European Car Models That Flopped On American Soil

Vukasin Herbez March 14, 2019

4. Fiat X1/9

Behind this strange name lies one of the most interesting affordable sports cars of the ’70s. Fiat introduced the X1/9 in 1972. It was a small two-seater with a T-Top, mid-mounted engine, and two trunks, in the front and in the back. Think of it as Porsche Boxster, only 20 years older.

Despite fantastic looks and technical layout, the X 1/9 was underpowered with just around 60 HP from its small 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine. The performance was not impressive, so most owners decided to fit bigger engines. However, you can find them at bargain prices since they exported them to the U.S. but never really got popular there.

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3. Alfa Romeo Milano 3.0 V6

If you are looking for an Italian performance sedan on a budget, now’s the time to pick up an Alfa Romeo Milano 3.0 V6. Romeo imported them to the American market in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

The Milano was an elegant four-door model with some interesting technical features. It had a De Dion rear suspension and transaxle gearbox, making it handle like a racing car. Along with a three-liter, 200 HP V6 engine, the Milano delivered a decent performance. In fact, people compared them to the BMW 5 Series.

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2. Peugeot 404

The 404 was a popular French mid-sized family sedan Peugeot produced from 1960 to 1975. It came with a 1.5 or 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine or a 1.9-liter four-cylinder diesel unit. It was one of Peugeot’s bestsellers and was popular all over the world. The Peugeot 404 was a masterpiece of contemporary car design. It had straight, elegant lines and sported a chrome grille and rear fins.

Since chrome fins were an American design feature, it’s obvious where the Peugeot designers got the inspiration for their 404. In fact, if you saw the 404 from the back, it would remind you of several American models from the period. If you saw it in traffic, you could easily mistake it for a domestic model. The only sign that would give the 404 away is its compact size. This Peugeot is about a third smaller than a regular U.S. sedan from the early ’60s.

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1. Austin A40 Farina

The beginning of mass production of the hatchback body style can be traced to the late ‘50s and early ‘60s with the Austin A40 Farina being one of the more popular models. This British economy car had a three-door layout with a two-piece opening tailgate. Its diminutive dimensions, clever engineering, and trunk space made this little car quite practical.

These are the coolest and most interesting European cars that flopped in America. For various reasons, they didn’t sell well in the U.S. Did you choose your favorite? Perhaps some of these cars would sell better if they re-introduced them today.

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European Car Models That Flopped On American Soil

4. Fiat X1/9

3. Alfa Romeo Milano 3.0 V6

2. Peugeot 404

1. Austin A40 Farina

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