It has always been true that Europe builds some of its coolest cars for the home market and refuses to import them to the U.S. So many great cars over the years have been excluded from our shores, and while the number seems to be a bit lower these days, there are still a few notable exceptions. Alpine A110, and particularly the 73 San Remo commemorative special edition, is my nomination for the best car we don’t get here in the U.S.
While I wish the A110 were available with a manual transmission, it’s still among the best driving cars in the world, depending on who you ask. Personally, I’ll trust Gordon Murray to pick a well-balanced sports car, you know? These diminutive French coupes compare favorably against Porsche Caymans, which is another nice mark in its column.
With the base model sporting a 249 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder and a 7-speed dual clutch, it’s pretty quick, if not a speed demon. I don’t need a 1.9-second 0-60 to have fun, you know? They manage to tip the scales at just 2,432 pounds ready-to-drive, which is extremely impressive in today’s market. By comparison, a base model Porsche Cayman is about 600 pounds heavier, just over the 3000 pounds mark.
There are dozens of French, German, British, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cars available all over the world that aren’t sold here in the U.S. If you had to pick one to import and get away with it legally, which would it be? Would you want to drive a new Yaris GR? Maybe a cheap and cute Chinese electric vehicle? How about a Daihatsu Copen? There are so many wild cars in the wide world to choose from that you can’t buy in the U.S.
Sound off in the comments with your favorite piece of forbidden fruit.