From self-driving cars to the to the world’s fastest pickup, here are 10 cars you can’t drive!
10.
2003 TVR Tuscan
British based TVR has produced a number of awesome sports cars, known for their swift
handling and crazy speed!
But most models that were made between 1996 and 2006 were banned in the USA for failing
to meet safety regulations!
The cooler the sports car, I guess the harder it is to meet safety regulations!
The 2003 TVR Tuscan was featured in the John Travolta movie, Swordfish, which led to high
demand for the vehicle, but a design choice made by the manufacturer caused a problem
with regulators.
Peter Wheeler, the owner of the company at the time, felt that features such as airbags
and auto braking systems actually gave drivers a false sense of security and could actually
lead to more accidents rather than preventing them.
He therefore didn’t include them in any of the models during this 10 year period!
And, as such, they weren’t allowed on American roads.
Do you think having airbags gives you a false sense of security??
9.
Self Driving Cars
It seems like every tech company and vehicle manufacturer is trying to perfect the self
driving car right now, and there are tests happening across the world to prove the technology
works.
Despite these cars being on the road already, though, they are still heavily regulated and,
in most cases, require there to be a person sitting in the driver’s seat with a steering
wheel so they can take control in an emergency.
This is probably for the best, too, because there’s still a fair way to go in the development
of automated technologies.
The systems on the car have to detect and deal with countless different issues that
may arise, and there have already been a number of accidents with them.
There’s also the problem of convincing authorities to allow them on the roads, as current laws
require there to be a competent driver in control of a car, and you definitely can’t
have a model with no steering wheel, which is how most companies envisage their future
models being designed.
Companies keep working on it though, and it looks like they are definitely the way of
the future!
One country has taken this a step further, and banned the use of self driving cars altogether.
The Road Minister of India has said that they won’t be welcome there, because they’ll
take away jobs.
He said that in a country with high unemployment, you simply can’t allow technology that will
put more people out of work.
They have a high demand for commercial drivers and even have schools to teach people how
to be better within the profession.
It seems that if you, too, have concerns about automatons on the streets, then you might
need to consider a move to India.
8.
1973 Electromagnetic Soap Box Car
The Soap Box Derby is an event that’s been held every year in America since 1934, but
there’s a famous model of car that was not only banned in 1973, but also led to the town
of Boulder, Colorado being banned from ever taking part in the event again.
Suspicions were raised during the finals of that year because of the inconsistencies with
Jimmy Gronen’s times completing the course.
As the day went on, his margins of victory were getting smaller and, having won his first
heat by quite a margin, he only won the final race by a short distance.
Usually the winner of these races is, at most, 3 feet ahead of the nearest competitor, but
in some instances Jimmy would win by a full 30 feet.
It soon transpired what was happening, as this particular car had an electromagnet built
into the nose.
It would be activated when the driver rested his helmet against the headrest and, as the
starting gate fell forward, would pull the car along to give a head start.
This cheating was only discovered after the final, but even during the races, officials
had replaced his wheels because they had also been covered in a chemical that reduced friction.
Needless to say, Jimmy was disqualified for cheating, and his uncle- whose son had won
the championship the previous year- was fined for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The use of chemicals on the wheels was explicitly prohibited, and so was the car.
The league was also forced to install aluminium on the start gates from the following year
to prevent a similar method from being tried ever again.
Probably the most drama the Soap Box Derby has ever seen!!
7.
Morgan Le Mans ’62 Prototype
In 2002, Morgan produced a 40th anniversary edition of the 1962 Le Mans.
They only made 80 of these cars, and they were as accurate as possible to the classic
original design.
Each one of them was engraved with a number on the steering wheel and a plaque on the
center console.
One special “prototype” version was numbered as ‘00’.
Within 72 hours of the announcement of this special edition, all 80 had been allocated
to owners- none of whom resided in the United States.
It turns out it wasn’t road legal there because, true to the original, there was only
one door handle, which was on the driver’s side, and this constituted as a safety hazard.
6.
TVR Sagaris
This is another of the long list of TVR cars that have been banned in the US.
It too, purposefully avoided the safety regulations of including air bags or ABS- because the
company owner felt these features caused drivers to be overconfident and could potentially
put you at risk if the car were to roll over.
TVR’s were well known for having poor build quality, with issues such as carpets coming
unstuck and having handling problems, so the engineers set out to make the Sagaris something
completely different- and they sure did.
Many reviewers called this the best TVR ever made- despite it being one of the last models
the company would ever develop- and you might even be familiar with it from the Forza Horizon
video game franchise.
With a power output of up to 406 brake horsepower they are really fun to drive and have won
a number of race events- sadly not in the US.
And it’s unlikely you’ll ever see one driving on Route 66.
5.
