Leon’s gtr was the most slept on car in the first movie. I never understood why it wasn’t more talked about

Imagine waking up every day and going to work to arrest people for owning a car. This country is so fucked.

Feds spend decades locating 2 cars, completely ignore the trainloads of fentanyl and border hoppers.

I always just imagined Leon as a guy that knew his car would smoke anyone in his crew but just didn’t care……lol

Such a sad ending, still one of my favorite cars in the franchise!

Boggles the mind how truly un-free we are below the façade

Rip big bird...you will be missed dearly 🙏

It's such a shame that imported cars in situations like that don't get deported, especially the ones that actually hold some sort of value. It would have been really cool had it become a tuning test car back in Japan

Even sadder is Leon seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. Where is Leon?

My favourite model Skyline. Crushed for no good reason. This hurts my soul.

I really admire that idea he brought up that the yellow r33 would act kinda as decoy and lure cops away ... It would've made a good scene or 2

It always bugged me that the r33 was just essentially a background car.....

To be honest I find Craig's stories about this series more interesting than the actual movies. It was so frustrating watching a legend be treated like an unpaid extra. Its good to finally know why.

Before Brian was the GT-R king. There was Leon.

😊paul was a great guy in person.i knew him 15 years. I worked with him on VARSITY BLUES . We chatted lots bout cars. He enjoyed me talking bout the hakosuka my dad had when i was a kid in Japan. He enjoyed my turboed 240sx s14 as well on set. He had fun driving it as well. We chatted lots bout jdm cars,since i grew up around alot of the OG jdm cars in Japan.great video as always, Craig. ❤❤❤❤👍🏼👍🏼🤜🏼🤛🏼😁

16:05 is enough to make a man cry

When F&F came out I wasn't into imports cuz I was a 13 year old from a muscle car/truck family. The next year I picked up a '90 B12 Sentra fastback and my buddy I'd ride bikes to school with got an '89 CRX ex-show car. It was a decent combo, he had the bodykit, stereo and neon underglow while I stuck to bolt-ons, exhaust and suspension work. If it wasn't for F&F I would probably still be dreaming of Dodge Vipers and Ford RS200's. It still took me about 10 years to figure out what kinda of imports I like, turns out it's early Datsuns and 80's Nissans mostly, although I do really miss my is300 being the best daily. Someday I'll get something that really represents the 90's tuner culture. My current project is a Z31 300zx, I've always loved their body lines but this one is a turd I got for free from my friends brother when he got evicted and couldn't take the Z with him. I'm gonna give it my best shot over the next few years and we'll see what happens. 8pt cage going in soon and will probably be expanded apon later. This is all your fault, Craig! Lol

Such a shame for a car and for the Leon that didnt come back in f&f sequels.I hope he comes back.

30k for a R33... Now a cool poster of it costs that much

Always loved Leon's GTR

Like many of the time, my introduction to the GT-R Skylike R33 was on Gran Turismo on the PlayStation. When I saw and heard about that car I looked and scoured the what little internet I could find only to have my hopes crushed (no pun intended) that it was not viable to bring to the USA due to DMV and DOT regulations. Seeing it in the first F&F movie was the closest I could get to one at the time. I eventually heard stories about it being crushed but never got the full story until I saw the previous story that was posted. Sad story but unfortunately that's the rules and laws when it comes to trying to import vehicles.

I heard about the r33 story back in 2011 still can't believe it gone

Leon's GTR was my favorite car out of Toretto's crew. A shame it didn't get more screentime, but at least it was a nice introduction to the Skyline-family, and a forefront for the R-34 in the later movies.

Good atuffgood stuff Craig- I always look foward to your stories👍

Love these videos Craig! Keep them coming !

Love this old intro, Craig❤

Cars that were never sold in the states should automatically be eligible for import, the whole reason for the import laws was to stop importing cars from other countries for cheaper than they were being sold for here, which doesn't apply to cars that aren't even sold here.

Imo, the r33 and the fd rx7 are the most JDM cars of the 90s, its something about the body lines and the stance that do it for me.

I remember seeing the movie for the first time thinking the steering wheel is on the wrong side, having absolutely no knowledge of these cars. Back then we understood Civics, Eclipses, and to some degree RX7s. But the only “import tuner” cars we could afford were Eagle Talons lol.

If anyone should make a tribute car it should definitely be this one. Truly sad ending to the real one. RIP Big Bird.

I always wondered why Leon had the best car with no screen time

Wow, thanks for sharing!!!

These videos are so cool, please don't stop making them

I literally cried at the end. I hate how much control the government of a supposedly free country has over us.

Very informative information. I am a fast and furious fan that love all content about the franchise.

The R33 is my favorite Skyline. They get the least amount of love but I love 'em.

