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Legendary off-road cars and SUVs that were never sold in America

America has long stood proud as the land of 4x4s, but many of our best-selling off-roaders would flop on the European market due in part to size constraints. Can you imagine trying to park a Ford Bronco Raptor in a town built by the Romans? Or, how much it would cost to fill up a Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 if you're paying $8 for a single gallon of gas? Historically, most of the 4x4s sold in Europe have been tailored to the local market. Here are five cool European-market off-roaders that have never received permission to hang out with the Jeep crew in Moab. 2014 Dacia Duster View 10 Photos Dacia Duster In a way, the original Dacia Duster released in 2010 is the NA-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata of Europe's off-roader segment. I'm not talking about handling; it takes a turn with the liveliness of a blimp. But, like the original Miata, the first-generation Duster brought a big serving of modernity to its segment. It gave buyers a far more daily-drivable alternative to the ancient Lada Niva without sacrificing off-road capacity, in the same way that the first Miata provided top-down enthusiasts with a more up-to-date alternative to British and Italian roadsters of the era. Cheap and cheerful, the Duster is closer to a crossover than to a burly, body-on-frame SUV. It's built on a unibody platform, powered by a relatively small four-cylinder engine, and compact enough to zig-zag through crowded urban centers. Unlike, say, the Nissan Qashqai (which we knew here as the Rogue Sport), it was designed for mild off-roading — it appeals to folks who live in rural areas, adventure-minded buyers, and first responders. It wasn't offered with a two-speed transfer case or locking differentials, but models equipped with the optional part-time four-wheel-drive system (front-wheel-drive came standard) featured a six-speed manual transmission with an ultra-low first gear. Dacia sold the original Duster through 2017 in many European countries, though production continued for several more years in overseas markets (where the off-roader often wore a Renault badge). Its successor, which is still built in 2023, arrived in 2017 with the same focus on off-roading but a longer list of features and a nicer interior. More than a decade after its launch, the original Duster remains a common sight.

Watch this video diary of a 900-hp Toyota Supra build

If you've ever looked at a car with nearly 1,000 horsepower and wondered why anyone needs that amount of thrust, you may want to take a look at the video below. In it, one gentleman details his descent into Toyota Supra madness, starting with a pristine factory example and stumbling down the rabbit hole of modification. What makes this particular clip interesting is just how honest the owner is as he explains the evolution of his car. He doesn't just prattle off a list of parts like he's reading the menu at an IHOP.
Instead, he painstakingly pulls us through the car's growth, detailing each iteration and what pushed him to the next stage of the build every time. From this point of view, it looks less like someone walked into a shop and lit a massive stack of $100 bills on fire and more like a quasi-logical progression of events. Or at least it does to me. You can check out the build in the video below, complete with plenty of Fast and the Furious references and racing. Win, win, win.

Toyota blends Jeep and McLaren F1 in playful concept

Auto shows aren't the only place where Toyota showcases its concepts. It also cooks up something new every year for the Tokyo Toy Show. This year it's the Camatte Hajime, and it's the sixth iteration in a line of youthful concepts following the Camatte Sora, Daichi, 57s, and 57s Sports we've seen in recent years. It blends the best elements from a Jeep Wrangler and a McLaren F1. Okay, so it's more like a Jeep, but it does have the McLaren's signature central driving position and two passenger seats offset just behind. It's also a fair bit smaller than anything Jeep makes, and packs an electric motor of unspecified capacity. Fortunately it'll be switched off while on display at the Tokyo Big Sight during the toy show, so kids can get in and stomp on the pedals all they want. (Stomp in a polite and respectable Japanese fashion, anyway.) Families can have their picture taken inside the open cockpit, then customize the vehicle on tablets to create their own unique memento, while checking out other versions including an ambulance, police car, fire truck and hod dog truck. Childhood Vehicle Playsets Meet the Information Age at the Tokyo Toy Show Tokyo, Japan, June 17, 2015-Ever wonder how you would look racing to rescue a cat from a tree in a purple fire truck? Or cruising around town in a hot pink hot-dog truck? Now you can see for yourself through Camatte Vision, an all-new interactive experience from Toyota for families, debuting at this year's International Tokyo Toy Show. Camatte Vision is the latest way to experience Toyota's Camatte line of exploratory concepts seeking to break the traditional boundaries of the way children play and tinker with vehicles. The aim is to let kids and their parents share the child-like wonder and excitement of cars and trucks. Blazing fast hot rods, life-saving ambulances, hearty construction crane trucks, and many more are available in a rainbow of colors. Through an innovative augmented reality tablet app, see how you and your family would look in a virtually limitless combination of vehicle types and colors. Of course, the fun doesn't end in the virtual world: the latest physical manifestation of the Camatte family, the Hajime, will be on display for families to explore hands-on. Toyota's booth at the International Tokyo Toy Show How Camatte Vision works - Hop into the Camatte Hajime and take a photo of you and your family.