We’ve been to the 60s, 70s and 80s, now let’s move to the 90s…
Before we begin, I’d like to thank all the posters for their comments on the previous articles. I certainly gained insight into some cars that I either had forgotten about or never knew about in the first place, which is why I read CC – to learn something new. Also, a little more clarification on what “jaw dropping” means in the context of these posts. First, there are no right or wrong choices – the goal of this series is to stimulate discussion and share viewpoints – so if you really think a 1990 Chevy Lumina APV “Dustbuster” van is a jaw-dropper, we respect that view and we’d like to hear about it here. Two, we’ve focused in this series on cars that hit you emotionally in a positive way (versus negatively) – it may be appearance, capability, rarity, you name it – if you had a “significant emotional moment” when you first saw it, then it’s a good candidate.
So put aside that piece of cherry pie and “damn fine” coffee, grab your flip phone, put on your mood ring, lace up the roller-blades, and let’s see if “the truth is out there”…
1990 Corvette ZR-1
As mentioned in the ‘80s post, the Corvette kinda cruised during that decade. Power mostly stayed in the mid 200 hp range with the L98 350 cu in engine. In the meantime, many similar sports cars were making considerably more. To quote our President at the beginning of that decade, “this won’t stand”, so GM, in one of their better decisions, decided to leap over their competitors, rather than match them. They did that with an aluminum DOHC LT5 engine hand-built by Mercury Marine initially rated at 375 hp. It brought Corvette performance back to a level not achieved since 1971, rightly earning the nickname “King of the Hill”.
1990 Lexus LS 400
I know this car debuted in Jan 1989, but since it was so indicative of the ’90s, I included it here. It took me five minutes before my jaw dropped on this car. I went to see one at the dealer (who by the way treated me with a level of service and courtesy that I had never experienced before), looked at the outside; nice, smooth, but nothing really distinctive. Then I sat down inside – that’s when it happened. Wow, what a beautifully executed interior – the best fit and finish I had ever seen. Maybe it’s because I’m a detail guy, but I notice things like panel fits and gaps. This car had absolutely seamless interior fitment – everywhere you looked or touched was a perfect thin line – no gap. Then when I took it for a test drive the seamlessly smooth 1UZ-FE V8 induced similar shock. Segment redefining.
1990 Acura NSX
Even though Lexus, Infiniti and Acura had convinced US and European customers that they could play in the high-end luxury arena, no one thought the Japanese had the expertise and know-how to build a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or Mercedes challenger – this car laid waste to that assumption, as well as to several of those brand’s cars. It also convinced owners who enjoyed ultra performance that you didn’t have to be on a first name basis with Luigi or Hans at the service shop. Further, as the Nissan 300ZX had done earlier, it forced all these other manufacturers to raise their game.
1992 Viper
Probably the biggest jaw dropper of the decade – this car caught me completely by surprise – who would have thought a spiritual successor to the Shelby Cobra would be built in the ‘90s – and by Chrysler. The V10 engine was developed in coordination with Lamborghini, and made 400 hp and more significantly 465 ft lb of torque. Rude, crude, and blindingly fast – and looked great doing it.
1993/1999 Chrysler LH sedans (Gen 1 and 2)
For me, these sedans were really jaw dropping – I liked them so much I included both the first and second generations. I was, and still am, a huge fan of cab-forward design – I think it looks great – and these two wore it best; the 1993 Dodge Intrepid and 1999 Chrysler LHS. These cars showcased what the team of Bob Lutz, Tom Gale and Francois Castaing could do when not stifled by Lee Iaccoca. Line either of these cars up with their 90s competitors; the ovoid Taurus, the invisible Lumina, the elderly Buick Park Avenue – what a contrast…
Honorable Mention
91/92 GMC Syclone/Typhoon
92 Mazda RX-7 Turbo
92 McLaren F1
97 Plymouth Prowler
97 Acura Integra Type R
Loved the subtle Twin Peaks reference.