Lotus Elise S1
The Lotus Elise was named after the granddaughter of the company’s chairman at the time, and
took a rather purist attitude with its design.
The earlier models didn’t have any roof or windows to help reduce the overall weight,
and this gave it the ability to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in only 5.8 seconds.
This was particularly impressive given the engine’s output of only 118 brake horse
power, but with a weight of only 1,600 pounds, the car was easily able to reach a top speed
of 150 miles per hour.
Focusing more on speed and manoeuvrability than safety, all models of the Elise between
1996 and 2001 were put on the US NHTSA blacklist for import.
There was also a limited edition version known as the 340R, because of the number that were
produced, which was also banned.
These were even faster than the standard model, with a 177 brake horse power engine and weighing
1,550 pounds.
4.
1993 Lamborghini Strosek Diablo
The designer of this car, Vittorio Strosek, thought the original Diablo to be too subtle,
so he made this version that included re-designed front and rear bumpers, moved the position
of the exterior rear view mirrors, replaced pop-up headlights with permanent ones, and
made a variety of other changes.
Very few of these special editions were ever made, and they cost an absolute fortune to
those lucky enough to be offered one in the first place!
You may have to settle for a regular Diablo for $100,000 to $150,000.
The problem, though, was that all of the alterations that were made resulted in the car being very
unsuitable for the roads of America.
Look at the mirrors, for example, and the completely ineffective narrow headlights.
The car could also reach crazy speeds very easily, so it was never allowed to be imported.
This decision can’t have affected too many people, though, because the sheer cost and
rarity of these vehicles mean that they’re even extremely difficult to get hold of anywhere!
Even in Europe where they were manufactured.
3.
HSV Maloo R8
Holden Special Vehicles is the performance vehicle partner of Holden, an Australian vehicle
manufacturer.
They have modified a number of models, including those made by companies other than Holden.
One in particular that broke world records was the Maloo R8.
It’s a performance utility vehicle that had been in production since 1990.
The engine of the original vehicle was replaced with a V8, full body kits were added and a
bunch of other tweaks are made.
“Maloo” means thunder in Aboriginal Australian, and boy was this truck fast.
In 2001, the R8 broke the world record for the fastest pickup truck- clocking in at 168
mph and, in the process, taking the record away from the Dodge Ram SRT-10.
Unfortunately this creation never made it over to the States.
It was deemed to be too dangerous and, due to the small numbers that were built, no one
ever tried to prove otherwise.
If you want to see one of these in action, you’ll need to track down one of the 250
in Australia, or 10 in New Zealand.
2.
2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider
With so many home grown car manufacturers, and the love in the US for American muscle
cars, it’s maybe not a surprise that other vehicle producers around the world don’t
concentrate on the US market when they make special edition cars.
Alfa Romeo’s 8C Spider is one of these models, and it’s a shame.
It was released in 2010, and only 500 were made.
It’s a softer car than its contemporaries, and has a soft top roof that has to be manually
detached from the windscreen.
The 450 brake horsepower engine allows it to reach 62 mph within 4.5 seconds, and it
was universally praised as being one of the finest vehicles ever made by Alfa Romeo.
It looks beautiful too, and shows the design aesthetics you’d expect from the Italian
company.
The V8 engine roars into action as it speeds down the road, and the handling allows the
driver to keep complete control.
When it was released, it cost over a quarter of a million dollars, and sold out immediately.
This, combined with regulations in America about safety features and engine power meant
that a license was never agreed for the 8C Spider.
1.
1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R
Nissan Skylines are known around the world for their design, power, and amazing handling.
They’re some of the best cars available in driving games like Need for Speed, too,
so it’s no wonder that car enthusiasts across America want to get their hands on one.
The only problem is, they can’t.
Why?
You’ve probably guessed it by now.
Because this model of car does not pass the required safety regulations.
It’s known as one of the best drift cars you can get, and won the Japanese Touring
Car Championship 29 times in a row!
But it’s this insane power that is the main reason it’s banned.
It’s a four wheel drive with an engine power of between 280 and 500 brake horse power,
and that’s before you modify it.
In some cases the engines have been known to achieve an output of over 1000 brake horse
power!
And it can easily reach speeds of over 200 miles per hour.
The simple fact is, this allows them to outpace even the most proficiently driven police car,
which is something the authorities understandably want to prevent from happening.
There’s also a further safety implication here, because if a car were to travel at such
speeds on a public highway, it would definitely threaten the safety of other drivers who would
have no way to avoid a collision.
There are, of course, ways for someone to get one of these vehicles into the country,
but it most definitely is not legal.
Thanks for watching!
Were you surprised by any of these?
Let us know in the comments below!
Be sure to subscribe and see you soon!
Byeee!!