Missed Opportunities: Cars that ALMOST made it to America, but didn't

[Madman Of The People]

Being based in the US, I've always held a fascination for cars we don't get over here.  But did you know there have been quite a few cars we were meant to receive but, for a variety of reasons, never had the chance to buy?  And I'm talking about  cars that were seriously  considered for the US market but, in the end, never made it over here.   In many cases, the manufacturers built US-spec prototypes and, in some cases, went through the full federalisation process, only to pull the plug in the very end.

So I've decided to explore, one-by-one, the cars that very nearly made it to America, but didn't.

My first installment in this series is...

 

Part 1: Renault Espace.

In 1984 Chrysler and Renault, independently on one another, launched two very similar vehicles in their respective markets.  Chrysler shook the North American market with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.  Meanwhile, across the pond, Renault launched the Espace.  But did you know the Renault Espace was slated to appears in American AMC-Jeep-Renault showrooms?  After witnessing the runaway success of the Chrysler duo, Renault reasoned they wanted a piece of that action, too.  So in June, 1984 Renault adapted an Espace to conform with US regulations.  This was the result...

 

Note the sealed beam headlights set inside chrome bezels and the large side marker lights.  The bumpers were also noticeably altered, with an indentation in the front for an American-sized number plate.  This prototype was exhibited at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show, but I haven't been able to find any photos of it from that show.

For comparison, here's what the European Mk I Espace looked like...

 

As the American Espace project progressed, AMC's designers in Kenosha, Wisconsin were tasked with further adapting the vehicle to American tastes.  The result was this...

 

Note the smoother front end, achieved with a new bonnet, headlamps and grille.  This treatment bears a strong resemblance to the 1988 facelift the European Espace received.  Also take note of a redesigned rear bumper, with side marker lights set inside the bumper trim.

European 1988 Espace facelift...

 

Although AMC/Renault never said what engines were to have been available in America, European versions could be had with a 2.0 litre I-4 or a 2.9 litre PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine.  I'm pretty sure the V6 would have been a certainty for America.  However, we were never able to find out.  The American Espace project died in 1987 when Renault sold AMC to Chrysler.  

Stay tuned for the next installment of Missed Opportunities, which I will get around to posting when the mood strikes me.

 

[Richard_FM]

3 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

Being based in the US, I've always held a fascination for cars we don't get over here.  But did you know there have been quite a few cars we were meant to receive but, for a variety of reasons, never had the chance to buy?  And I'm talking about  cars that were seriously  considered for the US market but, in the end, never made it over here.   In many cases, the manufacturers built US-spec prototypes and, in some cases, went through the full federalisation process, only to pull the plug in the very end.

So I've decided to explore, one-by-one, the cars that very nearly made it to America, but didn't.

My first installment in this series is...

 

Part 1: Renault Espace.

In 1984 Chrysler and Renault, independently on one another, launched two very similar vehicles in their respective markets.  Chrysler shook the North American market with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.  Meanwhile, across the pond, Renault launched the Espace.  But did you know the Renault Espace was slated to appears in American AMC-Jeep-Renault showrooms?  After witnessing the runaway success of the Chrysler duo, Renault reasoned they wanted a piece of that action, too.  So in June, 1984 Renault adapted an Espace to conform with US regulations.  This was the result...

 

Note the sealed beam headlights set inside chrome bezels and the large side marker lights.  The bumpers were also noticeably altered, with an indentation in the front for an American-sized number plate.  This prototype was exhibited at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show, but I haven't been able to find any photos of it from that show.

For comparison, here's what the European Mk I Espace looked like...

 

As the American Espace project progressed, AMC's designers in Kenosha, Wisconsin were tasked with further adapting the vehicle to American tastes.  The result was this...

 

Note the smoother front end, achieved with a new bonnet, headlamps and grille.  This treatment bears a strong resemblance to the 1988 facelift the European Espace received.  Also take note of a redesigned rear bumper, with side marker lights set inside the bumper trim.

European 1988 Espace facelift...

 

Although AMC/Renault never said what engines were to have been available in America, European versions could be had with a 2.0 litre I-4 or a 2.9 litre PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine.  I'm pretty sure the V6 would have been a certainty for America.  However, we were never able to find out.  The American Espace project died in 1987 when Renault sold AMC to Chrysler.  

Stay tuned for the next installment of Missed Opportunities, which I will get around to posting when the mood strikes me.

 

I wonder how well it would have done in the growing "Minivan" market?

