Updated October 14, 2026 · USAutozilla
In 1988 Bill Gates bought a Porsche 959. US Customs took it, and kept it for thirteen years. The car sat in a bonded warehouse at the Port of San Francisco because it had no DOT certification and no EPA certification, which made it, legally, contraband. The campaign to free it produced a new federal rule in 1999 — Show or Display — and that rule is why a handful of famous cars can be driven in America at all.
Here is the part most people have not caught up with: for the 959 itself, none of that matters any more. Every 959 is now over 25 years old. It imports like any other classic, with no petition, no approval and no mileage limit.
Why the 959 could not be imported
Federal safety standards are not a paperwork exercise. To certify a car to FMVSS, a manufacturer destroys examples in crash tests. Porsche built 337 road cars and declined to surrender four of them to be wrecked for a market it was not selling in. Without certification there was no legal route for a private owner either: a 959 entering the US was seized or held in bond.
So the cars came in anyway and stopped at the dock. Gates’s 959, and Paul Allen’s, were among them. Bruce Canepa in California spent years building a federalisation programme for the few that could be converted. Most owners simply waited.
What Show or Display actually did
The rule took effect on 13 August 1999. It allows NHTSA to exempt a vehicle from FMVSS compliance when the car has historical or technological significance, was built in limited numbers, cannot reasonably be made compliant, and has no equivalent model certified for US sale.
- It is case by case. You apply to NHTSA for a specific make, model and year. Once that combination is approved, later imports of the same one do not need a fresh application.
- It caps your driving at 2,500 miles a year. NHTSA originally proposed 500. The figure that made it into the final rule was 2,500, matching an insurance threshold for limited-use vehicles.
- It does not touch the EPA. Show or Display is a safety exemption only. Emissions requirements are a separate problem with a separate form.
Gates’s car was released once the rule was in force. The 1987–1988 959 is on NHTSA’s approved list to this day.
The 25-year rule is a different thing entirely
Show or Display is an exemption you have to be granted. The 25-year rule is an exemption you simply have.
| Show or Display | 25-year rule | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Historical or technological significance | Age alone |
| Approval | Application to NHTSA, model by model | None. Box 1 on form HS-7 |
| Mileage limit | 2,500 miles per year | None |
| Emissions | EPA rules still apply in full | Exempt at 21 years in original configuration, form 3520-1 code E |
| Which cars | A published list of significant models | Any vehicle 25 years past its build month |
The clock that matters for the 25-year rule is the month of manufacture on the build plate, not the model year and not the first registration. A car one month short can be refused entry. We cover both forms in detail in HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 explained.
So what should you use today?
For anything built in 2001 or earlier: the 25-year rule, every time. It is free, automatic, and it lets you actually drive the car. Show or Display only remains useful for cars that are still too young — a 2005 Ferrari FXX, say — and it brings the mileage cap and the EPA problem with it.
Several cars once famous for needing Show or Display have quietly aged out of it:
- Porsche 959 (1987–1988) — eligible outright since 2012–2013.
- Jaguar XJ220 (1992–1994) — eligible now.
- Bugatti EB110 (1991–1995) — eligible now.
- McLaren F1 (1992–1998) — eligible now.
- Lancia Delta S4 Stradale, Ferrari F40 LM, and most of the 1980s and early-1990s list.
If you were told years ago that one of these required a petition and a 2,500-mile leash, that advice has expired.
What the 959 still demands
The legal problem is solved. The car is not simple.
- Documentation from Porsche Classic. With 337 cars, every chassis is traceable, and provenance is most of the value.
- The hollow magnesium wheels. They are age-limited, Porsche has supplied replacements, and this is a genuine cost and a genuine safety item — not a detail.
- The hydraulics. Ride height and damping are 959-specific systems with 959-specific prices.
- Standing time. Many 959s show very low mileage because they have not moved in years. That is a problem to budget for, not a selling point.
We currently have one in Germany. See the Porsche 959 buying guide, or the full inventory.
Sources
- NHTSA, Show or Display rule, in force 13 August 1999; list of approved vehicles.
- 49 CFR 591.5(i) and NHTSA form HS-7 (25-year safety exemption).
- EPA form 3520-1, code E (21-year emissions exemption, original configuration).
This is general information, not legal advice. Your customs broker confirms the treatment of a specific vehicle on the entry date.
Before you pay a deposit: how to prove a car is old enough with the build plate.
Shipping method: RoRo or container, and what each one allows.
Looking for a specific European car?
We find it in Europe, have it inspected where it is, and deliver it to a US port with the import paperwork done. Start a custom search or browse the inventory.