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Car Of The Day You Can’t Have: 2016 Peugeot RCZ

2014 Peugeot RCZ R side red

BMW’s Ian Robertson suspects the sports car market is, if not dead, never going to return to its pre-recession glory.

When Americans think of sports cars, they’re far more likely to turn to a Ford Mustang than a Nissan 370Z.

European automakers continue to offer impractical coupes at premium price points, but most do not sell nearly as often as they did a decade ago. Combined U.S. sales of the Mercedes-Benz SLK, BMW Z4, Audi TT, Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayman, and Jaguar F-Type were down 2% in 2015 to fewer than 20,000 units. BMW USA, on its own, sold more than 20,000 Z4s in 2003.

But these are not the only style-centric coupes and sports cars available across the pond. They’re just the ones that make it over here. Care for something French?

A double bubble roof, sweeping roofline, vast cat-eyes headlights, and bulging fenders make the Peugeot RCZ more eye-catching than the third-gen Audi TT, more obviously French than a DS3, and more alluring than a Renault MĂ©gane R.S. 275 Trophy, if not more enjoyable to drive.

2014 Peugeot RCZ R black on red rear

Earlier this morning we highlighted a Fifth Gear shootout in which the RCZ battled the Audi TT. You can have the TT. 

But you can’t have the RCZ. Thus, despite the fact that Peugeot’s Mexican lineup includes the RCZ from the USD equivalent of $33,000, the Peugeot RCZ is GCBC’s fourth Car Of The Day You Can’t Have.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.