[D.E]

The Volvo 480 came so close to being introduced in the States (which would have happened in 1987 as a MY '88) that a few proper US specs were already built before Volvo pulled the plug. At least one of them survives, and belongs to a collector who lives near my hometown.

[Madman Of The People]

Part 2: Rover 75.

You'd think after abandoning the North American market three times in twenty years (1971, 1980, and 1991) Rover should have given up all hope of ever selling cars there ever again.  But in 1994 British Aerospace, then owners of the Rover Group, sold their automotive operations to BMW.  Yep, Britain's last high-volume car manufacturer was now in the hands of Ze Germans!

But BMW had a plan.  That plan called for the expansion of existing American Land Rover dealerships in preparation for a whole slew of new Rover cars, beginning with the Rover 75.  This was to have been launched in conjunction with the MINI (which America did get) and a new MG sports car based on BMW's E85 Z4.  America was primed for an early-2000s British invasion unlike anything seen before!  So what happened?

BMW needed time to develop new models because most of Rover's then current cars couldn't be sold in America for a variety of reasons.  For starters, the old Mini would never have passed an American crash test.  In addition, the MG F was cobbled together from the Rover and Honda parts bins and some within the company deemed it as not being up to the task of relaunching the MG octagon in America.  The 800 Series was a complete nonstarter as it was badly aging and still held the stench of the failed Sterling debacle.  Meanwhile, the beautiful 600 Series could not be sold in America for legal reasons.

Legal reasons, you say?  Oh, yes...

After Rover pulled its Sterling brand (called "Sterling by Rover" in it's final model year) from America in 1991, many former Sterling dealers dumped the remaining parts and service franchises, leaving many Sterling owners without anyplace to fix their cars or get warranty work done.  Many disgruntled Sterling owners began turning up at Acura (Honda's upscale North American brand) dealers demanding them to service their cars since the Rover 800 Series was mechanically similar to the Mk I Acura (Honda) Legend.  Naturally, Acura (and it's dealers) wanted nothing to do with Sterling, Sterling cars, or Sterling owners.

Honda took note of this which is why, when negotiations were underway to allow Rover to use the mid-'90s Euro-Accord as the basis for the Rover 600, Honda expressly forbade Rover from selling the 600 Series in North America.  Honda didn't want a repeat of the Sterling disaster should Rover decide to embark on yet another American misadventure.  Considering Rover's previous escapades in the North American market, you can appreciate why Honda didn't want a bunch of fickle Brits flogging it's technology in America, a market which is critically important to the Japanese.  This being the case, an executive saloon to ostensibly replace both the 600 and 800 Series was fast-tracked into production.

BMW were also desperate to disentangle their newly acquired British subsidiary from their reliance on Honda platforms as a matter of corporate pride and fully integrate the Rover Group into the BMW empire.  However, things weren't going well back in the UK.  The clash of cultures between BMW and Rover were not at all dissimilar to that of the DaimlerChrysler fiasco.  In addition, BMW were reluctant to impose it's will too strongly on Rover, fearing a backlash from the British media.  So they left Rover pretty much to their own devices, which allowed them to continue yet another Rover tradition; losing buckets of money!

When the losses became unsustainable, then BMW chairman Bernd Pischetsreieder, the mastermind behind BMW's acquisition of Rover, was shown the door in 1999.  The following year, BMW broke up and divested itself of most of the Rover Group, keeping only the MINI brand and it's Cowley, Oxfordshire production facility.  The newly formed MG Rover Group inherited Rover's car making operations, including the Rover 75.  However, MG Rover never had the funds to launch a full-scale American invasion, so the dreams of a US-spec Rover 75 ended when BMW walked away.

On this prototype, we see a "spearhead" never seen on European models.  This detail was to have housed an amber side marker light on North American models.

Click here for a close-up pf that side trim detail.  For some reason, I couldn't get the photo to load on this page.

http://www.aronline.co.uk/images/r40dev_03.jpg

 

 

Had they gone through with it, I think the Rover 75 would have been a smash hit in America.  Americans at the time loved conservatively styled saloons and they don't come much more conservative than the 75.  Throw in some Ye Olde British charm, backed by a healthy dose of German quality control, and you have the recipe for an unqualified US market success story!  If only BMW had the guts to stick it out and put Rover back on it's feet.  Yes, BMW would have lost money in the short term but they would have made it all back eventually and then some.  Plus, BMW would have an "affordable" brand between MINI and BMW and there would have been no need for a front-drive 1 and 2 Series or an X1 crossover to potentially tarnish the BMW name.  As many observers at the time pointed out, the Rover 75 made a better Jaguar X-Type than the X-Type itself!

