The Inner Workings of Import Vehicle Giant Toprank
Sean Morris of Toprank International Vehicle Importers talks about his amazing and rather busy profession.
Living the Dream
We like to imagine that working at a JDM vehicle importer is a true dream job, one that allows a person access to some of the coolest machines ever produced. And judging by Super Street's recent conversation with Sean Morris from Toprank International Vehicle Importers, that certainly seems to be the case. The Navy vet has been a car dealer pretty much his entire life, but now, he's quite literally living the dream at one of the nation's largest JDM importers.
Photos: Super Street
Crossing Paths
Morris and his dad came to the U.S. from New Zealand back in 1980, and by 1989, they were importing cars into the country. When he was just 16, the younger Morris took his first trip to Japan and fell in love with the car scene there before serving six years in the Navy. When he came back, he got back into the family business and also worked at Motorex for a couple of years. It was there that he met Yaska Kosuge, the President of Toprank Vehicle Importers in America.
Photos: Super Street
Standing Out
Morris has helped Toprank remain atop the JDM import market in the U.S. despite some hefty competition in recent years. They've done so by working hard to do the little things others cannot, like bringing JDM cars up to California compliance standards, even though 90 percent of its business comes from other states.
Photos: Super Street
Record Demand
Morris says that demand for JDM imports has skyrocketed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Everyone we talk to in the specialty car business - financers, insurers, etc. - say everything is selling; not so much run-of-the-mill used car or new car sales, but specialty vehicles - like exotics and supercars, and imported cars - are really selling these days. People can't travel because of COVID restrictions, and they're looking for something to spend their money on, and that includes cars imported from Japan."
Photos: Super Street
Major Business
In its now five years of operating in the U.S., Toprank has sold a total of 600 cars, which is quite a bit in this business. The majority of their sales revolve around the Nissan Skyline, particularly the GT-R, but they have quite a bit of eye candy to soak in on a daily basis.
Photos: Super Street
Eye Candy
Yes, there's plenty of eye candy to soak in at Toprank on any given day, and you can check out the importer's current inventory by heading over here. But be forewarned - you're extremely likely to find something that you'll be highly tempted to bring home.
Photos: Super Street
