8 Cool Cars That Were Only Available In Limited Markets

1. BMW E30 320is

If you ask most BMW fans which classic car they’d love to drive, they’d probably go for the E30 M3. Unfortunately, they’re rare and ludicrously expensive nowadays, but for people in Italy and Portugal, an alternative was offered. To take advantage of the tax breaks afforded to cars with engines smaller than 2.0 litres, BMW offered the 320is.

It was intended to be an affordable alternative to the 325i, which was prohibitively expensive to run in those markets. It ran a 1990cc version of the four-cylinder engine used in the M3, as well as the close-ratio Getrag gearbox. Despite not being a fully fledged M division car, the M engine and gearbox made it a fast BMW that wouldn’t cost you the Earth.

2. Honda FD2 Civic Type R

FD2 was the chassis code given to the 2006-2011 JDM Civic Type R, with FN2 used for the European version. While the rest of the world had to deal with around 20bhp less than what Japan received, from 2007 the JDM-spec Type R was also sold in Malaysia.

That meant Malaysians and Japanese buyers could choose the four-door saloon version as the base for their Civic, while everyone else only got the option of a three-door, and I’m sure you’ll agree that the more door version looks much cooler. It also came with a close-ratio gearbox and a helical limited-slip differential as standard, so it was no slouch.

3. Renault Sandero RS

Good news! If you live in Latin America, you can get a Sandero that’s been tuned up by Renaultsport. That’s because while it’s badged as a Dacia here in the UK, over there it’s known as a Renault Sandero.

It gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine making 143bhp, and will do the 0-62mph run in a nippy eight seconds. There are a few extra changes to the bodywork and exhaust to make it look and sound a bit sportier to go along with the extra performance. It may not be the fastest thing on the road, but as an entry level RS car it’s mighty appealing. Bring it to Europe, please!

4. Subaru WRX STI S207

Subaru’s rally legend might not have quite the game changing performance of days gone by - after all, there are now hatchbacks that offer comparable performance and driving thrills - but don’t underestimate the allure of a rich history. For that reason, the WRX STI is still loved by petrolheads the world over despite becoming just another affordable performance car.

In Japan, the WRX STI gets a lot of love in the performance department to elevate it above anything us Europeans are lucky enough to hoon. The S207 is a Japan-only ultimate evolution of this beloved car, and it has the goods to back up the aggressive styling. Power is up 19bhp on the standard car, the steering has been sharpened up, and the chassis has been thoroughly worked over with new bracing for the strut towers and rear subframe, and STI-tuned Bilstein dampers are fitted all round. Only 400 were made, so owning one makes you a member of an exclusive club.

5. Nissan Patrol Nismo

To launch Nismo in the Middle East, Nissan gave its motorsport treatment to the region’s most popular car, the Patrol. Aside from the obvious (awesome) ‘aerodynamic’ additions, the 5.6-litre V8 was given a 28bhp boost to make 428bhp. It also runs on 22-inch forged Rays alloy wheels and Bilstein suspension.

6. Alfa Romeo 168

This isn’t technically a unique model, as the Alfa Romeo 168 is just a rebadged 164 for the Hong Kong and Malaysian markets; it’s included because the story behind the change is interesting. You see, in Chinese, ‘164’ sounds the same as ‘all the way to death.’ Therefore the name was changed in these markets to 168, which sounds the same as ‘all the way to prosperity.’

7. Volkswagen SP2

I’ve written about the VW SP2 more extensively before, but I felt it was still worthy of inclusion as it’s a great looking, intriguing little car. Built by the Brazilian arm of VW to skirt import restrictions in the 70s, it was billed as a sports car, but was built on the VW Type III. It even shared the engine, which despite being bored out to 1.7 litres for this car, still only made a rather weak 75bhp.

Unfortunately, due to the new front-wheel drive architecture being championed by VW Europe, the funky ‘sports car’ never made the jump over to the manufacturer’s homeland, and eventually died a quiet death in South America.

8. Ford Racing Puma

The Ford Puma has always been seen as the Blue Oval’s equivalent of the Mazda MX-5 - it has an image as a ‘hairdresser’s car’, but those who know better know it’s actually a great driver’s car. So the Racing Puma is a highly sought after and incredibly rare vehicle.

The original plan was to sell 1000, with half going to Germany and half to the UK. In the end, only the UK allocation was ever produced, but Ford struggled to get rid of all 500, since rivals like the Impreza were less expensive and offered better performance. That’s just served to make the Ford Racing Puma even more exciting today.

It had Alcon race-derived brakes, a wider track, light Speedline alloy wheels, and an optional limited-slip differential.

Check out the original post with everyone’s suggestions here.