Amazing American cars we wish were available in the UK 

“We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day.”

So said President Thomas Whitmore during his rousing speech in 1996’s monumental summer blockbuster Independence Day; a film in which Will Smith drops an alien with a single punch to the chops.

Indeed, today, our Stateside cousins celebrate their independence and it reminded us that they have some truly amazing cars over there which for some reason or another haven’t reached UK roads.

Here are just some of them:

Ford Taurus SHO

Fuel costs have a big say in why certain models aren’t available in the UK and Ford’s Taurus SHO (short for ‘Super High Output) is one such example.

It’s a bulky, overpowered full-fat sedan with little to no mind paid to running costs or fuel economy. That’s why it would stick out like a sore thumb in Europe where sedans (sorry, ‘saloons’) are notably friendlier.

Ram Runner

As well as cheaper fuels, the Yanks have wider roads too and vast deserts where a high-performance pick-up like the Ram Runner can be let loose without the threat of levelling small towns.

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

‘Ahh, but you can get the Camaro in the UK’ chime the smart Alecs out there. That’s true; while the bowtie badge has ceased trading in the UK and Europe entirely, Brits can still ship over this muscle car in right-hand drive. But the ZL1 variant? Nuh-uh.

While the 6.2-litre 446bhp V8 available to Brits can clear 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, the 641bhp ZL1 does it a whole second quicker.

Ford Mustang GT350

RHD Mustangs may now be a thing in the UK but the GT350 remains strictly reserved for the US. Which is just as well because by all accounts, it is ridiculously overpowered with the capacity to make mincemeat of any UK motorway.

BMW M5 Manual

We’ll be getting an all-new M5 some time in 2018 but most likely, only with flappy paddles. For a stick option, you’d have to head Stateside, but even then, you’d have to venture into the used market after the manual M5 was discontinued in April 2016.

Dodge Charger

Yet again, the prospect of running a stupidly overpowered retro sedan/coupe on UK roads promises to be financially heavy, both getting it over here as well as running it. That’s why even the people capable of importing them don’t get many takers.

Ford F-150

Brits have warmed towards pick-ups lately, as illustrated in our recent best pick-ups round-up, and in the US, the F-150 is the biggest selling automobile. It’s the equivalent of the Fiesta over here, but if you saw an F-150 on UK roads, you could almost hear the tarmac gulp in fear.

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