# The D-List: Awesome Cars Made by American Companies That Never Saw the Light of Day in America

For the first D-List that we ever made, we covered a bunch of cars that are awesome, but we never got in America, and it hurt. But what hurts even more is that there are awesome cars made by American car companies that were never sold in America.

Today, I'm gonna be talking about Mexican Jeeps, Chinese Buicks, and a whole lot of Fords. So hire a dog sitter and try to remember where you put your passport. This is the D-List.

Ford is the daddy of some of the best American cars to ever be made. But Ford also makes some of the best British cars of all time. Sacrebleu, mate.

And starting off this list is - Le Ford Escort. Now, I know what you're saying? Yeah, we got the Escort, but here's the thing. We didn't get any of the cool ones. Cool Escorts? Yeah. Ford started making the MK1 Escort in 1968, 12 years before the first American Escort.

And there have been a ton of super sick versions along the way. But if you ask me and by clicking that title, you did ask me in a way, the Escort that tops all other Escorts came in 1984 with the RS Turbo. Ford made 5,000 of these turbo-charged baby boys. They came with Recaro seats and LSDs. Of the 5,000 ever produced, 4,999 were painted white, and only one RS turbo being painted a different color - black.

It was a special order for her Royal Highness, the Princess Diana. Rest in peace, GOAT. Great taste in cars and the originator of normcore. Shia LaBeouf would not have his signature swag if it weren't for Princess Di. Swag.

What are you looking for in a car? Do you want a car that's reliable? Fast perhaps? Maybe bulletproof? Well then, look no further, my friend than the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Armored. Jeep launched this rolling panic room with tow hitch, exclusively in Mexico earlier this year to offer a solution to the ongoing threat of kidnapping and violence in certain areas of that country.

The car has Bulletproof glass and body paneling. It's capable of stopping anything up to a .44 Magnum round in case you ever get cut off by Clint Eastwood on the freeway. Underneath this Jeep is a grenade-proof belly pan, run-flat tires, and reinforced suspension. Making sure that you have the means to escape if you ever find yourself in a tricky spot.

What are you? Brad Pitt? Who needs this? Other than that, it's business as usual. Napa leather seats, Apple CarPlay. It's got a Hemi. Every bit, the refined ride. But then again, it should be. With a price tag of 1,850,900 pesos. That's like $80,000. That's really not bad for a car that is bomb-proof.

We've talked about it before. The US ain't the only muscle car-loving nation on this fat, green earth. Down Under, they're about that life too, mate. Australia loves muscle cars.

And then in the '70s, when American cars were losing muscle mass, Australian cars were getting ripped, like that big... Picture, that big, old buff kangaroo.

And one of the coolest-looking Australian muscle boys is - Chrysler Valiant Charger.

Now, let me tell you guys, this thing is a looker. I'm a big fan of that rear window. Imagine pulling into a Cars & Coffee in your right-hand drive, Australian market '70s Mopar.

Speaking of Australia, I wanna give a quick update on Nolan II. As a symbol of my humility, I have adopted this kangaroo. He is hopping. It's very cute.

And I got my official card that says I own him.

Now, the one you're gonna wanna get is the Charger 770 SE E55, which really, really is a poetic name for a car. This one came with a 340 cubic inch V8 with 295 kangaroo power. And it came in a bunch of really, really cool colors, like fuchsia and two different colors of pee.

Dodge Ramcharger.

The Dodge Ramcharger was an American legend. And sadly, this thuggish brute was taken away from us far too soon just like Andre the Giant. Production here in America ended in 1993. However, you might be surprised to know that between 1999 and 2001, a third generation Ramcharger was built, only this one was hecho in Mexico.