Since the backstory of Leon and the Big Bird is kind of blank, allow me to fill it with a theory. Leon is the fastest racer the franchise has ever seen. Constantly on the run from police because of his role of distracting and tracking police for racing. He is only seen when he has to be seen.

Love your videos Mr liberman

could you give us any information on the Mr2 spyders from 2 fast 2 furious . they sound so amazing

Always loved this R33! It was a cool and interesting inclusion in the movie, even though it was a bit out of place as that car wasn’t even officially sold in the US and also had the steering wheel on the right side... Like an outcast in the middle of the 240 SX, Maxima, Jetta, RX-7, Eclipse etc. All cars that were part of the tuner scene in the US market.

What a shame. Aside from the fact that GTR would be worth a butt ton now, it was also an awesome piece of JDM history, especially on the State side. Thank you for the peak behind the curtain, and thank you for what you've done for the gear heads in the film industry.

Nice video , quick question tho... towards the end of the video , you mentioned the last owner of big bird , justin beno ... have you had a chance to also interview him ? I feel , there is a huge gap in these videos on the big bird build after he took ownership.

The R33 is my favorite car in The Fast and Furious. Always loved it. Btw when was the front bumper/splitter changed as shown at 7:23? It has the N1 if I'm not mistaken, with the square ducts. In the movie it doesn't.

Your dad is proud of you buddy. Keep going, we love you & your girl. And oh my god Oskar!

Id love to see Leon have his own side story, from his own beginnings, to being in doms crew, to after the crew split after the last heist they did. It would be nice to know what happened to his character after the first original fast and furious movie and it would be a good way to show more of the r33 gtr and bring the franchise back to its original roots of street racing.

I think Leon was probably one of the smartest characters in F&F he was a hangout and saw how the story played out and said F this Im out 😂

Was in the marines on a westpac in 2000. Been doing great on GT2 with a GTR. Had a port stop in Singapore…..crossing the street, at the crosswalk sat my first in the flesh GTR. Clean silver.

Didn't like the R33 that much, but now you're making me all sad and emotional. 😭

Nice! I have the tuner mag with the big bird r33 on the cover. Didn't know it was the same car

It's pretty sad the government is more worried about seizing and destroying cars than criminals. Owning a Skyline or any car isn't hurting anyone. Our country is screwed up. Rest in peace Big Bird and the purple R33 GTR.

11:53 That isn’t the cover of the "January 1999" issue though. That’s the "April 2003" issue. That R33 also appeared in the SPORT COMPACT CAR "November 1999" issue. (It can be seen on the cover, which also has a blue all-original GT-R R34.) 🙂

Such a cool story about these cars!! This GTR is a horrible story of government overreach

He shouldve stayed in the franchise ! Make another movie and bring him back!

I was talking about this car non-stop after seeing the movie asking why it wasn’t Paul Walker’s car. Seriously you should be able to import just about any car you want, and just pay extra taxes or something like that. I mean how many people are actually going to do this? Not many. I get “safety” is a concern, but there should be some sort of qualification for a car to be considered an “exotic”

This was always my favorite car in the movie. Still hoping to own 1 one day in midnight purple

Been following you for a while now and when i heard about this i was quite sad

I remember Meet you at the casting call for the 2nd F&F movie! (I was that lowered Primer Black Cavalier with the full body kit that you had looked at, sadly my car didn't have that look you were going after for the 2bd movie)

My friend worked at this junkyard I still have the news magazine, this was big story in Green Bay

I am an older guy... grew up in the 70s street racing with muscle cars in a small town. Back then, if the cops couldn't catch you, you got a way free. Think "American Graffiti" with late 60s and early 70s cars... anyway Fast and Furious was my first introduction to performance Japanese cars. I knew they existed, just didn't know anything about them. I now own two "car toys": a 2014 CTS-V coupe with some mods and a 1999 Mazda Protege with (mostly suspension) mods. Of the two, the Mazda is a lot more fun to drive... and a LOT cheaper to fix when something goes wrong. The V is a beast but it costs a lot to own and operate and you always worry about banging it up or shredding the supercharger or rear end whereas the Mazda handles like it is glued to the road (due to the mods) and even though the horsepower isn't there the 5 speed manual makes it feel like a 1960s sports car. If I tear something up it is easy and cheap to put back but honestly, it rarely breaks. A lot to be said for cars from the Land of Nippon.

Rest in peace Big Bird 😥

I see you have a Bretiling @Craig Lieberman! Nice!

i was stationed at yokota ab japan for 3 years 2016-2019, i have activated the windshield wipers on my 2002 Toyota Altezza Hatchback more times than i care to admit! lol

Yessssss !!!! This is why I love you bro 🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟

I feel so old seeing the vhs clips of this car. I remember the day me & my ex went & saw this movie in theaters. It was kinda funny seeing people afterwards in the movie parking lot wanting to be like the movie. Kids an others were revving up there old cars, trucks & mom & dads cars. Seeing people trying to burn out in minivans & pickup trucks was hilarious.

