A question: What foreign car do we not get here that you would like to see grace us?

Jstas

Forgive me for going all CL35 but I was just thinking about this.

There are tons of cars out there in the rest of the world that we never get to see on our shores. There are whole car companies that don't sell a single car in the United States yet them seem to flourish without this market.

Now car companies have, after long last, brought desired rides State side. Fine examples are the Subaru WRX and WRX STi. Which then woke up Mitsubishi to the idea and they brought the Lancer back and it wasn't badged as a pig on roller skates from Chrysler. Then they did one better and dumped the Lancer Evo on our shores to play with! Now even Nissan is taking a hint and we are getting the baddest car Japan has to offer, the Nissan Skyline GT-R.

The only offerings we were able to procure from Europe though were the Lotus Elise powered by a Toyota engine and the rebirth of Maserati in the states.

So what would you like to see hit our shores?

I have two cars. One is from Ford, the other from Alfa Romeo.

The Ford is the Focus RS.


I would LOVE to have this little pocket rocket! Something to the tune of 210-220 turborcharged horses in a 5 cylinder. What would be even better is AWD. Since it isn't as porky as the WRX and Evo that it would compete with, it has a similar power to weight ratio. On top of that, it handles like a go-kart but is still tame enough to live with every day. The next level down is the Focus ST170 which we got in the form of an SVT Focus. The SVT version is no longer available and we get the anemic Focus ST. The closest thing one can pick up to an RS is the Volvo C20 which uses the same drive train but doesn't have a suspension or braking system nearly as aggressive. Some people think the Volvo is ugly due to the rear end.




The other car I want to see here and there is a chance this might happen is the Alfa Romeo Brera.





It seems to be a bit on the cushy side according to all its reviewers and a little bit under powered but for one thing it's an Alfa and for another, look at it! It's gorgeous! Alfa is seriously considering coming back to the States. If they do, that would be so awesomely awesome! Especially if they start selling this little beauty here. I would first in line to snap up one of these!


So what would you like to see here?

Shizelbs

The next Supra. I realize no one currently gets it, but I believe that still meets the inclusion criteria.

Fireman32

It would be cool to see the Skylines sold here

Shizelbs

Fireman32 wrote: »

It would be cool to see the Skylines sold here

Thats the other one I was trying to think of.

PhantomOG

I thought skylines were already slated to come to the US?

Jstas

They are already here. The Infiniti G35 is the Nissan Skyline.

treitz3

Thanks for the laugh from the first sentence of your post. I'm laughing as I type.

*clears throat* That was mean and you should be ashamed at yourself. :mad:











WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

dkg999

The most awesome car ever built is about to return to the US market :eek:

Yes, Ford has announced that the Fiesta will resume production in Mexico and be available in the US market. My family had 3 Fiesta's back in the 70's. Each of them went an easy 200,000 miles with minimal problems and got over 40 mpg. This is a car whose time has arrived

And one of those 3 Fiesta's is still setting at a friends farm with trees growing up through it. After the body totally rusted out we cut the top off, welded up a steel cage, and made a go-kart out of it. The engine finally succumbed to an overdose of NO2 if I remember correctly.

ohskigod

John,

you sure that Euro Focus and the Volvo's dont have the same brakes?

I know they're the same platform (called the C1, and developed by Ford, Volvo and Mazda jointly), and I KNOW my Volvo S40 stopped on a f&*kin DIME!
incidently, migh want to chuck the Mazdaspeed3 on that "almost" list, since that is the same platform as well, but actually stiffer chassis modified by Mazdaspeed. 260 horsies in that bad boy. it was on my short list of cars for a while.

might be the same turbocharged 5ver too, the volvo has 225 (might be more since I owned it. mine was an 06 (traded for the Stang by the way,so it wasnt too long ago)


always found it odd the euro focus had the platform but they didnt use it here, even in the new Focus (ugly as sin smeared in pig ****)

Jstas

Lasareath wrote: »

I want a Tesla!

Or a $40,000 Tesla Mini-Van

Hey Sal, I dunno if you are paying attention or what but the Tesla is from a U.S. based company and the Tesla is already available here. You gotta get in line to get one but they are already on sale in the U.S. and this was the first market that they went on sale in. That is pretty much the opposite of what we were looking for here, ya know?

billbillw

No Scirocco for the US. Hits Europe for 09 model year.
Sure, we have the GTI, but the low slung Scirocco is so much better looking.

zingo

Jstas wrote: »

They are already here. The Infiniti G35 is the Nissan Skyline.

I hate to disagree with you, but they are totally different car; even though they MAY be built on the same chassis.

And the new Skyline will be released here. They are calling it the Nissan GT-R.

zingo

I love for Focus RS as well. They made the Ford Focus Saleen S121 for a while, but it was all show and no go with only 150Hp. You disappointed us Steve.

Jstas

ohskigod wrote: »

John,

you sure that Euro Focus and the Volvo's dont have the same brakes?

