🚦 Leno’s Law Passes the Senate — One Step Closer to Smog Exemption

California’s long-standing car culture just moved one step closer to meaningful progress for classic and collector vehicle owners. “Leno’s Law” — a classic car smog check exemption bill — has officially passed the Senate.

The bill, championed by California State Senator Shannon Grove and backed by collector car icon Jay Leno, proposes a 35-year rolling exemption from smog testing for vehicles registered as collector cars. If fully enacted, this would give relief to thousands of enthusiasts who maintain older vehicles with care, integrity, and limited road use.

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🧩 What Does It Really Mean?

Here’s the real-world breakdown:

• The bill still needs to pass the Assembly, be signed by the Governor, and survive the full legislative process.

• Current proposed implementation date is 2027 — so nothing changes today.

• It won’t apply to imported vehicles unless they’ve already been brought into compliance (e.g., through BAR or CARB Executive Order processes).

• This law is not a free pass for modified or non-compliant cars, but it’s a huge step toward recognizing enthusiast-owned classics as low-impact, historically significant vehicles.

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⚖️ The Reality of Compromise

A lot of people are talking about historic plates, collector insurance, or even mileage limits, but the truth is:

If you don’t compromise, you get nothing.

This bill isn’t perfect. But it moves us closer to a system that distinguishes between heavily-used commuters and well-kept, weekend-driven classic cars. And that’s the direction we need to go.

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🔧 What It Means for GT-Rs and JDM Cars

For the vehicles we deal with—especially imported GT-Rs and other 25-year-eligible JDM models—this law won’t eliminate the need for compliance work (e.g., BAR certification or California-legal emissions setup). But once they’re legal and registered, a future without biannual smog checks is a massive win.

That’s the long game. And it starts with incremental wins like this.

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📅 So What Now?

• Don’t celebrate too early — there’s still a ways to go.

• Keep supporting the people pushing this forward. Call your reps, join SEMA Action Network, and stay involved.

• And yes… maybe circle 2027 on the calendar with a pencil.

📷
Image credit: California Senator Shannon Grove

Looking for a USA-legal Nissan Skyline?
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NISMO 400R #29 — From Private Collection to Petersen Museum

If you know the world of rare GT-Rs, you know that the NISMO 400R sits in a league of its own. One of the most iconic variants of the R33 Skyline GT-R, only 40 to 44 units were ever produced by NISMO in the late 1990s.

We’re proud to share that chassis #29, owned by longtime GT-R enthusiast Andrew, will soon be featured in one of the world’s most prestigious automotive museums.

🗓️ Starting Saturday, June 7th, 400R #29 will be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum as part of their new "Totally Awesome" exhibit, celebrating cars and culture from the 1980s and 1990s.

A Legend on Display

Andrew has cherished 400R #29 for years, driving it, making it his own. Now, the public gets a rare chance to see this ultra-limited GT-R up close—one of very few factory NISMO-built road cars with motorsport DNA.

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🟠 Still Searching for a 400R?

You’re in luck—we currently have NISMO 400R chassis #6 available for purchase in Japan.

✅ One of the earliest cars produced
✅ Extremely original and well-preserved
✅ Perfect for collectors or enthusiasts looking to complete the ultimate GT-R garage

📩 Reach out to us today for details.

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See It in Person

📍 Petersen Automotive Museum
🎉 Exhibit: "Totally Awesome – Cars & Culture of the ’80s and ’90s"
📅 Opens: Saturday, June 7th

400R #29 will be among the featured vehicles. Don’t miss your chance to see one of the rarest GT-Rs ever built.

Looking for a USA-legal Nissan Skyline?
Buy R32, R33, and R34 GT-Rs at Toprank Importers!
🔗 Start Here – GTRUSABlog Index
🛒 Skyline Parts & JDM Toys on Amazon
🚗 R34 GT-Rs for Sale
🌐 All Our Links
📘 Follow on Facebook
📸 Instagram – @toprank_ivi_sean_morris
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Toprank Turns 10 — Thank You for the Ride

Toprank Motorworks: A Decade of Driven Passion

10 Years of Trust, Community, and JDM Legends

On June 5th, 2015, Yaska Kosuge officially launched Toprank Motorworks in the United States. It began as a vision—a dream to bring the best of Japan’s performance car culture to the U.S. legally, honestly, and with deep respect for the vehicles and the people who love them.

