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Importing a late-model car to America requires exhausting mental gymnastics and a fat wallet. The process gets appreciably easier when dealing with cars that are at least 25-years old because they’re exempt from the federal regulations that kept them at bay when new. The 25-year rule makes forbidden fruits available to those willing to go pick them abroad.
Cars built in 1993 will be exportable to America next year. Here are the ones we’d bring over, along with a few older models to keep them company. We give approximate prices, converted at current exchange rates. You also need to have money on top for shipping costs, a 2.5% import tariff and certain other fees, none onerous.
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Fiat Coupé (1993)
Fiat left the US over a decade before introducing the Coupé, so American enthusiasts missed out on this striking, Chris Bangle-designed two-door. It’s front-wheel drive, as its enormous front overhang suggests, but it’s relatively well balanced and a hoot to drive on a twisty road. While early cars eligible for US import use a four-cylinder engine, Fiat added naturally-aspirated and turbocharged five-cylinders to the line-up later in the production run. Low mileage turbo examples from US$8000.
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Renault Safrane Biturbo (1993)
Renault took yet another swing at BMW and Mercedes-Benz with the Safrane Biturbo, except this time the fight was credible. Assembled by Irmscher in Germany, the range-topping Safrane received a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that channeled its 268hp output to all four wheels. It took a well-trained eye to tell the Biturbo apart from the standard Safrane, making Renault’s 1990s flagship the ultimate French Q-ship. Extreme rarity has hiked prices, from around US$20,000.
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TVR Griffith (first generation, 1991)
TVR kept the Griffith out of America because making it compliant with the rules and regulations there was a costly and time-consuming endeavor, especially for a small company. Several examples are already Stateside, and we expect the number to rise once cars equipped with the 5.0-liter V8 reach 25-years old. It doesn’t take much more than a blip of the throttle to fall in love with a TVR, and the modern-day Griffith will certainly give its predecessor a boost on the classic car market. Decent examples from US$22,000.
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Mazda Eunos Cosmo (1990)
The Eunos Cosmo played a central role in Amati, the luxury-oriented sub-brand Mazda plotted to target Acura, Infiniti and Lexus from its larger Japanese rivals. Its ambitions as a global flagship for the Mazda group crumbled when executives mothballed the Amati project to focus on other priorities.
Mazda consequently never distributed the Eunos Cosmo outside of Japan. It’s too bad: this technological tour-de-force boasted an available triple-rotor Wankel engine, satellite navigation and a color touch screen. Think of it as a super RX-7 for the super-rich. From around US$7000.
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Vauxhall Lotus Carlton (1990)
Leave it to Lotus to turn GM’s Vauxhall Carlton into a jaw-dropping performance car. The alchemists in Hethel completely transformed the Carlton with a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 tuned to 380hp. It was one of the fastest four-door cars on the market at the time, though you’d never guess that just by looking at it. Always finished in a shade of green so dark it’s nearly black, the Lotus-tuned Carlton retained a low-key look. Not many around and prices vary, but think from around US$60,000.
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Ford Escort RS Cosworth (1992)
Built on a Sierra Cosworth platform from the class above, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a 227-hp street-legal rally car initially built for homologation reasons. It never traveled across the Atlantic because Ford sold a completely different Escort in North America and there was nothing slightly sporty about it.
The newest Focus RS fueled demand for the RS Cosworth by spurring a considerable amount of interest in earlier hot-rodded Fords. Luckily, the Focus’ launch just about coincided with the Escort Cosworth’s 25th anniversary. Prices for classic fast Fords have soared in recent years, and you’ll have to pay from US$90,000.
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Volkswagen Golf Rallye (1989)
The Golf Rallye is the car every RSi-, R32- and R-badged Volkswagen traces its roots to. The flared body hid a supercharged 1.8-liter engine that transferred 161hp to the four corners via the auto-maker’s Syncro four-wheel drive system. Volkswagen nearly sold the Golf Rallye in the US but it back-pedaled when it calculated how much the car would cost. Now that it’s over 25-years old, the Rallye gets a second chance at living the American dream. Rarity has boosted prices, from US$33,000.
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MVS Venturi (1986)
Look no further than the MVS Venturi if you want to draw a crowd at the next car show. It’s a model very few enthusiasts have heard of, let alone seen. Built in France, it rivaled comparable sports cars from Renault-Alpine and Porsche with a turbocharged 2.5-liter V6 retrieved from the Renault parts shelf and mounted directly behind the passenger compartment.
MVS ended production after manufacturing a small handful of examples, so finding one is easier said than done. One sold at auction earlier in 2017 for US$21,000.
