Forgotten Cars of the 1990s

Out went the straight lines and sharp edges of the ‘70s and ‘80s, in came sleeker, aerodynamic and bulbous designs. And the decade also brought in widespread use of fuel injection, which greatly boosted reliability; arguably ‘most cars became pretty good’ on that front for the first time in the decade.

And some got the credit in terms of fame and sales. But not this lot, which (usually) deserve to be better remembered….

The 500E was built from 1991 to 1994. Mercedes hired Porsche which took a bog-standard W124 and redesigned the chassis to fit the 322bhp 5.0-litre V8 from the SL while also changing various bits in the suspension and the drivetrain — muscular bodywork was also fitted to compliment the engine. Only 10,479 cars were made during its production run, making them a rarity. One sold at auction in 2021 for £32,250, but the car has long lived unfairly in the shadow of the BMW M5.

When the Eclipse GSX arrived in the ‘90s, it was an instant hit because of its petite size, four-wheel drive chassis and turbocharged four-cylinder, capable of blowing the doors off most American sports cars of the era. The GSX was the range-topping AWD model, producing 195bhp and capable of 0-60mph in under 7sec. Mitsubishi eventually dropped the Eclipse to focus on hybrid technology.

Porsche’s famous models include the 944, 911, Boxster and 928; the 968, however, was simply forgotten about. Its engine had the same layout as the 944, although Porsche had introduced its VarioCam system for the 968. With 237bhp, it was a 156mph car even though the focus was predominantly on handling.

It was the last of Porsche’s transaxle layout and fans looked down on these with disappointment - they wanted cars like the mid-engined 911. A shame really, as the 968 had the recipe for a good Porsche: speed, agility, luxury and looks.

Even without a push from Nissan, the GTI-R rapidly gained a cult following in the early to mid-2000s but quickly slipped off the radar. The basic Sunny’s goal was to be a cheap A to B car that would sell in large numbers but, in the early 1990s, Nissan turned its attention to motorsport and WRC’s Group A was the target.

It would go up against Mazda’s 323 but the average Sunny would be clobbered. Drastic changes were made and the GTI-R was born. Sold as the Pulsar in Japan, the GTI-R had a turbocharged 2.0-litre with 220bhp fed through all four wheels. Overall, Nissan produced just 14,613 cars.

The Road/Track (R/T) emblem graced the front and rear of the iconic ‘70s Charger and Challenger - but as time went on, Dodge experimented with more family-oriented cars such as the Neon. The Neon started in life as 1.8-litre but, in 1998, the R/T variant arrived with a 2.0-litre. R/Ts were previously known to be the fire-breathing guise, but the Neon possessed just 150bhp, an 18bhp increase over standard.

Although it was faster than the Golf GTi of the same period, many claimed it lacked the sophistication of cars like the Ford Focus. Soon, the R/T vanished into the history books.

As cars like the C5 Audi RS6 and the more modern Volvo V50 T5 moved into the 2000s, the legendary 850R was pushed aside. The 850 replaced the 240 and it was offered as both a saloon and an estate. In 1996, the 850R arrived which had 18bhp more than the standard 850 Turbo, or 247bhp in total, and a turbocharged 2.3-litre.

62mph from rest was over in just 6.9sec with the five-speed manual, or 7.5sec with the four-speed auto. It had subtle sporty bodywork, 17” alloys, Alcantara seats and a two-tone leather steering wheel.

Focus was mainly on the hot VR6 version of the Corrado and today it remains that way. However, the Corrado was available in other guises as well, such as the 1.8-litre 134bhp and the supercharged 1.8-litre 158bhp G60. In 1992, a 2.0-litre 134bhp was introduced and then the 187bhp VR6, which was followed by another 2.0-litre, producing 113bhp.

In base form, the Corrado still looked majestic and it featured an active aero spoiler. In total, 97,521 Corrados were made.

The GSI badge was placed on cars that had gone through Vauxhall’s ‘hot’ tuning, giving those, who wanted more oomph from the likes of the Astra and Corsa, another avenue. Vauxhall had already given the Nova the GSI treatment and the next small car in line was the humble Corsa B. Weighing in at just under one tonne, the GSI had 108bhp meaning that 0-60mph was under 10sec and a 119mph top speed was achievable.

Sporty bodywork and agile steering made it popular. Vauxhall had to keep up with design and in 2000 the Corsa B was discontinued and the more modern Corsa C was introduced.

Arriving in 1990, the 100NX was a front-wheel drive sports car that was loosely based on the 1987 Nissan Pulsar. Underneath, it had the 1.6-litre from the Sentra although buyers could opt for a more powerful 2.0-litre from the Sentra SE-R. Most buyers purchased T-Top variants but there was also the option of a hardtop. In 2.0-litre form, the NX, with its lightweight stiff chassis and limited-slip differential, was considered one the best handling front-wheel drive cars of its era, next to the Lotus Elan. Unfortunately, the 100NX failed to reach the set sales figures and it was dropped.

