Success in the huge and lucrative North American market has always been the ultimate prize for British manufacturers, simply because the territory is so vast and the potential returns are so substantial. In the 1950s and '60s UK sports cars - MG, Triumph, Jaguar and Austin-Healey - led the way, creating a new market for themselves with little local competition. The trouble was, the sense of humour required to run an MGB or a TR as a fun car often deserted American buyers when they bought British sedans.
As this list shows, makers of saloon cars had a much patchier record and too many hopefuls have underestimated the infrastructure required in a country where the extremes of weather can be as unforgiving as the buyers. Countless British cars - even good ones such as the Rover 2000 - broke down too often and were poorly served by local dealers. The energy crisis of the early '70s was an opportunity that Britain fumbled by foisting on the Americans slightly worse versions of its cheaper-to-run offerings that were as unreliable and uncompetitive as ever. Japanese makers were left unchallenged and reaped the rewards.
Here we present 10 ways in which British manufacturers have tweaked and rebooted some familiar (and not so familiar) faces for Stateside consumption over the years.
1 Triumph TR250
この記事は Classic & Sports Car の January 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Classic & Sports Car の January 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
DOWN MEMORY LANE
As C&SC hits 500 not out, our most prolific and popular wordsmith turns Jackanory to tell the story of his lifelong link to the magazine
Locked & loaded
Land-Rover's SAS prototype and Minerva's Blindé vehicle were built to lend agility reconnaisance and versatility to Europe's special forces
SHOCK THERAPY
Testing an electric Fiat 500, and the idea of EV-converted classics, with a drive across the capital
Fire in the hole
The Huayra Pronello Ford combined advanced aerodynamic ideas with brutal V8 power for a long-lost Argentinian sports-prototype series
Brighton belles
This pair of pioneer machines found fame in the 1953 caper Genevieve, a film that helped give old-car ownership global appeal
FORTUNE 500
It was less famous than the Indy and Daytona 500s, shorter-lived than the Brooklands 500, but memories of the BOAC 500 live long
To be continued...
After the fabulous C2, the best of the rest convene from seven decades of America's original sports car dynasty
AMERICAN BEAUTY
For eight generations and 70 years, the Chevy Corvette has been the backbone of the US sports car industry. As it turns 60, the C2 remains the most desirable of all
THE LAST TEMPTATION
This, the final Ferrari 500 Superfast marks the end of a line of GTs conceived for the mega-rich, not just the merely wealthy
Martin BUCKLEY
'I was enthralled by the lavish feel, tarnished only by an anti-corrosion warranty sticker added as an afterthought'