 

[Madman Of The People]

Part 3: Citroen GS.

 

This is the only picture I could find of the Citroen GS US-spec prototype.  I can only imagine the look of horror on the faces of Citroen's designers once they stepped back and cast their eyes upon the monster they had created!  No wonder they wanted to hide all evidence of it's existence!

Here's an unmolested GS for comparison.

 

There is very little information available about this car, but it is obvious Citroen were looking for a way to remain in the US market after the SM was legislated off our roads in 1974.  Like many other manufacturers at the time, Citroen discovered the only way to comply with rapidly changing safety regulations was to disfigure their cars with steel girder bumpers and exposed round sealed beam headlights.  Awkward doesn't even begin to describe the result!  

In a way, I'm almost glad this travesty was never inflicted on us and I can understand Citroen's feeling that the US market simply wasn't worth the bother.

 

[M'coli]

This unplanned launch of a Suzuki Swift is a good effort, but I don't think it reached America...

 

[New POD]

8 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

Part 2: Rover 75.

You'd think after abandoning the North American market three times in twenty years (1971, 1980, and 1991) Rover should have given up all hope of ever selling cars there ever again.  But in 1994 British Aerospace, then owners of the Rover Group, sold their automotive operations to BMW.  Yep, Britain's last high-volume car manufacturer was now in the hands of Ze Germans!

But BMW had a plan.  That plan called for the expansion of existing American Land Rover dealerships in preparation for a whole slew of new Rover cars, beginning with the Rover 75.  This was to have been launched in conjunction with the MINI (which America did get) and a new MG sports car based on BMW's E85 Z4.  America was primed for an early-2000s British invasion unlike anything seen before!  So what happened?

BMW needed time to develop new models because most of Rover's then current cars couldn't be sold in America for a variety of reasons.  For starters, the old Mini would never have passed an American crash test.  In addition, the MG F was cobbled together from the Rover and Honda parts bins and some within the company deemed it as not being up to the task of relaunching the MG octagon in America.  The 800 Series was a complete nonstarter as it was badly aging and still held the stench of the failed Sterling debacle.  Meanwhile, the beautiful 600 Series could not be sold in America for legal reasons.

Legal reasons, you say?  Oh, yes...

After Rover pulled its Sterling brand (called "Sterling by Rover" in it's final model year) from America in 1991, many former Sterling dealers dumped the remaining parts and service franchises, leaving many Sterling owners without anyplace to fix their cars or get warranty work done.  Many disgruntled Sterling owners began turning up at Acura (Honda's upscale North American brand) dealers demanding them to service their cars since the Rover 800 Series was mechanically similar to the Mk I Acura (Honda) Legend.  Naturally, Acura (and it's dealers) wanted nothing to do with Sterling, Sterling cars, or Sterling owners.

Honda took note of this which is why, when negotiations were underway to allow Rover to use the mid-'90s Euro-Accord as the basis for the Rover 600, Honda expressly forbade Rover from selling the 600 Series in North America.  Honda didn't want a repeat of the Sterling disaster should Rover decide to embark on yet another American misadventure.  Considering Rover's previous escapades in the North American market, you can appreciate why Honda didn't want a bunch of fickle Brits flogging it's technology in America, a market which is critically important to the Japanese.  This being the case, an executive saloon to ostensibly replace both the 600 and 800 Series was fast-tracked into production.

BMW were also desperate to disentangle their newly acquired British subsidiary from their reliance on Honda platforms as a matter of corporate pride and fully integrate the Rover Group into the BMW empire.  However, things weren't going well back in the UK.  The clash of cultures between BMW and Rover were not at all dissimilar to that of the DaimlerChrysler fiasco.  In addition, BMW were reluctant to impose it's will too strongly on Rover, fearing a backlash from the British media.  So they left Rover pretty much to their own devices, which allowed them to continue yet another Rover tradition; losing buckets of money!

When the losses became unsustainable, then BMW chairman Bernd Pischetsreieder, the mastermind behind BMW's acquisition of Rover, was shown the door in 1999.  The following year, BMW broke up and divested itself of most of the Rover Group, keeping only the MINI brand and it's Cowley, Oxfordshire production facility.  The newly formed MG Rover Group inherited Rover's car making operations, including the Rover 75.  However, MG Rover never had the funds to launch a full-scale American invasion, so the dreams of a US-spec Rover 75 ended when BMW walked away.

