Was it a mistake for Ford to not have offered a Diesel engine in the Bullnose Ford F-100 outside of Argentina?

Possibly one of the most iconic generations of the Ford F-Series, the 7th generation also known as Bullnose had some firsts for this range, such as the Diesel engine for the F-250 and above, yet this option was unavailable for the F-100 excepting some Argentinian versions. Made from late-'79 to '86 in the United States and Canada, from '80 to '86 in Mexico and Venezuela, and from '81 to '87 in Argentina, the 7th generation of the F-Series was already developed in accordance to the mandate for light-duty trucks to comply with the CAFE fuel economy regulation, naturally prompting a Diesel engine option to become available for the F-250 HD and the F-350, yet the option for a 6.9L International V8 Diesel engine never being extended to the F-100 at a time when light-duty trucks became more widely attractive to private buyers who used them as a regular car. Naturally, differences between regional markets prompted some changes to engine options, and in Argentina the 4-cyl 203 cubic-inch (3.3L) Perkins 4-203 Diesel engine was factory-fitted to the F-100, while the F-350 got the 305 cubic-inch (5.0L) 6-cyl Perkins 6-305, addressing the demand for Diesel on both ends of the market. Sure it was a faster response to some regional need for engines manufactured locally, to which a dedicated production of the 6.9 International would be cost-prohibitive, while outsourcing was as reasonable as sharing the straight-6 and V8 gasoline engines with the car range to enhance the economics of scale.

Most likely different emission regulations, and how specific engines could be perceived as "too underpowered" according to which region they were available, prevented Ford from offering a Diesel engine option for the USDM F-100, or maybe the higher profits on the bigger models rendered it easier to turn it into a premium feature somehow. While a stricter GVWR limit for drivers with regular car license in some countries still retained a considerable demand for the F-100 among professional users, sounds quite obvious the Perkins Diesel engine was a valuable asset in Argentina for instance, despite not being so smooth as another engine exactly meant for vehicles since day one would be supposed to, yet maybe a similar option for a simpler and lighter engine could also remain competitive to the Japanese takeover of light-duty truck markets within the home front and overseas export destinations. So, even though maybe the engine offered in Argentina would be supposed to not fare so outstandingly well from the most orthodox redneck point of view, it's undeniably another mistake from Ford having never expanded availability of the Diesel F-100 beyond Argentina...

MP Lafer, a Brazilian Volkswagen-powered replica of the British MG TD

One of those Brazilian makeshift cars which emerged once the local market faced severe restrictions on imports from mid-'70s to early-'90s, the MP Lafer was made by a furniture factory, resorting to the very usual method of fitting a different body to a Volkswagen platform, with its rear engine and all, yet it had the styling cues from a traditional British roadster which was originally front-engined.

Right above the rear lid, which would be a trunk in the original model yet became an engine cover for the Brazilian replica, ventilation slots are clearly visible, giving a clue about what makes it so different from the British source of inspiration, yet the woodgrain dashboard makes for a period-accurate look, yet those modern pedals are mismatching the overall aspect of the interior.

Finishings were fairly good for what it was meant to be back in the day, when fewer options could be had by someone looking for a car which stood out of the crowd in a tightly closed market, all while the maintenance remained much easier than an exotic import to which eventually the replacement parts also became harder to find.

Even though not too many were made, as it was a low-volume model, once in a while some MP Lafer appears on the streets in my hometown Porto Alegre.