The Mark VIII was an opulent grand tourer produced by Lincoln from 1993 to 1998 and rivalled the Cadillac Eldorado. It used a similar platform to that found on the Ford Thunderbird and Ford Cougar, although it was slightly larger. It had a long bonnet and a sharp front end, complete with elongated headlights.

Its 4.6-litre V8 powerplant it produced 280bhp. A facelift arrived in 1997, which gave it a smoother front and rear. In total, 122,060 were made.

Ford had already released the Puma at this point and a year later the Cougar followed. It was a coupe that was intended to be the third-generation Ford Probe but the name was dropped. When it first arrived, it had mixed reviews due to its bulbous styling, but it handled well enough, and buyers could choose from two petrol engines: a 123bhp 2.0-litre or a 168bhp 2.5-litre.

A similarly priced Toyota Celica GT from the same era, with similar power levels, was quicker and became a popular alternative, whilst those looking for a fast Ford were often found going for the Mondeo ST200 or ST24 instead. The Cougar sported Mercury badging in North America.

A two-seater short-wheelbase convertible SUV? The similar Toyota Rav4 just hit differently than the little Suzuki, and as a result, the X-90 earned its Barbie-Doll-jeep moniker. In rough offroad environments, it was perfectly capable, although the 95bhp 1.6-litre struggled at steeper inclines. Buyers also could have it in four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive.

When it came to sales, the X-90 flopped and only 7000 were sold in the US, a market that Suzuki thought would have buyers digging deep. Eventually, after little success, Suzuki cancelled the X-90 after just two years of production.

Generation seven Galants, built from 1992 to 1998, also had a VR-4 option, but the most memorable for the UK is said to be the eight-gen, built from 1996 to 2006. There were various Galant options available, from diesel to petrol, but those who had deeper pockets could spec the range-topping VR-4. Buyers were rewarded with a 276bhp four-wheel drive brute capable of 160mph derestricted and 0-60mph was over in just 5.3sec.

An automatic five-speed was available which was based on Porsche’s Tiptronic. Eventually, the Galant was dropped in favour of the Lancer Evolution series.

Elan M100s have climbed slightly in popularity, but for a long while they remained a bygone. In its short production run, from 1989 to 1995, Lotus made just 4700 Elans over two series: the SE and S2. A feisty 162bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre sat up front, driving the front wheels, while the chassis was rigid which minimised body roll.

A naturally aspirated 1.6-litre was also available. It was classed as one of the quickest point-to-point cars available. People simply couldn’t see past the idea of a front-wheel drive Lotus sports car, never mind a front-wheel drive Lotus, and while sales and interest started strong, they eventually divebombed. Lotus sold the rights to Kia, who sold the car in South Korea bearing that badge for a couple of years.

The CR-X was gone, and Honda needed to replace it with something just as sporty — enter the Del Sol. It shared its underpinnings with the Civic and the name Del Sol, which means ‘of the sun’ in Spanish, was a perfect fit as it was a convertible. When the Del Sol is brought up in conversation, it’s often remembered for its party trick — the TransTop. At the click of a button, the boot lid would rise and two arms would extend to collect the 11kg hardtop.

The driver would lock the lid to the arms, the arms would then retract, and the boot lid would lower. Of course, if you didn’t like showing off, you could opt for the manual hardtop. The Mazda MX-5, however, delivered better thrills and people bought it instead.

AXs could be spotted zinging about town centres all over the UK during the ‘80s and ‘90s, they were small, cheap and largely popular. The UK saw the arrival of the hot GTI guise in 1992. What you got was a sub-800kg car with a hungry 99bhp 1.4-litre.

This meant that, off the mark, the little AX GTI could rival bigger, more powerful cars up to 60mph from a standstill (8.5sec); it pirouetted around bends as it cocked its wheels and, if it had enough room, it would eventually hit 120mph. As the Saxo was introduced, Citroen had to cut their range and the AX was axed.

Many people loved the Capri of the ‘70s, it was cool with its fastback styling, long bonnet and Ford Mustang roots. A second generation arrived in 1970 which kept the fastback styling but had more modern lines and aesthetics. Then the third-gen hit in 1991. It was built by Ford Australia to rival the Mazda MX-5/Miata and Toyota MR2 and it used many Mazda 323 components.

Larger engines were no longer an option and those interested had a choice of either a 100bhp Mazda 1.6-litre or the same 1.6-litre with a turbocharger attached, producing 132bhp. The MR2 and Miata did the job better, leaving the Capri in the history books.