I know they're the same platform (called the C1, and developed by Ford, Volvo and Mazda jointly), and I KNOW my Volvo S40 stopped on a f&*kin DIME!
incidently, migh want to chuck the Mazdaspeed3 on that "almost" list, since that is the same platform as well, but actually stiffer chassis modified by Mazdaspeed. 260 horsies in that bad boy. it was on my short list of cars for a while.

might be the same turbocharged 5ver too, the volvo has 225 (might be more since I owned it. mine was an 06 (traded for the Stang by the way,so it wasnt too long ago)


always found it odd the euro focus had the platform but they didnt use it here, even in the new Focus (ugly as sin smeared in pig ****)

The S40 is not the same car or chassis as the Focus/C20/C30/Mazda 3. It's built on the same platform but it's not the same car. It's also the S series which is a hotter version. The Focus RS is built on the last generation chassis and honestly isn't made anymore. Production stopped in 2004. It was a completely different car and there is no RS for the current generation. However, when the Focus truly does go global and the U.S. only version is scrapped for the European version, in like 2011 there are rumors of a new RS coming out at that point. We'll see what happens by then.

So while the S40 and C30 have a similar turbocharged 5 cylinder, it's not the same one. Well it is, just a different state of tune than the new one. But the RS had something like an 800 pound weight advantage over the safety conscious C30 and S40 so the extra 17 horses they have do not make up for the weight disadvantage. The RS also has very different brakes, suspension and even chassis from the current Focus and it's Volvo and Mazda clones.

Jstas

zingo wrote: »

I hate to disagree with you, but they are totally different car; even though they MAY be built on the same chassis.

And the new Skyline will be released here. They are calling it the Nissan GT-R.

Even in Japan the GT-R is a very different car from the Skyline it is based on. But the current G35 coupe is a Skyline. It was marketed as an Infiniti here because Nissan felt that U.S. buyers would not pay the premium for a Nissan but would for an Infiniti. In Japan, the car is called a Nissan Skyline 350GT. The Skyline is a hot car but it has several different trim levels. Just because Japan's safety and emissions laws are more lax and allow for a hotter car doesn't mean it isn't the same car. If we went on that silly thinking then you can pretty much take your pick of any foreign car, point to it's home market's variant as an example and use your logic to discount any foreign vehicle sold here. Don't be silly.

The only country that doesn't do this is the U.S. Then again, you can't get a GTO in Europe but you can get a Vauxhal VXR. You can't get an SVT Focus in Europe but you could get an ST170 which was pretty much the same car. The list goes on.

steveinaz

The Citroen "Duck"




....I'm kidding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Green_Citroen_2CV.jpg

billbillw

zingo wrote: »

I hate to disagree with you, but they are totally different car; even though they MAY be built on the same chassis.

And the new Skyline will be released here. They are calling it the Nissan GT-R.

Yes they are the same car. Since approx 2003, (when the V35 version came out), the G35 coupe is essentially the same car as the Skyline Coupe in Japan. There is also a sedan version that is the same as the G35 sedan here. They had the same 2.5-3.5l V6 motors although Japan gets slightly higher horsepower due to their higher octane gas at the pumps.

There was no GT-R version produced in Japan from 2003-2008.

The new GT-R is a brand new design from the ground up and we will get the same version of the car in the US.

Jstas

steveinaz wrote: »

The Citroen "Duck"




....I'm kidding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Green_Citroen_2CV.jpg

No you're not.

You know what would be awesome? Seeing Demiurge photoshop your head behind the wheel of that car.

That would be the definition of awesome.

steveinaz

You're right, that would be cool. Put me in there Demi

unc2701

I'm sorta with Zingo on this one. Yes, the G35 is sold as the v35/v36 Skyline in Japan, however, it's got almost nothing in common with the R33/R34 Skylines from before.

So basically, Nissan made a new car, called it a Skyline/G35, but we're not seeing a REAL skyline till the 2009 GT-R.

Jstas

unc2701 wrote: »

I'm sorta with Zingo on this one. Yes, the G35 is sold as the v35/v36 Skyline in Japan, however, it's got almost nothing in common with the R33/R34 Skylines from before.

So basically, Nissan made a new car, called it a Skyline/G35, but we're not seeing a REAL skyline till the 2009 GT-R.

You and zingo both need to stop offering opinion as fact.

unc2701

No, I'm offering pure opinion and make it clear what I'm talking about.

Nissan did a horrible thing putting the Skyline name on the G35 and didn't fool anyone. It's just like when Jaguar put their badge on a Ford.

billbillw

unc2701 wrote: »

No, I'm offering pure opinion and make it clear what I'm talking about.

Nissan did a horrible thing putting the Skyline name on the G35 and didn't fool anyone. It's just like when Jaguar put their badge on a Ford.

What are you talking about? A Nissan is a Nissan. An Infinity was/is a Nissan but for upscale markets. The Skyline was in Japan and Nissan decided to sell the Skyline as an Infinity in the US, not the other way around. Remember, not all Skylines were the souped up GT-R version. That is really the only one that had the performance reputation.