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Volvo 480 (1986)
The orange reflector lights on the quarter panels reveal Volvo designed the 480, its first series-produced front-wheel drive car, with the US market in mind. The pop-up headlights that accentuated its wedge-shaped silhouette were perfectly in tune with the times, but the unfavorable exchange rate between the US and Sweden forced Volvo to cancel its export plans at the last minute. Decent ones from US$2500.
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Fiat 130 Coupe (1971)
Fiat never showed its luxurious side in America, where it was known for bargain-basement economy cars. Loaded to the gills with upscale features, the V6-powered, Pininfarina-penned 130 still stands out as one of the few post-WWII Fiats you can plausibly mention in the same conversation as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Prices from US$25,000.
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Citroën Xantia (1993)
The Citroën Xantia will soon become eligible to stretch its legs on US soil. Like its predecessors, it offers excellent handling and an exceptionally comfortable cabin. It’s spacious, too, making it the ideal car to waft down Route 66 in on a laid-back road trip. You’ll have to wait another year to import the sought-after Activa model with its no-roll suspension, though. Decent ones from around US$1300.
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Peugeot 306 (1993)
The Peugeot 306 is the best 1990s hatchback everyone forgot about. Based on the Citroën ZX and styled by Pininfarina, this Gallic alternative to the Volkswagen Golf was available in a mystifying selection of flavors over the course of its long production run. We admire base models for their simple, honest approach to motoring, but the 169-hp GTI-6 is unquestionably the pick of the litter. Low mile GTI-6s are from US$4000.
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Renault Twingo (1992)
The Twingo’s huggable looks broke all ties with Renault’s then-current design language when it broke cover at the 1992 Paris auto show. This classic-in-the-making offered a wide palette of lively colors inside and out, and some versions even came with a retractable cloth roof. The original Twingo already enjoys a cult following, so prices won’t remain low forever. From US$4000.
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Citroën BX GTi 4x4 (1989)
Citroën tried marrying performance and all-weather traction with the BX GTi 4x4. It retained the two-wheel drive model’s 122hp four-cylinder engine, but it gained a Torsen rear differential plus standard ABS brakes. Combining Citroën’s world-famous hydropneumatic suspension and four-wheel drive created a driver-friendly performance car at home on or off the asphalt. You will have to have patience to find one, but when you do, think around US$8,000.
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Nissan S-Cargo (1989)
The Nissan S-Cargo’s love-it-or-hate-it design draws inspiration from the Citroën 2CV with styling cues like semi-pop-up headlights and two-piece windows. The retro-inspired sheet metal hides Micra underpinnings, not an air-cooled flat-twin. It’s not the most exciting car Nissan built in the 1980s, but it’s difficult to beat as a versatile urban runabout, from US$5000.
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Peugeot 205 CTI (1986)
The Peugeot 205 CTI proves there are times when you can accurately judge a book by its cover. It looks and sounds like what it is: a convertible 205 GTI. Early examples used the same 115hp engine as the hatchback but they received a slightly softer suspension.
We’re surprised more of them haven’t trickled into the US. Blasting down California’s Angeles Crest Highway top-down on a warm summer night sounds exactly like the kind of motoring Peugeot designed the CTI for. Nice ones from around US$13,000.
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Alfa Romeo 33 (1983)
Many of the smaller European cars built in the 1980s would have a difficult time finding a home in America. The 33 is an exception because it benefits from Alfa Romeo’s ingrained image of accessible performance. The four-wheel drive model is a fun modern classic you can drive every day, even in the winter. Just make sure you get it properly rust-proofed before taking it to the mountains. Decent ones out there from around US$7500.
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Honda City Turbo II (1983)
Nicknamed “Bulldog,” the Honda City Turbo II was a hot hatch scaled for mega-cities like Tokyo. Its tiny, punched-out body barely fit around the 110hp 1.2-liter four-cylinder stuffed between the front fenders. The explosive combination of boost and a 740kg curb weight helped the City Turbo II match or beat the best hot hatches Europe could muster up in terms acceleration. One sold at auction earlier in 2017 for US$5100.
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Autobianchi A112 Abarth (1971)
Autobianchi introduced the A112 Abarth in 1971, four years before Volkswagen launched the Golf GTI at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The first true hot hatch remains an affordable classic for collectors who don’t require a whole lot of space or amenities. We prefer the later models because they benefited from a 70hp engine and a five-speed manual transmission, but even the early cars are a riot to drive in spite of being down on power and down a gear. Prices from US$13,000.
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Opel Admiral B (1969)
As a German car with a distinct American accent and built by GM's German arm, the Opel Admiral is the exact opposite of a modern-day Cadillac. An available four-speed manual transmission and a De Dion rear axle make the Admiral B the driver’s choice in the classic barge segment. Opel briefly sold cars in America through Buick dealerships, but the Admiral B remained in Europe. Not easy to find, but they’re some out there from around US$17,000.
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