Runner up has to be the original Volvo C70’s, but for me the 1994-99 Toyota Celicas made me just HAVE to have one ( the coupe in particular ). That’s why I bought a 1995 GT for myself. I still regret letting it go:
Hmm… It’s hard to decide. On one end you have the Mega Monte Carlo with its squat profile and delicious quad headlamps…
But then you also have the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Coupe with the hooded beak and awesome details like the hidden door handles in the B-pillar.
And let’s not forget the Mazda Autozam AZ-1. All the craziness of the late 1980s supercar boom, but done in that odd 90s Japanese style. And it’s tiny!
burn it with fire
+1 before it lays eggs
No doubt about it, Pontiac has been one of the significant and attractive car brands of the ’90s! Bonneville, Grand Prix, Trans Am + Firebird, Trans Sport, Grand Am, Sunfire of that era were good sellers in the (continental Western) European countries officially sold then through GM/Opel dealerships. Their quality and durability is okay. These models are still appearing daily in used car ads and most of them are still in pretty fair condition.
The Monte Carlo was tame compared to the huge Mega Track crossover.
Thing is, the Track didn’t look as good inside or outside. It’s almost like Aixam wasn’t trying when styling it.
I think Jim already got the top jaw-droppers. I think the NSX was gorgeous, and has aged well, and was a marketing eye-opener as a premium sports car coming from Honda (which certainly competed in that class with two wheelers, but with cars had focused on the lower end, transportation market), but not quite jaw-dropping. In fact I’d say the 3rd gen Integra styling was more dramatic for its class than the NSX. But the Viper, Prowler and cab-forward sedans truly showed how innovative Chrysler was in the ’90’s. I honestly can’t think of a non-US lineup that matched these.
This one expands the term into cartoon territory, but, incredibly, it’s still in production 23 years after it was introduced. The Mitsuoka Viewt. If it were available here, I might even have to buy one, then sell it after a few months in a fit of self consciousness. Pictured is the K-11, introduced in 1993. The present version is less ungainly in the greenhouse area, but still begs the question, “Is it possible to scale down a classic design to make a car so silly that you have to ask ‘Why?’?”
subaru svx
Yes.
+1
1990 -97 Lincoln Town Car. Modern, for the times styling and instantly recognizable as a Lincoln. It still catches my eye today.
1998+ Lincoln Town Car, but for all of the wrong reasons.
I agree, The 1990-97 Town Car has “held up” better than the 1998+. It was modern,but not radically so, And it still has the “presence” a luxury car should have. Modernising the 1980-89 T.C. while still being all T.C. was brilliant. The 98+ seemed to be just change for the sake of change.
The Nineties was definitely a decade of return to expressive styling, something that was largely lost in the early 1960s. I won’t be redundant and restate those already mentioned, but among some of my nominations are the Jaguar XJ220, Oldsmobile Aurora, Dodge Ram, and the Mercedes W220 S-class.
For me, the Ram looked so right, it made me think “Why didn’t somebody do this before?”
I agree about the Ram. That truck was the most dramatic change to pickup trucks that I think ever happened. Funny thing is, nowadays I long for a 94 Ram. Their old truck style has grown on me and they represent the kind of base OMT (old mans truck) look that I want now. Make mine an 89 2500 regular cab long bed 4×4 diesel!
Ram is definitely up there for me. I didn’t really like it at the time, but it was certainly different and made the Ram relevant again.
The jury is still out whether the 1990s Riviera was ugly or beautiful. I lean towards the latter and there is no question that this is one of GM’s most radical designs in a fairly bland decade.
Potentially beautiful, but let down by klutzy detailing. That one sharp angle on the headlamps. The straight beltline when the rest of the design is so curvy. And it needs lowering about an inch and a half.
I’m in the “looks good on the outside, let down inside by cheap materials and odd color choices” camp.