On this prototype, we see a "spearhead" never seen on European models.  This detail was to have housed an amber side marker light on North American models.

Click here for a close-up pf that side trim detail.  For some reason, I couldn't get the photo to load on this page.

http://www.aronline.co.uk/images/r40dev_03.jpg

 

 

Had they gone through with it, I think the Rover 75 would have been a smash hit in America.  Americans at the time loved conservatively styled saloons and they don't come much more conservative than the 75.  Throw in some Ye Olde British charm, backed by a healthy dose of German quality control, and you have the recipe for an unqualified US market success story!  If only BMW had the guts to stick it out and put Rover back on it's feet.  Yes, BMW would have lost money in the short term but they would have made it all back eventually and then some.  Plus, BMW would have an "affordable" brand between MINI and BMW and there would have been no need for a front-drive 1 and 2 Series or an X1 crossover to potentially tarnish the BMW name.  As many observers at the time pointed out, the Rover 75 made a better Jaguar X-Type than the X-Type itself!

 

To be fair, Ford (who owned Jaguar at the time) made a better X-type than the X-type in the Mondeo. 

[New POD]

13 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

Being based in the US, I've always held a fascination for cars we don't get over here.  But did you know there have been quite a few cars we were meant to receive but, for a variety of reasons, never had the chance to buy?  And I'm talking about  cars that were seriously  considered for the US market but, in the end, never made it over here.   In many cases, the manufacturers built US-spec prototypes and, in some cases, went through the full federalisation process, only to pull the plug in the very end.

So I've decided to explore, one-by-one, the cars that very nearly made it to America, but didn't.

My first installment in this series is...

 

Part 1: Renault Espace.

In 1984 Chrysler and Renault, independently on one another, launched two very similar vehicles in their respective markets.  Chrysler shook the North American market with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.  Meanwhile, across the pond, Renault launched the Espace.  But did you know the Renault Espace was slated to appears in American AMC-Jeep-Renault showrooms?  After witnessing the runaway success of the Chrysler duo, Renault reasoned they wanted a piece of that action, too.  So in June, 1984 Renault adapted an Espace to conform with US regulations.  This was the result...

 

Note the sealed beam headlights set inside chrome bezels and the large side marker lights.  The bumpers were also noticeably altered, with an indentation in the front for an American-sized number plate.  This prototype was exhibited at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show, but I haven't been able to find any photos of it from that show.

For comparison, here's what the European Mk I Espace looked like...

 

As the American Espace project progressed, AMC's designers in Kenosha, Wisconsin were tasked with further adapting the vehicle to American tastes.  The result was this...

 

Note the smoother front end, achieved with a new bonnet, headlamps and grille.  This treatment bears a strong resemblance to the 1988 facelift the European Espace received.  Also take note of a redesigned rear bumper, with side marker lights set inside the bumper trim.

European 1988 Espace facelift...

 

Although AMC/Renault never said what engines were to have been available in America, European versions could be had with a 2.0 litre I-4 or a 2.9 litre PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine.  I'm pretty sure the V6 would have been a certainty for America.  However, we were never able to find out.  The American Espace project died in 1987 when Renault sold AMC to Chrysler.  

Stay tuned for the next installment of Missed Opportunities, which I will get around to posting when the mood strikes me.

 

At the time Chrysler owned Talbot.  That would have been an interesting* branding. 

[ProgRocker]

Lada, apparently. 

 

[ProgRocker]

5 hours ago, M'coli said:

This unplanned launch of a Suzuki Swift is a good effort, but I don't think it reached America...

 

That car certainly lives up to it's name. 

[D.E]

The Lincoln Mark I Ghia, an American looking front grafted onto a Granada:

[Madman Of The People]

4 hours ago, New POD said:

At the time Chrysler owned Talbot.  That would have been an interesting* branding. 

 

Well, the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon were Americanised versions of the Chrysler/Talbot Horizon.  Pity they didn't bring in the Alpine and Solara.

[Bear]

14 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

Part 3: Citroen GS.

 

This is the only picture I could find of the Citroen GS US-spec prototype.  I can only imagine the look of horror on the faces of Citroen's designers once they stepped back and cast their eyes upon the monster they had created!  No wonder they wanted to hide all evidence of it's existence!

Here's an unmolested GS for comparison.

 

There is very little information available about this car, but it is obvious Citroen were looking for a way to remain in the US market after the SM was legislated off our roads in 1974.  Like many other manufacturers at the time, Citroen discovered the only way to comply with rapidly changing safety regulations was to disfigure their cars with steel girder bumpers and exposed round sealed beam headlights.  Awkward doesn't even begin to describe the result!  

