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5 Weird and Wonderful American Cars That Were Not Built in the U.S.

Throughout the last seven decades, American manufacturers employed a marketing strategy to plug holes in their model lineups by rebranding foreign-made cars. Called captive imports, the majority of these vehicles were small, fuel-efficient people movers that deserve to be forgotten, but a handful were actually interesting.
Ford Capri MKI 16 photos
Photo: Ford Motor Co.
Pontiac GTOPontiac GTOPontiac GTODodge Stealth R/T Twin-TurboDodge Stealth R/T Twin-TurboDodge Stealth R/T Twin-TurboMerkur XR4TiMerkur XR4TiMerkur XR4TiFord Capri MKIFord Capri MKIFord Capri MKIIPontiac G8 GXPPontiac G8 GXPPontiac G8 GXP
Less common these days, the captive import strategy was first employed in the U.S. back in the 1950s. British-built models like the Nash-Healey or the Nash Metropolitan were two of the cars that started this trend, which evolved into rebadging foreign models to fill gaps in certain market segments.

Captive imports became commonplace during the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the foreign-made models that ended up with American badges and slight design visual alterations were forgettable compacts that usually came from Japan.

However, there were several exceptions that deserve to be remembered, despite not necessarily becoming marketing hits.

Pontiac GTO (5th generation)

Pontiac GTO
Photo: Pontiac
Back in the day, the GTO was one of the most impressive muscle cars that money could buy. Unfortunately, it lost all its muscle and character “thanks” to the 1973 energy crisis. Pontiac was forced to retire the nameplate in 1974, after two generations that failed to impress anyone, but three decades later, it came back from the dead.

Unlike its predecessors, the fifth and last version of the GTO was not designed by Pontiac. Since the former “excitement division” was struggling to stay alive, its executives decided to pump some much-needed excitement into the 2004 model lineup with help from GM’s Australian division Holden.

Thus, the Aussies’ hugely-popular Monaro was given a new front grille with Pontiac badges and became the GTO. The car itself was thrilling to drive and packed some adequate V8 muscle. Initially, it came with a 350-hp (355 ps) LS1, then an LS2 that improved output to 400 hp (405 ps) became available.

Sadly, the high price tag and the decision to name it GTO proved to be bad marketing moves that impacted sales – negatively. Potential buyers were expecting something more American from a modern GTO and die-hard fans of the brand refused to acknowledge its existence. If it had a different name and was a bit cheaper, this great car would have been much more successful.

Dodge Stealth R/T Twin-Turbo

Dodge Stealth R/T Twin\-Turbo
Photo: Dodge
During the late 1980s, Japanese sports cars were taking the world by storm. Although they were no match for Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Porsche’s most popular models in terms of performance, these cars were still thrilling, and more importantly, cheaper. In the U.S., Chrysler wanted a piece of the pie, but the corporation was already spending a lot of time and resources on developing a full-blown supercar that would become known as Dodge Viper.

Lucky, Chrysler formed a joint venture with Mitsubishi in 1985 and after failing to make a splash in the affordable sports car market with a rebadged Mitsubishi Starion called Conquest, it was time to slap Dodge badges on its successor, the 3000 GT (aka GTO in Japan).

Facelifted and called Stealth, the Japanese-built Dodge was sold alongside the Mitsubishi 3000 GT from 1991 to 1996. It was available in various V6-powered trim levels, the most impressive of which was the R/T Twin-Turbo. Apart from the powerful, 300-hp (304 ps) twin-turbo engine, this version of the Stealth came with a permanent all-wheel-drive system, an electronically controlled suspension, and four-wheel steering as standard. It was a terrific machine that sold a lot better than its successor.

Awesome features aside, the Stealth is famous for something that it never was. To promote the captive import, Chrysler managed to secure pace car duties for the 1991 edition of the famous Indianapolis 500. However, the news nearly started an uprising, and the United Auto Workers (UAW) managed to convince the corporation that a Japanese-built car didn’t deserve the honor. In the end, the Stealth was relegated to backup pace car and a prototype Dodge Viper took to the track.

Merkur XR4Ti

Merkur XR4Ti
Photo: Ford Motor Co.
For the 1984 model year, the Ford Motor Company decided to bring the XR4i performance-oriented version of the German-built Ford Sierra to the U.S. But, for whatever reason, management decided to market the car under a completely new (and totally weird) brand name: Merkur (Mercury, in German).

A three-door hatchback that was quite popular in Europe, the Sierra XR4i was powered by a naturally-aspirated V6 that made a healthy 148 hp (150 ps) and could also be had with four-wheel drive (Sierra XR4x4).

Unfortunately, these goodies didn’t make it across the Atlantic, and the Merkur XR4Ti was only available with a 2.3-liter, inline-four. The good news was that the engine used a turbocharger which raised output to either 145 or 175 hp (147-177 ps), depending on whether it was linked to an automatic or manual transmission.

The first and only Ford vehicle to be named Merkur, the XR4Ti was produced until 1989 in 42,464 units. Praised for its handling and decent power delivery, it wasn’t a resounding success or a marketing failure, but few remember it ever existed. Despite its name, it remains a fascinating captive import and we can only imagine how awesome it would have been had Ford also brought the RS Cosworth version to the U.S.

Ford Capri (MKI and MKII)

Ford Capri MKII
Photo: Ford Motor Co.
Introduced in 1968, the Ford Capri was the Mustang’s less-muscular, European cousin. An RWD fastback coupe, it inherited pony car genes from its American sibling, but in its most powerful form, a V6 could be found under the hood.

Encouraged by its popularity in Europe, Ford brought it to the U.S. in 1970. The model was sold through the Lincoln-Mercury dealership network as part of the Mercury lineup, but it was marketed as Capri, without including the division’s name.

At first glance, this is the least impressive captive import on our list, but in fact, the Capri was an awesome little car that thrived during the dreaded Malaise era. It was praised for its affordability, exceptional build quality, precise handling, and adequate performance (particularly the V6 versions).

Apart from the initial Capri, Ford continued to import the revised MKII until 1977, with overall sales exceeding expectations. The nameplate was officially attributed to Mercury in 1979, but the new Capri became a rebadged Fox-body Mustang.

Pontiac G8 GXP

Pontiac G8 GXP
Photo: Pontiac
Pontiac’s attempt to market the Holden Monaro as the fifth-generation GTO was unquestionably a failure, but it didn’t stop the division from bringing Australian GM cars to the U.S.

After dropping the GTO in 2006, the struggling division set its sights on another popular Holden: the VE Commodore sedan. This time, the marketing department refrained from using any of the iconic nameplates and christened the model G8.

Produced from late-2007 to mid-2009, the G8 was available in three distinct trims. The base G8 was nothing really special, the mid-range GT was sportier, while the top-of-the-line GXP was in many ways epic.

A muscle sedan-type of beast, the GXP was equipped with a 415-hp (421 ps) LS3 V8 linked to either a six-speed automatic or a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual – all borrowed from the C6 Corvette. Moreover, it came with a Nürburgring-honed suspension system and large Brembo brakes.

Able to accelerate to 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and run the quarter mile (402 m) in 13 seconds, it was one of the most exciting high-performance sedans sold by an American brand during the 2000s and is most likely going to be a sought-after collector’s item in the future.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
Vlad Radu profile photo

Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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