’97 Grand Prix GT/GTP – So jaw-dropping I bought one. Had the distinct ’90s Pontiac look but the cladding was toned down somewhat compared to the previous gen GPs and especially compared to the Grand Am restyle for ’99.
’94 Dodge Ram – Totally out of the box Kenworth T600-inspired styling, yet still nicely proportioned compared to the overgrown, almost obnoxious caricature of itself that began in ’04 and continues today.
How could I forget the Ram? Yet another ’90’s Mopar masterpiece. And very well put – out-of-the-box and nicely done, unlike today’s version, which (like SuperDuty Fords) is indeed a cartoon truck.
I have to agree with you Mark… Here’s a picture of the one I bought for myself. However it was 2000 when it “dropped my jaw”, and I had to have it. I bought it used with 25000 miles on it and traded in my last of many T-Birds on it (also a 97) in a similar color….
+1 on the 97-03 GTP’s and GT’s that had the GTP look, they still look good to this day 🙂
In 1995, this car debuted as a concept car at the auto shows and it was then called a GTX, rather than a GTP. I’m surprised Mopar didn’t sue… heck, maybe they did, thus the name change. But that car had 18″ wheels and 300 HP with 340 ft/lb and by the time it got to production, the stats were reduced to 240 HP w/ 280 ft/lbs. Oh, and the wheels were reduced in size to the standard 225-60HR-16(s) you’d find on every 87 & 88 Thunderbird Turbo-Coupe. The striking thing about the concept car over the production car was the twin tube chrome exhaust tips on the dual exhaust of the concept car, while the production model had these plain looking ovoid looking exhaust tips. I traded this car in a long time ago on my current Mustang, but still have those twin tubes in my shed. Sadly, I never installed them. I would however like to see them find a home on someone’s carefully cared for GTP, but sadly, I almost never see these cars in the wild anymore. Perhaps the W-bodies just don’t hold up that well in the long run.
Depends upon where you are, but in Western Michigan (and really lower Michigan) this version of the GP is still rather popular. I would like to have one, but time and space limit me from doing so.
Here in the St. Louis area you can’t go out without seeing at least one L36-powered GP still plugging along. GTPs and base model 3.1s not so much. Even more impressive is how well their bodies have held up under typical Midwestern conditions. Fairfax definitely had their A-game on when they built these!
I’m still a sucker for the overly clad Pontiacs. I had a 91 Grand Prix GTP. I even disconnected the windshield washer hose and aimed it at the exhaust manifolds so that it would vent steam out of the functional hood vents… Hey I was 18 at the time
Lincoln Mark VIII
Lexus SC
1994 Mustang And it’s 1999 reskin
Mitsubishi 3000GT
Dodge Stealth
FD Mazda RX7
A80 Toyota Supra
Definitely the Lexus. And the Mazda.
+1 on the Mark VIII, Matt.
I’m finally warming up to the 1994 Mustang after all these years. With some modifications, it can still look good.
Example.
Oh and on a not at all biased note the 1991- 1995 Mercury Cougar 🙂
Those still look good to me today.
For me it’s the obvious NSX, and Matt beat me to it, but I also liked the Mitsubishi GTO/3000 and Dodge Stealth. The Dodge Intrepid and Oldsmobile Aurora were lookers for me as well. The 90’s gave us some attractive cars that still look appealing.
Tonyola,
To some extent I agree with your choice, until I walk past one or walk up to it from behind….the trunk section is much too long.
BTW, is it just me or were more than 90% of these Rivieras painted white or that “creme” color?
Jaguar XJ-220.
It’s the only bio design car that still looks amazing to this day.
+1 on the NSX and Mazda RX-7 (FD). There’s a place in my heart (but not my bank account) for the BMW 850 and Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph/Bentley Mulsanne as well.
The 96-99 Taurus/Sable is a must add to any list of nineties cars that include the phrase ‘jaw dropping’. They are just as controversial and polarizing now as they were then. But they definitely turned heads, and represent one of the more noteworthy examples of broadscale applications of nineties design motifs, not just with the ovoid theme but with the usage of certain textures and colors we associate with this period.