In a way, I'm almost glad this travesty was never inflicted on us and I can understand Citroen's feeling that the US market simply wasn't worth the bother.

 

The GS was sold in the US - with gopping headlights of course. Possibly a parallel import by CXA though.

I have pics of a US spec GS spotted in Portland, somewhere, don't remember it having impact bumpers though.

[warren t claim]

13 hours ago, ProgRocker said:

Lada, apparently. 

 

I don't recall ever seeing a single Lada in Canada back in the mid 80s when I lived there. Quite a lot of Ford stuff though. Capris, Mk1 Fiestas and Mk3 Cortinas. BL stuff was mainly Jags and sports cars but I'd see the occasional SD1. 

I was surprised to see a few Fiat 131s roaming the streets though. 

[Madman Of The People]

Part 4: Peugeot 605.

 

In August, 1991, Peugeot Motors of America received a fax from headquarters in Paris.  It said, in short, that Peugeot were throwing in the towel in North America after nearly 34 years of nibbling at the scraps in the US market.  Peugeot's US sales peaked in 1984, at just over 20,000 units.  By 1991, sales had crashed to around 2,200 cars.  So what happened?

PMA's best seller, the 505, was pitched against the BMW 5 Series, Audi 5000 (AKA 100), Volvo 740/760, and the W124 Mercedes.  My old 1985 Peugeot 505 Turbo saloon was certainly a match for the 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo saloon I also owned.  The Peugeot actually had better ride quality and better seats.  In many ways, the 505 was the last true luxury car to come out of France.  It should also be noted the 505 was the most successful French-built car ever to be sold in America.

Unfortunately, The 505's relative success in America deluded Peugeot into thinking it could market itself as a premium brand in the States.  This lead to Peugeot completely missing the boat on the launch of the 405.  When the 405 landed in America for 1989, it came with a BMW 3 Series-sized price tag.  Although the 405 itself received rave reviews from the American motoring press, when the subject of the car's price was raised nobody could justify why it should cost so much.  As a result, sales never took off, leading to Peugeot's eventual demise in America.

Up until that point, Peugeot's US operations had been gearing up for the launch of the 605, the long-overdue replacement for the 505 saloon.  The 605 was due to hit US shores in mid-1992 as a 1993 model.  A couple of US magazines reviewed a Euro-spec 605 V6 Automatic, the only version slated to cross the Atlantic, and the reviews were generally positive.  But when it was revealed the 605 was to carry a $40,000 price tag, American motoring journalists howled with laughter and disbelief!

With the arrival of Lexus in the early 1990s, Peugeot saw the writing on the wall and bailed out of North America.  The 605 never made it over, despite Peugeot having gone through all the trouble and expense of getting Federal certification for the car.  However, with a window sticker of 40-grand or thereabouts, I don't think they would have sold very many.

 

[warren t claim]

The 505 was punted out as a taxi in the USA.

[Madman Of The People]

18 hours ago, D.E said:

The Lincoln Mark I Ghia, an American looking front grafted onto a Granada:

 

Lincoln did something similar to this with an American Granada, a completely different car from the European Granada.  When Cadillac introduced the Seville as a counter to the rising popularity of Mercedes Benz in America, Ford and it's Lincoln division were caught on the back foot.  Ford's hasty response was to take the American Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch and throw every last piece of chrome, vinyl, leather and crushed velour they could find at it to create the Lincoln Versailles.  The car flopped miserably!

 

 

[Madman Of The People]

11 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

The 505 was punted out as a taxi in the USA.

 

Yes they were!  Although it was really more of an experiment than anything else.  504s and 505s were pressed into service as an alternative to the fuel guzzling Checker Marathons, Chevrolet Impalas and Ford LTDs.

https://www.cockpitdz.com/en/post/peugeot-504-and-505-in-the-usa

 

[Rustybullethole]

Really enjoyed reading all that thanks for taking the time. 

[Snipes]

58 minutes ago, Madman Of The People said:

 

Lincoln did something similar to this with an American Granada, a completely different car from the European Granada.  When Cadillac introduced the Seville as a counter to the rising popularity of Mercedes Benz in America, Ford and it's Lincoln division were caught on the back foot.  Ford's hasty response was to take the American Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch and throw every last piece of chrome, vinyl, leather and crushed velour they could find at it to create the Lincoln Versailles.  The car flopped miserably!

 

 

That looks fantastic.