Today, ten years later, Toprank has become more than just a company. It’s a community of enthusiasts, a hub for collectors, and a home for dreamers who waited 25 years to own that one car that made their hearts race.

But none of it would’ve been possible without you.

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🧱 Before Toprank: MotoRex, IVI, and the Path to Legal JDM

The Toprank story in the U.S. has roots in the early 2000s, with MotoRex and the push to legalize Nissan Skylines under “Show or Display” exemptions. It was the Wild West of JDM importing—and it laid the foundation.

Sean Morris, who had firsthand experience navigating that world, would go on to establish International Vehicle Importers (IVI)—continuing the mission of bringing over Skylines, Supras, RX-7s, and more under the 25-Year Rule. In 2014, Brian Jannusch joined Sean, helping to expand operations, connect with customers, and represent what responsible importing should look like.

Together, they built trust. One customer at a time. One car at a time.

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✈️ 2016: The Partnership That Changed Everything

In 2016, Sean and Brian joined forces with Yaska Kosuge and Toprank Japan, combining decades of knowledge, a global supply network, and an unwavering commitment to doing things right.

It was a turning point—and the start of something bigger.

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🏢 From a Hangar to a Full-Fledged Operation

Our first U.S. location was a hangar in Long Beach, where Skylines, RX-7s, and Kei cars were packed together in tight rows—each one carefully selected, legally imported, and prepared for its new home.

Then came Cypress, where we expanded with a proper retail facility, growing our team and connecting face-to-face with buyers who had waited years for their dream car. Many of them didn’t just buy cars—they became friends, ambassadors, and repeat customers.

Today, we’re proud to also operate out of Long Beach again, now with a dedicated workshop capable of everything from compliance work to maintenance, tuning, restoration, and race support.

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🙌 Thank You to Our Community

To everyone who trusted us with their dream car—thank you.
To every customer who came back for a second (or eighth) import—thank you.
To the fans who supported us at events, commented on videos, or followed the journey—thank you.
To the mechanics, office staff, photographers, shippers, and shop techs who keep things moving every day—we couldn’t do any of this without you.

Your trust, patience, feedback, and passion shaped Toprank into what it is today. You helped us grow—organically, authentically, and with integrity.

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🏁 What We’ve Built Together

Over the past 10 years, we’ve had the privilege of:

• Importing thousands of JDM vehicles legally and cleanly

• Restoring and maintaining icons like the R32, R33, and R34 GT-R

• Building cars that showed up in movies, YouTube channels, racetracks, and garages across the world

• Hosting events like R’s Day and participating in JCCS, SEMA, and countless grassroots gatherings

But the real highlight? Seeing your joy behind the wheel.

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🎉 Here’s to the Next 10

As we mark 10 years of Toprank Motorworks, we’re not slowing down.
We’re investing more into:

• Service and restoration

• Track support and tuning

• Content and education

• Innovation for future 25-year rule eligibility and compliance

We're here for you—for the long haul. And we’re excited to grow together.

Thank you for the last decade of memories, milestones, and motorsports.

With gratitude,
Yaska Kosuge, Sean Morris, Brian Jannusch, and the Toprank Team

Looking for a USA-legal Nissan Skyline?
Buy R32, R33, and R34 GT-Rs at Toprank Importers!
🔗 Start Here – GTRUSABlog Index
🛒 Skyline Parts & JDM Toys on Amazon
🚗 R34 GT-Rs for Sale
🌐 All Our Links
📘 Follow on Facebook
📸 Instagram – @toprank_ivi_sean_morris
📺 YouTube – Toprank Importers

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