legal.

The Holden Ute as we know it began production in 2000 and was based on the VT Commodore with some design inspiration from the VX Commodore. I’ve written some about the VT before:

In 1997, the Holden Commodore entered its third generation. The first of these cars was given the VT code and was developed from the Opel Omega B.

Despite the Opel bones, the Holden was bigger and adapted to the needs of Australian car buyers. When Holden was done with the Commodore, the resulting vehicle was sleek with a little bit of muscle. If you didn’t know any better, I bet you didn’t notice that it started as a German car. The VT Commodore also wasn’t just a reskin. Holden spent $600 million over half of a decade to bring the Commodore into the future. Reportedly, the VT got Holden’s first all-new braking system in nearly 20 years. An emphasis was put on handling and safety, too. The VT was 30 percent stiffer than its predecessor, boasted MacPherson struts up front, and a semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension. Holden also baked in a new electrical system and powerful engines.

Said another way, Holden put in a ton of work to ensure the Ford Falcon didn’t get anywhere near Australia’s top car. Remember, this car also served as the platform for the great Holden Monaro/Pontiac GTO. So, why would you care about a car that you have been able to import for the past couple of years? One of the complaints about the VT was the fact that it was considerably heavier than its predecessor.

A base Holden Ute had a 3.8-liter Ecotec V6 rated at 204 HP while the hopped-up SS variant had a 5.7-liter V8 making 302 HP.

Australia’s Which Car? says that the V8 engines of the SS model were prone to oil leaks and felt lethargic despite their displacement. The publication also said things came alive after about 4,000 RPM, but wringing the engine out felt like work. Then there’s how the publication felt about the automatic transmission: “It can’t always decide what ratio it needs and when it does deign to shift, the quality can be pretty awful depending on where the throttle pedal is at the time.”

But, ultimately, if you can put up with the problems, the magazine says the Holden Ute is “nicely thought out.” It looks like you can find an example for under $20,000, just try to get it inspected so you end up with a decent example.

Ariel Atom 1

The last vehicle on this list is a glorified go-kart for adults. The Ariel Atom didn’t officially go on sale in America until 2005 as the Ariel Atom 2, but come next year you will be able to get one of the early ones here.

To most, the name “Ariel” relates to the rolling piece of scaffolding I’m talking about here, but it had a long history of selling motorcycles before that. From the National Motorcycle Museum:

The Ariel Cycle Company was formed in 1897 by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company, originally of Dublin, Ireland, to make bicycles. Charles Sangster of Cycle Components in Selly Oak, near Birmingham, England, bought Ariel shortly thereafter and first used the name on a tricycle. Motorcycles soon became part of the product mix. Ariel wisely hired a number of British motorcycle visionary engineers and designers – Val Page, Vic Mole, Bert Hopwood and Edward Turner to name a few.

Ariel went on to build iconic motorcycles like the Red Hunter and the Square Four plus weirdos like the Leader. The original Ariel died in 1970. The Ariel we know today was founded by Simon Saunders in 1991 as Solocrest Ltd. This company claims the motorcycle history of Ariel even though the old Ariel is only related to the new one by name.

With that in mind, here’s what Ariel says about the first Atom:

With a long held dream of building a new ‘Lotus 7’ Simon Saunders started to put his ideas into reality while working as a Senior Lecturer in Transport Design. Together with student Niki Smart and input from Stewart Grand Prix (to become Red Bull Racing), TWR, British Steel, Ford Motor Company and friends from Aston Martin the LSC or Lightweight Sports Car was born. Shown for the first time at the 1996 British Motor Show the car received great acclaim as the most interesting car at the show. After subsequent months of testing and development the process of designing the all new Atom started from scratch spanning the next three years.

Launched in 1999 with first deliveries in 2000 the Atom quickly became the star of the developing trackday scene and captured the motoring world’s imagination. Road legal and with an 1800cc K Series Rover engine in 120bhp, 160bhp and 190bhp output the car was the original ‘NO DOORS NO SCREEN NO ROOF’ and demonstrated that light weight gave giant slaying capability, no matter what the opposition.

The oldest Atom I’ve found currently for sale is a 2006 and it has an asking price of $53,000. So, I’m not sure what you could expect for pricing.

There you have it, these are five awesome cars that you can import next year that do not come from Japan. Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive and you can probably point out plenty of other cool rides out there. I didn’t even mention the Lotus 340R or the absurdly rare 1 of 4 TVR Typhon.

Sadly, some enthusiast cars have high prices even after 25 years after their production. My advice is to chase after something that’s still cool, but enthusiasts don’t really care about. It should also be noted that the Customs agent clearing your car should be looking at the month your vehicle was produced, so simply buying a 2000 model year car won’t be good enough. It has to be actually 25 years old.

Sadly, buying cars from Europe isn’t as easy as cruising Japan’s auctions, but an importer should be able to handle the legwork for you. As always, I also recommend getting an inspection whenever possible. But with some determination, you should be able to find a really cool car.

(Images: Manufacturers.)