America is the home of automotive culture on a global scale. That comes as no surprise as it is the country that launched the car industry. The United States also created hot rods, drive-ins, and endless stretches of highways that connect every state. Since cars are so important here, you might think that global manufacturers are eager to sell their products in the U.S.
Indeed, it’s easy to assume that American consumers have access to most of the car models produced throughout the world. But that’s not always the case. Even though consumers in the US have a great choice of performance cars, some are missing. American car customers are sometimes without the most exciting models. So we found the most interesting performance cars never released in the US. There were numerous reasons why the manufacturer decided to do so. Let’s get started here.
Volkswagen Scirocco R
The Scirocco is the Golf’s sportier, better-looking brother. It was built on the same platform and with the same engines but with a much sleeker, more aggressive design. The original Scirocco was introduced along with the first Golf Mk1 back in the mid-’70s and stayed in production until 1992. However, Volkswagen decided to revive the name in 2008 and presented the current generation (via Auto Express).
European customers can get Scirocco in a wide range of flavors, but the best one is the mighty Scirocco R. The model features all-wheel drive and 300 hp from a Golf R-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. With performance-tuned suspension and lots of power, the Scirocco R is highly fun to drive. Unfortunately, Volkswagen thought that launching Scirocco R in the USA would cannibalize the sales of the Golf GTI and Golf R so they decided to leave it in Europe.