Someone breaking that 25-year importation rule in the States is responsible for this classic Mini getting crushed in New Jersey
Members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection held a press conference Thursday at a scrapyard to show the efforts of “Operation Atlantic,” an initiative launched in March to work with British authorities to curb the illegal importation of vehicles that do not comply with federal standards, according to NJ.com.
The Mini seen here had a VIN from a 1988 RHD model, even though it’s clearly one of the last Minis made up through 2000. Because those models aren’t 25 years old and cannot yet be imported to the U.S. (and never met our emissions and safety standards for new cars to be sold here), it’s an outlaw. And the government ordered it destroyed.
Customs and Border Protection put on a similar spectacle last year when they destroyed an illegally imported Land Rover Defender on camera.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch this lovely Mini crushed, but clearly a sign of the Feds trying to stop the flow of cars making their way to the U.S. and skirting regulations.
You can watch the painful video below, courtesy of NJ.com.