The name alone conjures images of an outlaw.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- For the first D-List that we ever made,we covered a bunch ofcars that are awesome,but we never got in America, and it hurt.But what hurts even more isthat there are awesome carsmade by American car companiesthat were never sold in America?Today, I'm gonna be talkingabout Mexican Jeeps,Chinese Buicks, and a whole lot of Fords.So hire a dog sitterand try to remember whereyou put your passport.This is the D-List.Ford is the daddy of someof the best American carsto ever be made.But Ford also makes someof the best British carsof all time.Sacrebleu, mate.And starting off this list is...(dramatic music)- Le Ford Escort.- Now, I know what you're saying?Yeah, we got the Escort,but here's the thing.We didn't get any of the cool ones.Cool Escorts? Yeah.Ford started makingthe MK1 Escort in 1968,12 years before the first American Escort.And there've been a tonof super sick versionsalong the way.But if you ask me andby clicking that title,you did ask me in a way,the Escort that tops all other Escortscame in 1984 with the RS Turbo.Ford made 5,000 of theseturbo charged baby boys.They came with Recaro seats and LSDs.Of the 5,000 ever produced,4,999 were painted whiteand only one RS turbo beingpainted a different color.Black.It was a special orderfor her Royal Highness,the Princess Diana.Rest in peace, GOAT.Great taste in cars andthe originator of normcore.Shia LaBeouf would nothave his signature swagif it weren't for Princess Di.Swag.What are you lookin'...What do you look for in a car?Do you want a car that's reliable?Fast perhaps?Maybe bulletproof?Well then, look no further, my friendthan the Jeep Grand Cherokee.Armored.Jeep launched this rollingpanic room with tow hitch,exclusively in Mexico earlier this yearto offer a solution to the ongoing threatof kidnapping and violencein certain areas of that country.The car has Bulletproofglass and body paneling.It's capable of stoppinganything up to a .44 Magnum roundin case you ever get cutoff by Clint Eastwoodon the freeway.Underneath this Jeep is agrenade proof belly pan,run-flat tires and reinforced suspension.Making sure that youhave the means to escapeif you ever find yourselfin a tricky spot.What are you? Brad Pitt?Who needs this?Other than that it's business as usual.Napa leather seats, Apple CarPlay.It's got a Hemi.Every bit, the refined ride.But then again, it should be.With a price tag of 1,850,900pesos.That's like $80,000.That's really not bad fora car that is bomb proof.We've talked about it before.The US ain't the onlymuscle car-loving nationon this fat, green earth.Down Under, they're aboutthat life too, mate.Australia loves muscle cars.And then in the '70s,when American cars werelosing muscle mass,Australia cars were gettingripped, like that big...Picture, that big, old buff kangaroo.And one of the coolest-lookingAustralian muscle boys is-- Chrysler Valiant Charger.- Now, let me tell you guys,this thing is a looker.I'm a big fan of that rear window.Imagine pulling into a Cars & Coffeein your right-hand drive,Australian market '70s Mopar.Speaking of Australia, Iwanna give a quick updateon Nolan II.As a symbol of my humility,I have adopted this kangaroo.He is hopping.It's very cute.And I got my officialcard that says I own him.Now, the one you're gonna wanna getis the Charger 770 SE E55, which really,really is a poetic name for a car.This one came with a 340 cubic inch V8with 295 kangaroo power.And it came in a bunch ofreally, really cool colors,like fuchsia and twodifferent colors of pee.- Dodge Ramcharger.- The Dodge Ramchargerwas an American legend.And sadly, this thuggishbrute was taken away from usfar too soon just like Andre the Giant.Production here in America ended in 1993.However, you might be surprised to know,that between 1999 and 2001,a third generation Ramcharger was built,only this one was hecho in Mexico.The name alone conjuresimages of an outlaw.A "Mad Max" desert grad,a weapon on wheels.Can you picture it?Can you see its muscular body,its harsh lines, itsunforgiving bad-ass style?Okay, now, forgeteverything you just imaginedand look at this guy.Yeah.The third generation Dodge Ramchargeralso called the Plymouth Trailduster,was essentially a Dodge Ram upfrontand a Chrysler town andcountry minivan out back.Could be had with a 5.9 liter Magnum V8and rear wheel drive.It's basically a two-door,two-wheel drive Durango.But even with only two doors,it still had third row seating.And the third row was side facing.So you and your little sistercan kick each other on road trips.I'm not touching you.Don't touch me. I'm not touching you.Don't touch me. I'm not touching you.Don't touch me. I'm not touching you.If you kids don't calm down,I will turn this car around,drive back home, ducttape you to the banisterand burn the house down.Americans love nothing more than cramminghuge old V8s into dainty,little British cars.I'm talking about JensenInterceptor, the Sunbeam Tiger,the Shelby frickingCobra, ever heard of it?All these cars perfectlymarried European looksand handling withAmerican HRSPR and noises.However, one of the lesser knownyet most excellent examplesof this marriage of style and substanceis rarely ever talked about.I'm talking about the awesomely named...- Chevy Chev Firenza Can-Am.- This is one of thecutest looking muscle cars.Period!And we got South Africantouring car legend,Basil van Rooyen, tothank for its creation.He was eager to put an end tothe Ford Capri's dominationof the South Africanproduction car championship.So he took two regular Chevy Firenzasand dropped big blockHolden V8s under the hood.Chevy executives loved what they sawand decided to build 100 of the carsas homologation specials in 1973so that Basil could go out and race them.But, the little Chev nevergot to achieve racing glory.As the 1973 seasoneventually got called offdue to our old friend,the 1973 oil crisis.If you wanna show your friendshow deeply knowledgeableyou are on this subject,head to our store donutmedia.comand get yourself anofficial oil crisis T-shirt.- Buick Park Avenue.