We were on our summer vacation in North Carolina. There was hardly any traffic on that endless gray band of pavement that cuts through the green forest. I was looking in the rear view mirror of the minivan. A metallic red car was catching up with us. I didn’t recognize it’s shape. It came closer. ‘Nice looking coupe’ I was thinking to myself. It was now along my side and I still couldn’t figure out what I was seeing. I was taken by it’s shape and lines. It was rather compact, very aerodynamic. It looked futuristic. ‘Must be big bucks’, I was thinking. The guys driving it were obviously having fun, but maybe to young to have big bucks to spend. What was it? A brand new FWD Mercury Cougar.
I still like it a lot. Just yesterday I saw an impeccably clean sample in the same red color and I was thinking: ‘What a nice looking coupe!’
I was smitten by the Ford Escort Cabrio. It fits my ideal of a car perfectly – not too ostentatious, compact and practical yet seemingly fun to drive. I still want this car!
the 95+ ones were good to drive. the metal bits were fairly well made. but the other bits not so. For eg the illuminated ‘heat scale’ round the heater dial could be broken by a finger nail. The manual window winder made inoperative by a mild thump etc. Had a MY 2000 from ’05 to ’10. Like I say great to drive for a 1.6 but now in car heaven RIP
I’m going to have to nominate the Rover 75.
It was wrong, of course, in so many ways. It was a German concept of a British car. It was retro, when the Rover brand in its glory years was forward-looking and innovative. It was too small to compete with the 5-series, but too plush to compete with the 3-series. (Funny, that.) Its launch was a textbook disaster. It was pipe-and-slippers, and pipe-and-slippers was now a very acquired taste. It was decontented when Rover hit the rocks – but also successfully MG-ed, and somewhat amazingly and desirably, V8-ed.
I never drove one, but my father-in-law (in his 70s) bought one, and it was a lovely place to be. With Rolls-Royce and Bentley now targeted at the international/footballer market, and Jaguar challenging the Germans head-on, I suspect its the last time that anyone will try to sell that traditional “English car” vibe as standard.
It was the very last time that a car to save MG Rover/Rover Group/Austin-Rover/BL/British Leyland/BMC was unveiled. It didn’t, and it was never going to, but compared to the cruddy 200 and 400, it wasn’t a bad way to go. The owners’ clubs will keep these on the road for years to come as, for all the right reasons, they’re classics. The last gasp from the world of Vanden Plas, Humber, Wolseley, Lanchester and the rest of them.
The Rover 75 interior. A lovely place to be:
Yep, that one did drop my jaw. A design that so successfully carried the classic Rover saloon styling cues from back when I was a kid, and yet was at the same time contemporary.
My BIL had a couple of 75s as company cars a huge improvement on the crappy rebadged Honda Rovers in every way but it didnt last.
I am going to go with the 1993 Camaro. Even the V6 was faster than many a small block of old. The LT1 was everything the small block could be in 1993. The styling was in the tradition but enough in the moment as to avoid being retro. Yet the cars failure made my jaw drop by showing how the market and people’s desires had changed.
I would vote for the Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler. Just amazing Chrysler built these (their other ’90’s cars weren’t bad either, just not quite as jaw dropping).
For import, McLaren F1 and Jaguar XJ220.
None of these would necessarily be the best cars of the ’90’s, but they all were certainly attention getting milestones.
I’d love to get behind the wheel of a blue Corvette like the one at the top of this post, even if it wasn’t a ZR1.
It’d also be kinda nice to score a nice example of a late ’90s Riviera. make mine dark blue, with a supercharged 3800, please.
The only car discussed to this point that I’ve ever driven was my uncle’s ’96 Dodge Intrepid. This was for a day trip, and the car impressed me pretty well, traveling through the hills of southeast Ohio to Pittsburgh and then back to my home town.
