We've all looked longingly and lovingly at the auto shows in Europe and Japan and wondered how we might drive some of the awesome cars that don't make it to the states. Turns out, a passport, plane ticket and rental agreement might be the only way.

Sure, some lustworthy Euro-spec cars can make it in. Witness the list of Show and Display cars the overlords at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration OK'd despite the fact that not one of them meets government safety standards.

Such cars must be exceedingly rare, historically significant and driven a mere 2,500 miles annually. But if you think a boatload of money and reams of paperwork can get any car into the country, think again.

Today, we present some of the cars people tried to import under Show and Display that were rejected by Uncle Sam. We aren't talking about fanboy fantasies here, but actual cars that someone went to the trouble of tracking down and applying to the feds for.

These are the cars your government doesn't want you to have.

Above:

So many people have tried to bring Skylines into the United States that we're pretty sure NHTSA's phone directory sounds something like this: "Thank you for calling the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For vehicle-safety-recall information, press 1. If you are inquiring about importing a Nissan Skyline, forget it. No way, no how. Have a nice day."

The Skyline has almost as dedicated a fan base in North America as in Japan, and the cars can often be seen on the streets of British Columbia. However, despite countless tries of countless models, the Skyline — with the exception of the 1999 GTR R34 V-Spec Early Model Limited Edition — remains forbidden.

Sadly, a number of Skylines have been crushed by the feds after unscrupulous importers skirted laws with ingenious, er, shady methods like disassembling the vehicles and re-registering them as kit cars.

Photo: gracewong/Flickr