- You may actually haveseen the Buick Park Avenueon American Streets.Since way back in 1975,Buick has used the namefor their most executive trim levelsacross their entire range.In the '90s, it became its own modelbuilt on the C platform,which was the sister carto the effortlessly cool Buick Roadmaster,but don't get it twisted.The Park Avenue was Buick'smost luxurious flagship car.A second-generation ran from '97 to 2005when Buick retired the nameeverywhere except China.Because in 2007, along came this.The third gen Park Avenue.But spoiler alert, it'sreally just an Australian-madeHolden Caprice with Buick badges.That's right.American car named after afamous New York City street,sold only in China andbuilt by Australians.It's like a Peking duck,hot dog with Vegemite on it.Now, despite the somewhatunderwhelming LY7 motor,the Park Avenue soldrelatively well in China,a country where style and classoutweighs out and out performance.The reason? Buick Park Avenuelooked and sounded expensive.It was an American luxury car.The interior was coveredin leather and wood.And most importantly,it was 204 inches long.That's almost as longas nine German shepherdssniffing each other's butts end to end.We're talking S-Class levelsof longitudinal opulence.And it's funny to methat Americans were sickof the Park Avenue, butto the Chinese market,it was a real slice of luxury.Just goes to show you one man's trashis another man's Buick Park Avenue.- Chevy Calibra.- If you're of the European persuasion,the very mention of the word Calibramight cause your heart rate to skyrocket,and for your mouth to beginuncontrollably drooling.If you're from America,you won't know what theheck I'm talking about.What is that?Is that a place whereyou do your gap year?The Opel Colibra was a car builton an unspectacular chassis,but with rather spectacular looks.In fact, at one point,it was the most aerodynamicproduction car in the world.GM, who owned Opel, loved the look.So they decided to rebadge it as a Chevyand sell it in South Africa.And it sold so wellthat for a brief time, GMwere generally consideringputting a bigger engine in itand selling it here in the US.Now, obviously this never happened,but can you imagine this beaut with a V8?Talk about a genuine Mustang rival.- Chevy Montana.- I think it's fair tosay that trucks todayare ridiculously big.I mean, bigger is better. That is obvious.But do you ever find yourselflying awake at night,staring up at your ceiling fan,wanting to confide in someone, anyone?Speak your truth and admitthat you actually miss small trucks.I know I do.Well, take a look at this oneand you might begin tothink again about thatbecause it's ugly.This is the Chevy Montana.This truck is sold exclusivelyin Latin and Central America,and is based on the Chevrolet Agile?Agile?The hatchback roughly the samesize as a Volkswagen Golf.This isn't a truck, it's a truckito.It's like a Bill Maher joke.This thing is only 177 inches long.Compare that with a double cabF-150, which is 251 inches.And yet this plucky little Montanahas a payload capacity of 1,671 pounds.That's not half bad for a truckthat's literally halfthe size of other trucks.To any Australians watching,one, please check in on Nolan II.Two, is this thing a ute?Let me know in the comments.- Ford Sierra Cosworth.- Probably the ultimateeconomy performance carto come out of Ford of GreatBritain is in at number two.The Sierra Cosworth.Introduced in 1985,it was as I'm sure you've already guessed,a regular Ford Sierra,given a little boost fromthe good folks at Cosworth.This hot hatch has oneof the weirdest-looking,most sickest spoilers of all time.It's like one of those biplanesfrom the '30s or '20s or '10s.I don't know.We didn't google it.Max won't let me use Google,'cause I get in trouble.As soon as I figure out my location,I will tell you guys my coordinates,and please come break me out.Fun fact.With its notoriously weak door locksand enviable performance figures,the Sierra Cosworth becameone of the most stolen carsin British history.And as a result, after a couple years,it became over four timesas expensive to insureas it was when the car was first launched.So like the Acura Integra GS-R of England.♪ If we've met ♪♪ We've finally reachedthe end of the list ♪♪ What is the best car ♪♪ That we didn't get in America ♪It's the Ford Falcon.Now, you might be saying,"James, we got the Falcon.You did a dang Bumper 2 Bumperback when you hosted thatshow, you freaking dingus.It's the daddy of the Mustang, you said.Remember that?"I do.But, the Ford Falcon you all love and knowis nothing like theone that we didn't get.'cause we're talking about anAmerican spec family hauler.We're talking about the most famousAussie muscle car of all time.The Ford Falcon GTHO 351.GTHO? G-T-H-O.Stands for get the heck outta here.Don't you know how to knock?What Ford managed to do so successfullywith the Australian spec Falconwas give a four-door sedangenuine muscle carperformance credentials.Came with Ford's 351 V8,plucked beneath the gnarly shaker hood.It also had big ol' brakesand good ol' suspension.In stock form, it produceda tasty 300 HRSPRS,but Ford was smart and offeredthe power-loving Aussiesengine upgrades right out of the showroom.Up to 350 horsepower to zeroto 60 in like six seconds.This is the original.It's like BMW M5 or some crap.And this isn't even the only cool Falconthat Ford Australia produced during its...Wait for it.56-year run.There was the Mustang-bred Falcon XR,the '80s nostalgia bomb.There was the Falcon EA, get in the game.They even made a Falcon Ute,in case you gotta carry some lumberwhile you're doing a burnout.The Falcon GT really was a family carwith psycho levels ofpony power performance,not unlike the Dodge Charger Hellcatthat sells so well today.Only this thing came a longtime before the Hellcat.So not only is the Falcon GTthe coolest American carnever sold in America,but it might just be one ofthe coolest American cars ever.Thank you guys so much for spendingthe last 15, 20 minutes with me.Make sure you hit thatlike and subscribe button.It really helps us out.If you wanna watch that videothat I was talking about in the intro,check out this episode of the D-List.You ever wonder whycars are getting so big?Check out this episode ofNolan's show Wheelhouse.I love you.I love you.I love elephant shoe.