These foreign sports cars were never made available to the Americans, which is a shame because they’re really cool.
There are a number of reasons why foreign cars are illegal or simply not available in the US. This could include failed safety or emissions tests. Some countries may just have lower safety standards due to a generally lax approach to health and safety in general – often in poor developing countries where safety standards are difficult to afford.
In other countries, safety crash tests may be different than in the United States. One reason for this is that most other countries drive smaller cars than the US. So modeling is more about whether a midsize family car hits you than a big F-350 or Hummer. There are simply none of these vehicles in Europe, so cars designed for European roads may not be up to the standards required by the US. Here are 10 exotic foreigners Sports car You can’t buy in the US.
9 Pegaso Z-103
Via Wikipedia
Not the greatest success story of the Spanish car company Pegaso. Produced from 1955 to 1958, the Z-103 was Pegaso’s second and last sports car to be manufactured before the sports car escapade ended and returned to commercial vehicles.
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But what the Z-103 lacks in commercial success it makes up for in rarity. Only 3 are known to have been built but unfortunately they never got the green light to import.
8th Morgan Roadster
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Believe it or not, the Morgan Roadster is a modern car that is currently in production. However, importing this vehicle is a problem due to the lack of safety features such as the lack of airbags. The NHTSA has refused to allow these on American roads.
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There is some hope, however, as Morgan’s Aero 8 has been released for the United States. The Morgan Roadster was introduced in 2004 as a replacement for the Morgan Plus 8 and is largely identical except for upgrades to its Ford V6 mechanics.
7th Noble M600
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This handcrafted, low-production vehicle was built by British sports car maker Noble Automotive in Leicestershire, England and is powered by a Volvo / Yamaha V8 engine with two turbochargers.
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The Noble M600 takes a certain laissez-faire attitude towards safety, and so you will face some steep hurdles when importing it into the USA. But this vehicle has something else to offer – it’s one of the fastest cars ever made.
6th Weismann GT MF5
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The 2011 Wiesmann GT MF5 was a limited production with only 55 cars ever produced. To pass the US crash safety tests, you have to find and smash three of them. If only a few dozen of them still exist, it would be a shame.
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In addition, two of these will be sold in Europe for around $ 300,000 each from April 2021.
5 Porsche 959 S.
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When the Porsche 959 S was first introduced in the late 1980s, it was the fastest legal street production car in the world. In some variants, its 575 horsepower engine could reach speeds of up to 211 mph.
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Not only will you face massive import problems if the government refuses to give a “show or display” exemption on the 1989 model, but it will also empty your pockets when the last one costs $ 1.1 million. Dollar is being sold.
4th Lotus 340R
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In the UK and Europe this car is road legal although most cars are only used for track use and racing. Only 340 were ever built and all were pre-purchased before they were even made.
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It was introduced as a concept car at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show and to weigh under 1500 pounds it has no doors, radio, trunk or windows. They were made from a body, without a door and without a roof.
3 TVR Tuscan
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The TVR Tuscan is banned in the US – like all cars from this company. This front-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car was manufactured in Blackpool, England and only 174 cars were built.
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It was produced between 1967 and 1971 and was available with either a V8 engine or a V6 engine format.
2 TVR Cerbera
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This great touring sports car was manufactured in Blackpool, England between 1996 and 2006. It is named after Cerberus, the three-headed guardian in Greek mythology of the entrance to Hades (the underworld).
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But this too is facing an unfortunate import ban to the USA from 2017. So you have to find one during a European tour to experience the 420 hp of the V8 and the 0-60 time of 4 seconds.
1 1987 BMW M6
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With 1,800 units sold, the 1987 BMW M6 has a larger production number than many on this list, but if you still want to import a full-fledged version of this European car, you’ll be staring straight into the barrel of an NHTSA ban.
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The BMW M6 is a high-performance variant of the 6 Series and was one of the fastest cars in America – although the European specification models were banned.
To sum up, Europe has many stunning sports cars that just don’t meet American emissions or safety standards.
About the author
Aaron Spray
(35 articles published)
Aaron is best known for his father jokes and his tendency to hitchhike around the world. Hailing from New Zealand, you just never know where this wandering kiwi will show up (on occasion it is actually New Zealand). While Aaron may have graduated with an accounting degree, it quickly became apparent that a natural and adventurous lifestyle would suit him. He has a torch for writing and has taught English around the world for years. As a nerd, he’s always interested in researching a variety of interesting topics, including the past and future history of English.
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