Nissan did nothing wrong except they decided not to offer a 'Hot' GT-R version for the last several years, mainly due to the major financial problems they were having in the company back around the late 90's/early 2000's.

The Jaguar/Ford thing is not a valid comparison.

Jstas

Like it or not a G35 IS, without a shadow of a doubt, a Skyline. Nissan, the owner of said rights to the Skyline name and official producer of the Skyline since 1966 (I think it was originally created by Prince Motors? In 1957?) says that the V35/V36 and Infiniti G35 are the same car and that the V35/V36 are Skylines. The question of the thread is what cars would you like to see brought here that we currently don't get. Fireman32 said he'd like to see Skylines here. It was already stated by several others, not just myself, that Skylines are already here.

Just because YOU don't think it is already here doesn't mean it isn't. Stop polluting this thread with whiny, crybaby antics over something so silly. There hasn't been a GT-R at all since about 2002 I think it was? Even at that point, we ARE getting the new GT-R so it's a moot point. You are crying over a special version of a Skyline that no country has seen for almost 7 years now and we are slated to get the new one. So honestly, what are you whining about anyway?

Jstas

The only Jag that had anything Ford in it was the X-type. The Lincoln LS was based on the Jag's S-type chassis which was the DEW chassis designed by Ford of Europe and Ford used it for the LS and quite successfully. The X-type shared the platform with the Mondeo and the engine block from the Duratec engines. Even at that, the 3.0L V6 is a Jaguar design. The rest of the stuff was Jag stuff save for small bits like switches and such pillaged from the vast Ford parts bins. Oh and Ford made about 20% of the parts because the tooling was already available and the parts could be made cheaper by Ford instead of tooling up whole assembly plants for Jaguar. Jaguar only honestly made about 10-15% of the parts. Everything else was subcontracted out.

You and your purist attitude are getting annoying. I normally don't mind purists and agree with them in most cases but your attitude seems so firmly entrenched in misinformation that it is making my brain hurt trying to figure out where you are coming from.

unc2701

Jstas wrote: »

You and your purist attitude are getting annoying. I normally don't mind purists and agree with them in most cases but your attitude seems so firmly entrenched in misinformation that it is making my brain hurt trying to figure out where you are coming from.

Dude, seriously.

Threads wander, this one hit the topic of how the old Skylines weren't imported, I offer the opinion that the new Skylines are nothing like the old ones (friend's dad had a non GT-R one, I know the difference) and suddenly you're throwing out things like "whiny crybaby"? All this for my four short sentences clearly labeled as opinion?

Calm down, lay off the confrontational attitude. You don't need to spike your blood pressure over this. And if you feel like my posts are that far off topic, I'll go back & blank them out. Just say the word.

pietro944

Jstas wrote: »

Forgive me for going all CL35 but I was just thinking about this.

There are tons of cars out there in the rest of the world that we never get to see on our shores. There are whole car companies that don't sell a single car in the United States yet them seem to flourish without this market.

Now car companies have, after long last, brought desired rides State side. Fine examples are the Subaru WRX and WRX STi. Which then woke up Mitsubishi to the idea and they brought the Lancer back and it wasn't badged as a pig on roller skates from Chrysler. Then they did one better and dumped the Lancer Evo on our shores to play with! Now even Nissan is taking a hint and we are getting the baddest car Japan has to offer, the Nissan Skyline GT-R.

The only offerings we were able to procure from Europe though were the Lotus Elise powered by a Toyota engine and the rebirth of Maserati in the states.

So what would you like to see hit our shores?

I have two cars. One is from Ford, the other from Alfa Romeo.

The Ford is the Focus RS.


I would LOVE to have this little pocket rocket! Something to the tune of 210-220 turborcharged horses in a 5 cylinder. What would be even better is AWD. Since it isn't as porky as the WRX and Evo that it would compete with, it has a similar power to weight ratio. On top of that, it handles like a go-kart but is still tame enough to live with every day. The next level down is the Focus ST170 which we got in the form of an SVT Focus. The SVT version is no longer available and we get the anemic Focus ST. The closest thing one can pick up to an RS is the Volvo C20 which uses the same drive train but doesn't have a suspension or braking system nearly as aggressive. Some people think the Volvo is ugly due to the rear end.




The other car I want to see here and there is a chance this might happen is the Alfa Romeo Brera.





It seems to be a bit on the cushy side according to all its reviewers and a little bit under powered but for one thing it's an Alfa and for another, look at it! It's gorgeous! Alfa is seriously considering coming back to the States. If they do, that would be so awesomely awesome! Especially if they start selling this little beauty here. I would first in line to snap up one of these!


So what would you like to see here?

I'm a wop and the Alfa makes my blood boil!

PolkThug

Ford FPV - Ford Australia has had them for years.

SlowcarIX

koenigsegg ccx

Demiurge

F1nut

Bring back the Yugo.