10 Amazing Sports Cars We Didn’t Get In America

The world has produced some stunning sports cars. There are marvels that have been manufactured in every corner of the planet. Sharing these wonders of engineering is one of the many things that brings the car community together. From supercar, manufacturers like Pagani to humble automakers like Suzuki, everyone has had their moment in the sun.

However, not all of these brilliantly fun sports cars have made their way onto North American shores. From JDM classics to European one-hit wonders, there are a ton of top-tier vehicles that those in the States have quite simply missed out on. This is a shame, considering the roaring amounts of fun drivers had around the world in these foreign works of art.

From classics in the sporting world that everyone has heard of to niche cars that never left their domestic market, we have curated a list of the best cars that America never got.

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10 1973 Volkswagen SP2

Top Speed: 100 MPH

While many think of Volkswagen as the producer of sensible sedans and hot hatches, they have produced some interesting sporty cars. Back in the 1970s, Volkswagen’s Brazilian arm was left surprisingly to its own devices, independently producing a number of interesting cars including the SP2.

Performance

The SP2 was Volkswagen’s attempt to take on local rivals, like the Puma. Despite its absolutely beautiful styling, the SP2 suffered from a disappointingly noticeable lack of power. While this means that the SP2 wasn’t particularly quick, it was still a wonderfully designed car.

9 1974 Lancia Stratos

Top Speed: 142 MPH

Lancia is a name that is synonymous with rallying and the Stratos is a huge part of this legacy. It was the first of its kind, being a car that was built from the ground up purely for the sake of rally racing. It is easy to see the influence of the Stratos’ designer, Marcello Gandini, the man behind the stunning looks of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach.

Performance

The Stratos achieved multiple titles in the World Rallying Championship and the Monte Carlo Rally thanks to its innovative engineering. With a body built like a Lamborghini and the V-6 engine straight out of the workshops of Ferrari, it’s an absolute shame that drivers in the US never got their chance at this work of automotive art.

8 1984 Peugeot 205 GTI

Top Speed: 129 MPH

Considered to be the tamest of the big three French car manufacturers, Peugeot was looking to put itself ahead of its rivals. In 1984 they managed to do just that with one of the most incredible superminis ever produced, the 205 GTi.

Performance

The Peugeot 205 was already highly regarded and had won a plethora of awards when Peugeot decided to release their performance variant. There are few cars that have ever been able to reproduce the roaring fun this little supermini managed to muster in its first generation, including Peugeot themselves. While there were rumors of them entering the North American market, that sadly never came to fruition.

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7 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

Top Speed: 150 MPH

The Ford Sierra was a European exclusive. In 1983 Ford Motorsport in Europe was in an abysmal state, but a change of management and a few calls to a British engineering company, Cosworth, brought about the Sierra RS Cosworth, one of the most incredible Fords to never reach American soil.

Performance

The Sierra RS500 was a limited-run upgrade on the existing Sierra RS. There were only 500 of these star-studded super-hatches ever produced and they were sold exclusively in the United Kingdom. North America never got a taste of this marvel, even the base RS never made it across the pond.

6 1991 Suzuki Cappuccino

Top Speed: 93 MPH

In Japan, there is a category of vehicles called Kei cars. These cars are designed to be as small as possible for the sake of lower tax and insurance premiums. The Suzuki Cappuccino is exactly this, a small sports car that pushed what was capable of cars in this tiny category to its absolute limits.

Performance

It’s hard to believe that Suzuki had a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive two-door coupe on the market at one point. This tiny sports car was tons of fun and came in at an incredibly attractive price point. Some of these models sold in the European market but about 88 percent of all models were sold in Japan.

5 1996 Renault Sport Spider

Top Speed: 134 MPH

The idea behind the Renault Sport Spider was simple; to create a racing car that could also be enjoyed on the road. It was designed to be part of a one-car racing series that would support series to larger championships. Many excellent drivers found their feet through the Renault Sport Spider series.

Performance

This excellent roadster unfortunately never made it out of Europe and Americans were left pining for this brilliant piece of French engineering. This was the start of the Renault Sport badge and laid the groundwork for some marvelous road-legal performance cars from the brand.

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4 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34

Top Speed: 155 MPH

Japan has produced some absolutely outstanding sports cars and the Nissan Skyline R34 is, according to many, the best that the nation has to offer. Nissan didn’t expect the Skyline R34 to sell nearly as well as it did and, thus, didn’t see the point in developing a variant for the North American market, an absolute tragedy.

Performance

The Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R captures the essence of late-90s, early-2000s car culture. Its aggressive stance and bodywork paired with its twin-turbocharged made it a beast. Its popularity as a street racer also meant that aftermarket parts were readily available making it the perfect project car.

3 2005 TVR Sagaris

Top Speed: 183 MPH

The name TVR is not one that is particularly well known in North America, however, at one point in time the British automakers were the third largest specialized sports car manufacturer in the world. The TVR is possibly the peak of their accomplishments, with a cult following thanks to its track-bred heritage.

Performance

TVR was not exactly the most compliant automaker, ignoring a lot of safety regulations in the European Union. This meant that it wouldn’t pass a multitude of tests for sale in the United States and stayed in Europe. Thus, another legend was kept by American car enthusiasts.

2 2015 Honda Civic Type R

Top Speed: 168 MPH

While the two newest generations of the Honda Civic Type R have been available in the United States, every other iteration of the car wasn’t. Notable was the FK2 Civic Type R 2015. This was the first Civic Type R to come off the factory floor fitted with a turbocharger, and it was a ton of fun to drive.

Performance

The 2015 Honda Civic Type R is one of the best hot hatchbacks ever made. The Civic Type R has been the archetype that all hot hatches aspire towards for a reason and the 2015 model is one of the most exciting models. While current generations of the Type R are brilliant cars, previous gens just had that je ne sais quois that made them so desirable.

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1 2017 Alpine A110

Top Speed: 155 MPH

In 1995 Alpine disappeared off the map, being absorbed into the Renault Sport brand. However, in 2017, the badge reappeared on a reboot of the 1963 A110. The new A110 brings back the magic that old French performance cars used to supply, and it is incredibly exciting to sit behind the wheel of this coupe.

Performance

The A110’s claim to fame is that it is absurdly lightweight and yet still manages to provide its driver with everything they might need on their daily commutes. This wonderful feat of French engineering, unfortunately, didn’t make it to the States, which is a shame.