I’m going to say that the 92 Seville and Eldorado certainly deserve mention, these cars weren’t perfect, but they were important stepping stones to get Cadillac where it is today. They could handle well, while being quiet and smooth, they looked Euro in appearance, but there was no mistaking them for anything other than Cadillacs. Then again, I may be a tiny bit biased.
I would also nominate a weird one, the second gen Town Car, especially the 95 redesign. These cars may have been big old traditional barges, but they looked modern as well. They were cars that could appeal to the traditional Town Car buyer, as well as other people looking for a big luxury car. It’s an underappreciated design that, to me anyways, still holds up.
Totally agree on the Seville…After the debacle with the previous generation these cars had elegance, presence aggressiveness….They also were beginning the trend away from the horrible “formal roofline” that looked bad when introduced and aged even more poorly….Design wise they didn’t copy Europe or Japan, they were truly American
I forgot where I saw it, (perhaps “Collectable Automobile”?) But the roots of the ’92 Eldorado/Seville (at least front sheet metal) were apparent in the development of what became the 1977 GM “B/C”s The styling of those were the last of what I consider the “Cadillac” look. If they’d been RWD, I’d luv ’em more!
That is interesting, I can’t imagine that styling in a 1977 context but it could easily have come out in 1987. Arguably the genesis of “Art & Science”
+1 for the STS
1994 Dodge Ram: the first to prove a pickup truck didn’t have to look like a box.
Did anybody notice that the first-generation Intrepid in the photograph isn’t a Dodge?
It’s a Canadian Chrysler Intrepid. The round badge on the hood is all that identifies it from this view.
Lexus was an eye-opener for me, in a subtractive sort of way. I was walking down the street around 1992, and I saw a typical Japanese-looking car passing by. Yeah, okay. Then I realized I wasn’t HEARING anything. The car was absolutely silent. 0 dB. Visual only.
Nothing since the postwar Chrysler products had managed such a level of perfect silence.
1991-94 Mazda 929/Sentia. Still remember the first time I saw one of these.
And REAR WHEEL DRIVE!
Right at the end of the 90’s Honda released the 1st generation Honda Insight. Built in the same factory as the NSX, the Insight also used aluminium for the structure and panels (with some plastic ones). It is still very close to being the most fuel efficient production vehicle sold.
It looks pretty amazing too.
I actually did like the look of those in a modern CRX kind of way. This is how mine would need to be motivated though 😉
http://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=8175&
Fun – but there are plenty of other cars that can do what an Insight powered like that can do. In 1999 there was nothing that could do what a stock Insight could and only now can you find what might be a genuine replacement.
Whether one likes the Insight look is, as with any car, a matter of personal taste.
The Volga 3111. It was originally planned to offer a 5-speed auto, a fully independent multi link suspension, and twin cam V6 and V8 engines of Volgas own design. Had all that come to fruition with the build quality of the hand built 3102 (rather than the crappy 31029 and 3110) Volga would have had a real Mercedes competitor.
Of course, that isn’t even close to what happened. But it was stunning inside and out. I remember trying to discuss importing them with some people. Glad I never got that off the ground. But we didn’t say good, merely jaw dropping.
I agree with many of the choices, but I really like the original Oldsmobile Aurora.
How about the 1992 Toyota Camry. That car proved to be the high-water mark for the Camry and Toyota in general. Especially since it has a definite Lexus influence. That generation lasted until 1996 and I still see quite a few of them on the road even today.
1990 Lumina APV. The first attempt at a stylish minivan. My parents bought one of the first in our town and it was the most attention-grabbing vehicle they ever owned. The modular seating was also the most innovative to date and a sign of things to come.
It had its faults for sure, but it was definitely jaw-dropping in 1990.
I’d say the other most jaw-dropping minivans (can’t believe I’m saying that) of the ’90s were the 1991 Toyota Previa and the 1996 Chrysler minivans. While the Previa was an interesting but compromised design, the Chryslers really shook up the market.
