THE 15-YEAR WAIT IS OVER
A few import suggestions for 2018
In Canada, car enthusiasts have a major advantage over their American peers. Colloquially called the 15-year rule, we get legal, unrestricted access to cars never officially sold here as soon as they turn 15. Across the border, collectors need to wait until their dream car turns 25. Plus, finding a 15-yearold car in serviceable shape is much easier.
Not every car eligible for a oneway trip to Canada in 2018 is worthy of our lust. Here are some that are, and a few from 2002 that we’d also look for while we’re abroad:
ALFA ROMEO GT (2003)
The GT gave buyers enthralled by the idea of an Alfa Romeo coupe a more family-friendly alternative to the radical-looking GTV. Penned by Bertone, it borrowed styling cues from other members of the company’s lineup, such as the 147 hatchback and the sexy 156 sedan. In other words, it was gorgeous and well-proportioned.
Base variants were, by most accounts, underwhelming to drive. However, the range-topping model boasted a 3.2-litre V-6 with 240 horsepower and a surprising amount of bite in spite of its frontwheel-drive architecture. The sixcylinder model is unquestionably the enthusiast’s choice in the lineup, and good ones are already ending up in the careful hands of dyed-in-the-wool Alfisti.
CITROEN C2 (2003)
Launched in 2003, the C2 demonstrated Citroen hadn’t lost touch with its quirkiness, at least when it came to design. This tiny two-door, four-seat city car wore a funky look characterized by a curved front end, a stepped belt line and a trunk accessed via a two-part hatch-and-tailgate setup.
While entry-level models were basic and hopelessly cheap, don’t write off the C2 as yet another soulcrushing econobox. The 125-hp VTS model was a proper hot hatch that’s still widely used in hill-climb events across Europe today.
FORD FALCON GT (2003)
Ford’s Australian division made several high-performance, GT-badged Falcons from 1967 to 1976. Tuner Tickford helped the Blue Oval bring back the badge in 1992 and in 1997, both times as a limited-edition model. At the turn of the millennium, executives decided the time was right for a fullfledged comeback.
The task of developing the 21stcentury GT was entrusted to Ford Performance Vehicles, Australia’s equivalent to the Ford Special Vehicles division that developed the Mustang Cobra R and the F-150 Lightning, among other models. The 2003 Falcon GT used a model-specific 5.4-L Boss 290 V-8 engine rated at 390 hp and 380 poundfeet of torque. If there was ever a modern-day Mustang for the entire family, this was it.
It was fast and it looked the part. The GT treatment included a full body kit with a sizable hood bulge, a large air dam embedded into a deep front bumper, side skirts and a spoiler out back.
HSV AVALANCHE XUV (2003)
In Canada, the Avalanche is a pickup-SUV cross with a Chevrolet emblem on the grille. In Australia, it’s a four-door car-based pickup with Corvette power. Both are offbeat, but in completely different ways. Holden Special Vehicles designed the Avalanche XUV by starting with a bone-stock Crewman Cross 8. Think of it as a modernday El Camino with a little bit more ground clearance, plastic cladding and four doors. Holden shoehorned a 362-hp LS1 V-8 into the engine bay and called it an XUV, the acronym standing for extreme utility vehicle. Production remained low, so the Avalanche is a safe bet if you want a future classic with an Australian passport.
SMART ROADSTER (2003)
The Roadster and Coupe showed the fun, sporty side of the Smart brand. Both sat on an extended version of the platform found under the original Fortwo, and they used an evolution of its 698-cubic-centimetre turbocharged threecylinder engine, but they were completely different beasts.
With help from sister company Mercedes-Benz, Smart managed to build one of the best affordable driver’s cars since the original Mazda MX-5 Miata arrived in 1989.
The most powerful Brabus-massaged variants weighed around 830 kilograms, yet they offered 101 hp plus direct, nimble handling.
European buyers rushed to the nearest Smart dealer to drive home in a Roadster or a Coupe. Sales exploded during the models’ first year on the market. Unfortunately, the love affair turned sour after a few short years.
The Roadster model was not entirely waterproof, much to the chagrin of British and German buyers, and repairing the uncommonly high array of issues both body styles experienced cost Daimler a considerable amount of money in warranty claims.
Officials pulled the plug on the project after Smart produced fewer than 50,000 units. They’re not the most trouble-free cars you can import, but they’re among the most rewarding to drive.
DAIHATSU COPEN (2002)
Daihatsu’s Copen stands proud as one of the few kei cars ever to venture out of Japan. In its home country, it was built around a 660cc turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 63 horsepower. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s enough to have a blast in a pocketsized convertible that tips the scale at only 810 kg.
If you’re not convinced, look for a Euro-spec Copen. Those models swapped the regulations-mandated 660-cc engine for a 1.3-L fourcylinder tuned to produce 86 hp. Weight went up slightly, but all variants of the Copen stayed below the 850-kg mark. Did we mention it’s cute, too?
TVR TAMORA (2002)
With the Tamora, TVR launched itself into a segment dominated by the razor-sharp Porsche Boxster S. It was smaller and cheaper than the mighty Griffith, and it used a V-6 engine instead of a V-8, but it inherited all of the genes that made its bigger siblings true driver’s cars in every sense of the term.
The public, however, disagreed. At launch, many TVR owners and enthusiasts decried the idea of an entry-level model. While some continue to argue there’s no replacement for displacement, the Tamora is now a relatively accessible entry point into TVR ownership that’s a lot more fun to drive than brand snobs give it credit for. The design, you ask? That’s very much a love-it-or-hate-it proposition.