Its soo unfortunate,the R33 was pretty underrated,i love leon's R33,i was sad when i heard the news

Amazing Video.........❤❤❤

Leon was the smartest one of the squad. He made that U-turn on the highway and never looked back 😂

I remember them I had Gran Turismo 2 & 4 in the day. Now days it's Gran Turismo VS Forza I have Forza H 5 now days. All good memories

I totally forgot about Super Street, Import Tuner, and Euro Tuner. I miss collecting physical magazines. 😢

Very interesting, that's footage of the GTR doing a drag race looks a lot like LACR in Little Rock California

I loved that r33 and wish it had more screen time.

Are there any pics or videos of it crushed?

Then i first saw this car in a movie i know nothig about JDM cars, but something tell me that this unknown car is real deal, it was love at first sight.

U the whole reason and inspiration I want to create fast and furious original game u made these car come to life🥰😍 incredible

I loved my r32 gtr, sold it to my friend. I got mine in 2006. Canada's 15-year import rule is awesome.. I had an r33 gtr but found it too heavy.

please talk about the maxima id love to learn about it !!!

my buddy angel worked at motorex , i saw bigbird stored in the back of the shop in the corner .. Angel did the epoxy floor there with the logo embedded.

I remember seeing the Motorex GTRs on the freeways in LA. Back then the freeways weren’t as full.

In 2009 I saw some GTR engine parts on Ebay and asked the seller (Justin) if he had more, dude says "sure come on by". Grabbed 2 buddies and drove the 30 miles up to Green Bay, had no clue we would get to see his purple R33 in a modest 2 car garage in the middle of Green Bay, much less Big Bird sitting sideways in the back of the garage, no motor in it at the time. Was still yellow though with the blue cage. Was a surreal night for a few dsm guys lol, really sucks how things turned out.

Heeeey cool! I worked on one of the stunt Supras back in the day. I believe it was the one that hit the sign in fnf II.

I remember back in the early 1980`s when I was a kid growing up in Johannesburg, the South African Police had 3 litre, 6 cylinder Nissan Skyline`s, painted yellow with a single blue light on the roof, you still see the odd 1980`s Skyline running around over there, all be it in very bad shape...

Favorite from the movies that I saw

The Fast And The Furious has the best cars from the whole franchies.

There was a GTX Kenmari ('76 iirc) on ebay back in 2005 that I was trying to buy but things went south with the sale. I'd be curious to know if anyone still has that Skyline. It was rust bucket but had tons of potential.

Any idea what color were his other r33’s?

Leons was so hard to recreate in video games cause of the low screen time. Part of why i like it so much, nobody did it cause it took too much effort lol!

What rims did your supra have at 0:27? Those things look sick 😮

With the blue cage iconic

And we want to hear stories about Paul. Most people dont even understand was the first movie did for the car scene. All the cops sitting outside the movie theaters after it. The tuner scene blew up so big. These were the good days of cars. I miss those days. I wish the FF series would go back to racing or drifting or both or something

Too bad the R33 ended life the way it did, was awesome back in 2001 to see it on screen. Another great video Craig, thanks for sharing 👍🏼

Not only did most people not know what the car was, but they weren't going to be legal for another 20 years in the US anyway.

Seeing these "never seen before in the USA cars" back in the day was breathtaking for me as a kid! We normie US Americans only knew Nissan, Toyota, Honda, etc, to be affordable economy cars at that time. I've only been interested in Japanese cars since then.

Damn based on the history not just with F&F but all the press/magazines afterwards this 33 would fetch a crazy price now. Such a shame it was crushed.

still wild to me that ancient American-built vehicles are allowed on the roads, but a late 90's Japanese car isn't. Safety standards etc etc I get that, but if the concern was really all about keeping people safe, they'd ban old cars that didn't meet whatever modern regulations.

The first Fast & Furious always had the most "true to import scene" cars.

Man this could almost be a piece of historic value. If only the value of both those cars was realised back then today.

That’s sad , the feds would go through all of that to track a car, meanwhile they would leave the borders wide open, and say , “ nothing to see here folks!

When I was standing in line to watch the movie I rember an older guy (he was in his early 30s i was 18 at the time) making a big deal about the car being in the movie. He was talking to the people with him saying he was excited to see it. It must have been in the previews or something because he was hyped I didnt know much about them and i was kinda in the sceen. I had a 1998 manual maxima which was a quick car at the time and there was a maxima in the movie but i think it was a auto.

heartbreaking...

One of my favorite cars in the movie