Yeah those Chryslers were probably the best minivan ever. I don’t know if they really shook up the market though, Chrysler already dominated and GM and Toyota reverted back to conservative designs.
Was the prowler anything special? Wasn’t that a parts bin car?
The engine, transmission, and some interior bits were shared and performance wasn’t that great. But I wouldn’t say that makes it a parts bin car. It was its own platform.
the 1994 Dodge Ram.This was a truck that nobody expected from Dodge as they seemed to be stuck in the 1970’s by offering what was basically a D Series with rectangular head lights up until 1993.
The 1994 Ram seems to have influenced every other manufactures fullsize truck with its “Mack” truck like grill.
Yeah, for years trucks were going for plain or “car” style, But Dodge went with a look that said TRUCK!, The 1990’s was a interesting decade for the MoPar fan. (or any other US automotive fan).
+1 on the Ram.
I’m going to nominate two that are not fondly remembered by many of their owners, yet were groundbreaking in context.
The 1998 VW New Beetle: In 1998 there was nothing like it. I was in first grade, and it was the most awesome thing that VW had brought “back” Herbie.
The 1999 Volvo S80: Consider that its predecessor dated back to 1982. Don’t get me wrong, the 960/S90 received MANY improvements, but nobody was expecting its successor to look like this!
Yes, today we think of those cars as a shoddily built chick car often seen with stupid eyelashes and a transmission-eating money pit, respectively, but they have to be taken in context.
+1 for the S80. Most comfortable seats I’ve ever been in. It was instantly recognizable as a Volvo, but so different from the 960
1993 Dodge Intrepid & its LH cousins.
Plymouth Prowler.
GM “Dustbuster” vans.
1994 Dodge Ram pickup.
Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Dodge Viper.
The 93-97 Intrepid in good condition is still an attractive car (especially in green)
Many of your observations jive with mine, Jim.
In 1990, I can remember talking with the service manager of the local Dodge dealer about how he wanted to drive a ZR-1 Corvette. I was actually a little shocked by hearing his wish to drive the competition’s sports car, but at the time it was King of the Hill. I thought by 1990 the C4 was getting a little tired, but the 32V V8 woke up the Corvette, seemingly forever.
A couple of years later it was my turn to be shocked. Not by the Viper, as I considered that a rich kid’s plaything, along with the NSX, Supra, Stealth, Vette, etc. By then I was a married man with a daughter to raise, I couldn’t think about those types of cars any longer. While I had been considering a minivan (since we borrowed my in-laws Voyager so often) the Intrepid and the other LH cars blew me away. For the average guy, they were so far ahead of the other cars in terms of capacity and design, they were jaw droppers. The Cloud cars that were to follow weren’t really jaw droppers as much as the LH cars were, but impressive in their own right. Agreed with the other posters on the 94 Dodge Ram, I’m not a big truck fan, but that thing was out of this world when it appeared on the market.
Then in 1997, GM releases the third gen W bodies. That Pontiac Grand Prix stopped me cold in my tracks, and suddenly it was 2000. I forgot all about the LH cars since then and still would like to have almost any of the late 90’s W’s. The GTP would be my #1 choice, but a nice supercharged Regal GS would do, too. In my part of Michigan, these are STILL popular cars, almost 20 years after the refresh was released.
There were other cars that were notable from that time. I have a friend who owned one of the first Dodge Stealths (Mitsu 3000GT) in the Pittsburgh area. He paid a nice bit of bribery to get one first and held on to that car for about 15 years or so. The first time I drove it, I was impressed at how fast it was and how hard it pulled with the twin turbo motor. An evening to remember.
The Chrysler Atlantic. Just a concept car, of course, but more audacious than the Viper and a good deal more interesting as a result. (Extra points for actually having a straight-eight engine, even if it was IIRC two Neon engines mounted end to end.)