Unlike the MX-5, the MX-3 was a four-seater, and it had front-wheel drive. It shared the 323’s underpinnings and was built from 1991 to 1998 before Mazda canned production due to the MX-5 becoming more popular. There was a choice of engines: a 1.5-litre, a 1.6-litre, a 1.8-litre and a 1.8-litre V6. At the rear, Mazda used its Twin-Trapezoidal Link technology, which delivered all the benefits of four-wheel steering without the extra weight.

The market was popular for grand-touring sports cars during the ‘90s. Mazda had the RX-7, Nissan had the 300ZX, Toyota had the Supra and Honda - the NSX. Mitsubishi had to compete and so the 3000GT was born, remaining the brand’s flagship model for the rest of the era. Due to various US regulations, Mitsubishi was forced to strangle the 3.0-litre V6 powerplant to produce just 164bhp, but it later introduced a 222bhp GT guise.

Europe, however, got full power with the GT producing 282bhp. The 3000GT was a mechanical complexity and it was pulled because future generations would cost too much to produce.

Although built in 1987, the 164 makes our list due to its popularity in the ‘90s and the introduction of the fast Quadrifoglio Verde and Q4 models. Before the two hot guises, Alfa gave buyers, who were looking at an executive German saloon, further food for thought with the 164. In base form, there were three engines: a 2.0-litre Twin Spark, a 3.0-litre V6 12-valve and a 2.5 diesel. In 1990, this expanded with a 2.0-litre Turbo and then the 229bhp Quadrifoglio Verde. In 1998, Alfa dropped the 164 for the more curvaceous 166.

Introduced in 1991, the C4 S4 was aimed at those with a lead right foot, in addition, the 200 Quattro Turbo had been on the go for a while at this point and needed replacing. Two engines were available: a turbocharged 2.2-litre, which fed 227bhp to all four wheels using Audi’s quattro system, and a 276bhp 4.2-litre V8, only available in the ‘Plus’ trim.

The S4 lived a short life and was cancelled in 1994. This was because Audi planned to re-introduce the car as an S6, the S6 would go on to mirror the S4 mechanically but it featured small cosmetic changes.

Since its release in 1993, the Viewt had people bewildered: “Is that a 1963 MkII Jag?”. Not quite. It almost looked like one from the front but that was Mitsouka's intention. If you were to lift off the glinty bodywork, you’d be met with a Nissan Micra or March as it was known in Japan.

By looking through the windows, you’d quickly notice that the interior had nothing to do with the Jaguar’s either. Those interested could have a 1.0-litre or a 1.3-litre in either a manual or automatic. The Viewt was never sold in the UK but found its way to UK soil via importers.

The Celica name was popular, especially when it comes to the seventh-generation cars released from 1999 to 2006. The fifth-generation 1990s cars, however, were made for a really short period of time, until 1993, before Toyota opted to focus on the updated sixth generation. Various trim levels were offered but Europe only received the ST-I — a 103bhp 1.6-litre, the 2.0-litre GT-I — a 158bhp 2.0-litre, and the ST185 GT-Four which had 232bhp.

It was difficult to tell the C36 AMG and the car it was based on, the C280 Sport, apart; the big giveaways were the AMG badges, twin-exhaust and the 3.6-litre straight-six which produced 280bhp. It was a 155mph car, capable of cracking 0-62mph in 6.7sec, putting it in the firing line of the BMW M3. While the BMW was considered a better driver, Mercedes stepped up and offered the C43 AMG — a V8 variant with 306bhp that directly replaced the C36. Only 5221 C36 AMGs were made with 378 making it to the UK.

Subaru’s go at a grand tourer resulted in the SVX, a car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man behind the Lotus Esprit and DMC DeLorean. The SVX had four-wheel drive, funky side windows, an aircraft-inspired instrument panel and a jet-fighter-like glass roof. Upon its arrival, it was popular with the media but not the public as its design was outlandish and it was expensive.

The 3.3-litre flat-six produced 230bhp but it was held back by a slow four-speed automatic gearbox, restricting its full performance potential and putting the final nail in the coffin. Its lack of popularity saw Subaru pull it from sale after five years.

Mercedes had the CL and it was Lexus’s time to compete with its new SC. On offer was the SC 400 which featured a 4.0-litre V8 and the SC 300 which had a 3.0-litre inline six. The SC 300 was the one to get a five-speed manual whereas the rest had four-speed or five-speed automatics. Lexus built the SC till 2000 before it was cancelled to make way for the second generation.

A car that received points for luxury but also received heavy scrutiny because of its design. Lexus produced just 33,000 first gen SC300s and 49,538 SC400 variants.

When looking at the VehiCROSS concept car, it looks like Isuzu changed very little for the production version. Built from 1997 to 2001, it had a direct relation with the Isuzu Trooper as most of its components were shared and Isuzu planned to build just 5958 vehicles, most of which were to be sold in the US. The four-wheel drive was computer-controller “Torque On Demand” system and there was a separate off-road low-gear system.

