Wanting what you can’t have is natural, which is the theme for this top 10. Here’s a list of all the cool cars we missed out on over the years.
These cars never made it to our roads (at not for street-legal use) and few are still being built. These are the vehicles that car fans and enthusiasts all wanted to get their hands on, but for one reason or another, weren’t sold in the U.S. Read on to find out what made the list.
It’s unfortunate that the Skyline GT-R never made it here, even if the legend did. It features all-wheel drive, a turbo six-cylinder engine and lots of potential for personalization and engine modification. These stars of Gran Turismo competed with the Supra, RX-7 and 3000GT in the 1990s, but didn’t reach North America.
Making over 300 hp at its peak, the Skyline is a performance monster and a global icon for enthusiasts. We missed out on the very best that Nissan had to offer car lovers and the only way we can get them now is used thanks to grey-market import laws.
We finally did get the replacement for the Skyline GT-R in the United States. Simply called the GT-R, it’s quite different than the old Skyline. Longer, wider and heavier, at least the new GT-R features a progression of its predecessor’s all-wheel drive setup and maintains the turbocharged six-cylinder philosophy.
Sure we have the two-door GTI, but it doesn’t have the styling and appeal of the modern Scirocco. Buyers in North America had a narrow window to buy a Scirocco before it was replaced by the Corrado in 1988. When Volkswagen updated its styling language, the Scirocco became a shining example of VW’s top design.
If you really hate feeling left out, we won’t bring up the Scirocco R – oh wait, we just did. Basically a front-wheel drive version of the Golf R it currently makes 276 hp.
Every year, Volkswagen teases us with the idea of actually bringing the Scirocco to the North American market and every year we patiently wait. Maybe 2014 will be different.
Audi’s impressive wagon was the first car to be designated with the “RS” initials. In the mid-90s, the RS2 was capable of hitting 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. For reference, the modern RS4 does that sprint in 4.7 seconds. To say the RS2 was impressive is an understatement. Built by Porsche, the RS2 featured a 311-hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission.
We couldn’t get something like the RS2 Avant for nearly 20 years, when the B7 Audi RS4 finally hit the US in 2007. A nice consolation prize, Americans were late to the party when it came to superfast Audi wagons, and missed the premier model entirely.
We love the Focus ST, not just because it’s a crazy 262-hp hot hatch, but because it’s the fastest one to reach North America yet. Meanwhile, Ford of Europe has been historically selfish with the RS models for some time, including the 2010 RS500, which packs an insane 350 hp and menacing styling.
Only 500 were built, and they sprint to 60 MPH in 5.6 seconds although the real reward is probably the arm workout you get while trying to keep the car straight under full throttle. We missed out on this model, but at least there’s the ST. Ford is hinting that it plans to build another RS model in the near future, but hasn’t confirmed as much officially. Here’s hoping they bring it to the U.S. this time.
We love trucks, so what ever happened to practical car-truck combos like the El Camino? They’re all in Australia. With practical cargo hauling capability combined with rear-wheel drive and front-biased weight distribution the Holden Commodore Ute is hoonable in any form and hard not to pine for.
Did we forget to talk about the Holder Special Vehicles (HSV) Maloo R8 that features a 6.2-liter V8? That motor makes 425-hp and allowed the Ute to hit 60 mph in about five seconds.
GM recently began offering its large rear-drive Aussie sedan, the SS, here in North America. Admittedly, it’s proving to be a slow seller.
Ford could have also released a full-size, rear-wheel drive sedan and even if the SS is a stinker on the sales charts, we wish Ford would bring a version of the Falcon here. Let’s be honest, the Taurus isn’t cool, no matter who you ask and what trim you get it in. The Ford Falcon features exciting powertrain options that include a turbo inline-six that makes 362 hp. A non-turbo model makes 261 hp while an EcoBoost four-cylinder sends 240 turbocharged ponies to the rear wheels.
There was a time when Toyota was on a roll with performance cars. Its sporty history includes of the MR2, AE86 Corolla, the Supra and even the Celica. But for some reason the very best Celicas missed the boat to North American show-rooms.
The model we actually did get in North America, called the All-Trac, but we missed out on the most bad-ass model, the Celica GT-Four RC. A WRC hologation special, it was also called the Carlos Sainz, or Group A, depending on the market you saw it in. It featured an air-to-water intercooler and the hood was modified to improve ventilation. It also received a Torsen limited-slip rear differential to compliment the viscous LSD center diff, while second and third gear featured upgraded synchros. To top it all off, the car was equipped with short shifter – like a true rally car.
Looking back, it’s a real shame that this car didn’t make it here, especially to compete with the likes of other rally-inspired cars like the Subaru Impreza WRX of the time.
The Mitsubishi FTO was a sporty coupe designed solely for sale in Japan. With a high-revving (redline was practically 8,500 rpm) 2.0-liter V6 engine, the FTO was awesome, yet simple.
Think of the Mitsubishi FTO as a front-wheel drive version of the modern Scion FR-S. It featured just 200 hp, but had a weight figure below 2,700 lbs and was intended to be a cheap, sporty alternative to the expensive and high-tech 3000 GT. A secret kept for the young Japanese enthusiast, the FTO would have prospered in America as an alternative to the Ford Probe, Mazda MX-6 and Hyundai Tiburon – three sporty coupes that promised much and delivered very little.
Oh the things that could have been, but never were. This gorgeous front-wheel drive, Pininfarina designed Fiat Coupe launched in 1993 and was in production until 2000. Roughly 72,000 examples were sold. While that may not sound impressive, the car did feature some solid mechanics: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine made 220 hp.
Some disclosure: now that there are no more rotary powered new cars available, we really miss them. Yes, they’re unreliable, fuel thirsty and down on torque but they had a certain flair of exclusivity. The Mazda Eunos Cosmo was like a more bad-ass Mazda RX-7 turbo. With a sequential turbo setup that made 300 hp, the Eunos Cosmo had the power of the RX-7, but it with a premium cabin and high-tech features. For example, in the cockpit was one of the world’s first in-car GPS navigation system.