Other nominees:
Z30 Lexus SC/Toyota Soarer – A startling piece of work and as radical as the F10 LS400 was conservative.
Nissan Figaro – Arguably the most radical and most successful of the retro-cars.
T180 Toyota Celica – I don’t know that I’d call it pretty, but the ne plus ultra of the “organic jelly-mold” school and hard to ignore even if you hate it.
FD Mazda RX-7 – Fast, sleek, striking, and yet distinctly Japanese. Park one next to a first-generation Mazda Cosmo, Toyota 2000GT, and Honda S800 and it makes perfect sense.
1993 Mazda MX-6 – Not as ground-breaking as the RX-7, but one of the prettiest coupes of the ’90s. It’s subtler than the related Ford Probe, but I don’t think the exterior has a single bad line.
1996 Pontiac Grand Prix – Like the final Riviera, let down by cheapness, particularly inside, but it demonstrated that it was possible to design an attractive, muscular American car that looked modern and still looked like a Pontiac.
Plymouth Pronto Spyder – Another concept car, but a great one. When it came out (1996, I think), I had long since written off Plymouth — my associations were “Horizon” and “Reliant,” not Barracuda or Fury — but I remember seeing the Pronto Spyder on the cover of Car and Driver and thinking, “Damn, there’s hope for them yet.”
Absolutely agree on the Atlantic – maybe the most striking concept of the 90s. And nice to see another fan of the somewhat unloved MX-6 – a beautiful cab forward coupe – maybe the only one…..Jim.
So many of the Chrysler show cars were pretty incredible at that time.
Likewise there were a few Audi/VAG concepts that dropped a few jaws, eg the 1991 Avus from the Tokyo show.
As long as we’re including concepts, let’s not forget Jerry Wiegert’s Vectors.
I’ve always been partial to the second generation Ford Probe GT. When introduced in 1992 for the 1993 model year, it stood apart from just about every other Ford being sold new at the time.
I’m biased though as I bought one as my first car and still have it 18 years later.
Had the chance to buy a NSX around ’98 or so. Except it was an automatic. Yuk. The Japanese have had the means to build a “Ferrari” since the late ’60s. Toyota 2000GT comes to mind.
+1000 on the NSX and FD RX-7!
One that has not been mentioned yet, and I was going to put in the 1980’s post before I saw it wasn’t put into ‘production’ then was the Vector W8.
Really all of the early-90s supercars such as the Bugatti EB110, and now that I mention that the EB 112 concept
Going to Australian cars, the first candidate for the decade would be the 1990 VN Commodore Group A. This was an homologation special for Group A touring car regulations, and so had a twin-throttle body intake manifold that wasn’t needed for the road car’s 290 or so horsepower, but was in 450-500 hp race cars, it had wind-tunnel tested aero add-ons and a 6-speed Getrag box and big brakes sourced from the ZR1 Corvette.
The most jaw-dropping Holden however was the yellow HSV GTS-R from 1996, which featured a stroked version of the Holden V8, out to 5.7L (355ci) and 290hp, or there was the option to have a blueprinted engine with another 30hp or so. This went for $76k which was $10k more than the GTS it was based on, or nearly double the cost of a Commodore SS
For a change of pace, this is the 1998 Ford Falcon Sandfire concept, based on the XH model ute. It has a 5.0L V8, and modifications from standard include the cutaway front fenders, sidepipes as well as special paint, trim and the roll-up canvas-type rear canopy.
It was one of a range of concepts done over a few years that had some relatively wild modifications (eg the fenders here would never be considered for production) based on standard vehicles, including a radically raised ute (Terra) and a sedan with a turbocharged LPG engine and gold paint and window tint (Predator). All of them previewed something that would be coming in the future in one way or another.
A turbo LPG ute with 3 across seating would be a dream vehicle for me. Have to change the badge from Ford to Excelsior or Givenchy to get it across the line with the Mrs though 🙁
Is that the Holden version of a Lumina ZR1? Was it FWD?
