Donut Media Recommends ‘Cult of GT-R’ in New Video on MotoRex and GT-R Crime
Donut Media host Jimmy Hilton holds a copy of the book ‘Cult of GT-R’ published by Carrara Media in a YouTube video about the controversial Nissan Skyline GT-R.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R has a notorious history full of scandal, smuggling and mystery. This criminal car world was chronicled in the 2023 book Cult of GT-R, written by Ryan K. ZumMallen and published by Carrara Media. Since then a lot has changed in the GT-R community, but interest in the sports car that became a federal regulators’ nightmare has only increased. Donut Media recently highlighted the saga, and host Jimmy Hilton made special mention of Cult of GT-R as a resource that he heartily recommends. Here’s everything to know about it.
Donut Media video entitled ‘Why this Fast & Furious Car had to be Destroyed’ featuring host Jimmy Hilton on the scandal of the Nissan Skyline GT-R.
Cult of GT-R and the birth of the MotoRex legend
The video opens with the story of Hiro Nanahoshi, a Japanese vehicle importer/exporter who moved to the U.S. during the 1990s. Nanahoshi — better known as “Hiro” — founded the company MotoRex in Southern California and had the idea to locate Nissan Skyline GT-Rs in Japan and offer them to U.S. customers. The GT-R was not allowed in the U.S. however, due to importing laws designed to protect domestic dealerships. This became known as the “25-Year Rule” which made the Skyline GT-R impossible to sell in the states. But that didn’t stop Hiro.
Detailed in Cult of GT-R, Hiro and the MotoRex team created a complex process to modify Skyline GT-Rs to legally meet U.S. safety and emissions standards. This even involved crash testing the valuable sports cars. Eventually, MotoRex was granted a loophole called VCP-17. And sales of the modified Skyline GT-Rs began. MotoRex took orders from enthusiasts who never dreamed they would own a Skyline GT-R in the U.S. Buyers could choose from the original R32 Skyline GT-R nicknamed “Godzilla,” the R33 Skyline GT-R and even the then-new R34 Skyline GT-R. Limited editions and rare versions were available by special order.
An R34 Skyline GT-R in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy Larry Chen, author of Life At Shutter Speed (Carrara Media, 2025).
MotoRex hits it big
Hiro and MotoRex quickly attracted a lot of attention. They earned coverage in auto magazines and websites, and contributed an R33 Skyline GT-R demo car included in the first The Fast And The Furious film. The car was wrapped in bright yellow and nicknamed “Big Bird.” Simply seeing a GT-R in a U.S. film left a lasting impression on car fans. MotoRex became known as the company you could turn to for one of these rare vehicles, straight from Japan.
MotoRex was becoming famous, but it wasn’t necessarily bringing in profits. It took a lot of investment to certify cars for sale, and Skyline GT-Rs weren’t yet widely popular with established collectors. That left a small pool of potential buyers. Meanwhile, Hiro regularly missed work and was often seen partying at expensive Los Angeles clubs. Buyers became frustrated when their cars weren’t available when promised. The book Cult of GT-R uncovered court files from lawsuits filed against MotoRex and Hiro by multiple members of the U.S. military, documenting their issues with missed deadlines and undelivered promises.
A swift downfall
Hiro was arrested in 2006 on $1 million bail for the alleged assault and attempted kidnapping of a business associate. The case dragged on, Hiro eventually left the country to visit his ailing father in Japan. He never returned. Meanwhile, federal regulators rescinded MotoRex’s exemption and the company shut down. In the Donut video, Hilton cites Cult of GT-R for reporting that MotoRex likely sold about 111 cars in seven years of operation. Its closure brought the era of legalized Skyline GT-Rs to an end. Potential buyers now had to wait for the cars to turn 25 years old, which began to happen in 2014.
Today, the R32 and R33 Skyline GT-R are eligible to import. Many examples of the R34 Skyline GT-R are legal, though not all of them have hit their 25th birthday yet. As for Big Bird? MotoRex sold the infamous Fast And Furious car during its long downward spiral. Eventually it came into the hands of a buyer in the Midwest who was pulled over without proper paperwork. When he couldn’t certify that the car wasn’t 100-percent legal, he was charged and the car was crushed. It was a sad ending, but perhaps a fitting whimper, to one part of the salacious GT-R story.
An accurate depiction of what Skyline GT-R owners could expect in the early 2000s.
Image by Donut Media.
To learn more, order Cult of GT-R today.