The Unobtainables: Ten automotive wonders you'll probably never get to drive in the U.S.

[charlie and algernon]

The U.S. car market is the biggest and most competitive on the planet. Still, there are several wild, exciting and unique vehicles that cannot be bought here, no matter how much money you are willing to lay down. Many of these rolling wonders are designed and built by tiny boutique automakers that cannot or simply will not shell out the millions of dollars needed to certify their creations for sale in the New World. Others are so radical in design and purpose that they just wouldn't conform to the various U.S. safety and regulatory standards. And a few more are so exclusive and built in such small numbers that they are all spoken for before even rumors of their possible existence reach American ears. Have we piqued your interest yet? Well, here are 10 of the coolest cars you can't get here in the States. As you'll see, they are sexy, powerful and very desirable. Welcome to the world of the unobtainable.

Caparo T1

This is the closest you can get to a Formula 1 or GP2 car for the road. It even looks like a formula car, with skimpy fenders and a bubble cockpit over two staggered seats. The Caparo T1 was created by many of the people who designed the fabulous McLaren F1 road car, and they made even fewer compromises — a considerable accomplishment. Thanks to its carbon-fiber and aluminum chassis, composite body and many other parts made from exotic lightweight materials, the T1 weighs only 1,212 pounds. Not exactly exciting news. But when you consider that it's armed with a 575-horsepower, midmounted, all-aluminum, naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V8, you get a warp-level power-to-weight ratio of 1,000 horses per ton. Quick-shifting, the 6-speed sequential gearbox will take you from zero to 60 mph in about 2.5 seconds. Base price: 240,000 pounds (US$355,000).

Pagani Zonda Cinque

From childhood, Horacio Pagani had dreamed of building a supercar. In 1999 he introduced the Pagani Zonda C12, a rakish supercar powered by a midmounted 7-liter 408-horsepower Mercedes-Benz V12 engine built by AMG. Since then the Argentinian-born Pagani has designed and delivered almost 100 cars, all variations on the Zonda theme. The Cinque is designed to be a street-legal car you can take on the racetrack. Its V12 puts out 678 horsepower and is mated to a sequential manual gearbox with automated clutch — a first for Pagani. The Cinque weighs only 2,667 pounds, thanks to the use of a new material combining titanium and carbon fiber, as well as forged titanium wheels and other components made of magnesium and titanium. Only five will be built — hence the name (cinque means five). All have been spoken for at a cost of about US$1.5 million.


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