This, too.
I love the X-90. I will own one someday.
The 90’s have many options, it’s impossible to choose just one:
1. Mazda Lantis sedan – it has the ovoid style Ford really should use on it’s 90’s range. The most gorgeous and well balanced “jelly bean” design. It’s so stylish and young it could be released today again.
2. Mazda Astina 323C it’s so cool and a prove that Asians can do design better than Italians. It’s a shame it wasn’t sold outside Asia.
3. Chryslers Cab Forward, no doubt, the Chrysler audacity encouraged many others Companies to risk more into new styles. The earlier Cirrus inspired hundreds of frontal style, VW designers felt in love for it for sure… The same for Neon, even Taurus couldn’t be so charismatic for foreign buyers like it! The Intrepid II and 300M were the most imposing and impressive full size sedans, but Concorde take the cake – Jaguar XK8, Peugeot 408 can say it…
4. Golf III – it may have a charm, you look at it at first and nothing happen, twice and you start to like it, after that you like it more and more each time you see it or drive it.
I remember the first time I saw the gauges light up on Lexus and preform their sweep at start up. That was high tech stuff! And a CD changer in the trunk!? Wow what a car! I’ve always liked the interior of the 2nd gen LX cars most notably the LHS, but found the outside a bit boring. I’ve been so close to buying one a few times in the past, but I hold off because of the reliability nightmares I have heard about these cars for so many years. Can someone finally explain cab foward to me?
W20 MR2 Turbo – although released in ’89 we didn’t see it in North America until MY ’91 so I consider it to be from the 90’s.
+1
erm, I am a bit embarassed to always be the Mercedes guy, but am I the only one remembering the W140? It was the pinnacle of Merc-überrengineering, a technolgical tour de force, totally obese and and way over the top in oh so many ways. It is the last of the true Mercedes.
We might be accustomed to Escalades and Navigators and the like today, but it was – and still is – humongous, at least by European standards. I mean, it didn’t even fit on the car train to Sylt island (kind of the German Hamptons), which apparently was very annoying to a lot of owners, as they had to leave their barge ashore.
And boy, don’t get me started on the C140! Never in the history of motoring has a more beautiful design been followed by a more blotched, awkward attempt at styling than what happened when the C140 followed the C126. At least my jaw dropped to the floor, though not in a good way.
Runners up:
– Lexus SC 400 (I want one, badly!!)
– Subaru SVX (I want one, badly!)
– Smart (“gut gedacht, schlecht gemacht”, as the Germans say)
I like the W140 as well, but it turned out to be the wrong car for the wrong time when it launched.
I nominate the Audi RS2 Avant. In this color.
Audi + Quattro + Porsche. Audi’s first RS model. A practical wagon with undiluted sports car performance and the beginning of a fantastic series of high-performance Audi D- and E-segment wagons in the subsequent decades.
I have a few:
1) Lamborghini Diablo
2)
1999 Nissan Skyline GTR R34
3) 1996 TVR Cerbera
* The 1st version without the “multi-spider eyes”.
Good call. The Cerbera–that version you posted in particular–is one of my dream cars. Has been ever since I first saw one in the British CAR magazine in the late 90’s.
4) 91 Acura NSX
1996 Lotus Elise.
Audi A2 which I think just squeaks into the 90s.
1997 Mini Cooper S Sport 5
multipoint fuel injection, 5 speed gearbox, airbag steering wheel, wide arches covering 13 inch alloy wheels
The design of the little Mini was almost 40 years old at this point, and yet it was still able to turn heads. The success of the return of the Cooper name to the Mini line up in the 90’s convinced BMW to go ahead with the creation of the New Mini.
Twas a show car with no hope of production, but my vote would be for the Chrysler Phaeton. A modern take on the dual cowl phaeton body style with, if I recall correctly, a V16? Sign me up!