While perfectly capable, it suffered the same fate as the Pontiac Aztec and many struggled to get over its looks.

Like many previous Aston Martins, it was only a matter of time before a high-performance Vantage guise would land on the Virage production line. From 1993 to 2000, Aston Martin produced only 239 standard Vantages and 40 Le Mans special edition cars making them extremely scarce. Over the standard Virage’s 5.3-litre, producing 330bhp, the Vantage had twin superchargers at its disposal, which meant power was now upped to 550bhp, despite using the same engine.

Marcello Gandini, designer of the Lamborghini Countach, and Maserati joined forces to design the 2+2 grand tourer Shamal. Built from 1990 to 1996, the Shamal came at a time when Maserati was drowning in debt and therefore couldn’t afford to build an entirely new car. As a result, the Biturbo parts bin was robbed and the Shamal had the Biturbo’s body shell, doors and interior but it sat on a Biturbo Spyder wheelbase which was shorter.

The twin-turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 was also taken from a Biturbo and fitted to the Shamal but it was given an extra bank of cylinders. With various other changes, the result was a twin-turbocharged 3.2-litre V8 with 322bhp. Only 369 examples were ever made.

It was time to replace the front-engined four-seater 412 with something more modern and, in 1992, Ferrari had the answer with the 456. It was the last in the Ferrari line-up to feature pop-up headlights; when production ended in 1997 with just 3289 units made, Ferrari replaced it with the 612 Scaglietti.

Buyers could have the 456 with either a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic gearbox but the 436bhp 5.5-litre V12 (derived from the Dino V6) was the only engine choice; it was enough to get the car to 192mph. In 1998, the 456M arrived which featured aerodynamic, cooling and interior updates.

Back in 1991, a Czech Republic car builder, MTX, paired up with Tatra to venture from building Formula One cars and build a supercar — the result was the Tatra V8. Equipped with a 302bhp 3.9-litre V8, the Tatra V8 was the fastest Czech car of its time, reaching 62mph from rest in 5.6sec while being capable of 165mph. It was teased at the auto show in Prague in 1991 where 200 orders were placed, but in the early stages of production the factory burned to the ground with only four cars ever built.

Gerald Wiegert, Vector’s company founder, had a dream of building the ultimate sports car and in 1980 he came up with the W2 prototype. It was presented to the public in 1976 but production was delayed due to lack of financial backing and a world economy plunge. In 1980, finances were better and Vector grew to 80 employees meaning that the W2’s successor, the W8, could proceed.

It was given a 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 powerplant and, at 8psi, it produced 625bhp. Boost could be adjusted in the cabin and during testing the car managed 1200bhp. Unfortunately, a hostile takeover by Megatech ended the W8 in 1993 after just 22 cars were produced.

There was no real direct competition for the Accord Type-R when it arrived in 1998: the Ford Mondeo ST200 and Vauxhall Vectra GSI were fast repmobiles and the Integra Type-R was classed as a sports car. Honda used a 2.2-litre VTEC producing 217bhp with 164lb ft at 6700rpm while the chassis and suspension were both stiffer in comparison to the standard car. It also received a limited-slip differential, dual exhaust, better brakes, Xenon headlights and Recaro seats.

Honda made only 3789 Accord Type-Rs before stopping production in 2002. There was no dramatic reason for this, but it was a car that belonged to the sports saloon class, something that no longer existed.

When building the Satria GTi, Proton opted for a 1.8-litre Mitsubishi Lancer GSR engine without the turbo. The compression was increased to make up for the forced induction loss which meant power landed in at 138bhp. Lotus hopped on board to assist with the handling and, as a result, it was among the fastest Proton models ever made.

Proton had built it to pick fights with the Volkswagen Polo GTI and the Peugeot 206 GTI but it wasn’t enough to persuade the public to part with their hard-earned cash and, in 2005, the Satria GTi came to an end and slowly disappeared from our roads.

In the 1990s, Nissan was entering into Le Mans and, before they could do so, they needed to meet homologation rules which stated that a road-going version of the racecar had to be built. Nissan developed one R390 road car and never had the intent of mass production.

It’s powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V8 that’s in the racecar and feeds 550bhp to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Later, one of the race cars was modified over two years so it could be driven on the road. It kept 95% of its race car components. The styling effort here was led by Ian Callum, then working for TWR.

Originally known as the Austin Metro, the Rover Metro arrived in 1990 and came with heavy design changes. The K-series engines were introduced in 1.1 and 1.4-litre sizes while a 1.4-litre diesel was also available. In 1994, the new Rover 100 appeared: a revised variant of the Metro which kept the same petrol engine sizes but buyers could now have a 1.5-litre diesel.

When 1997 arrived, Euro NCAP put the Rover 100 through a multitude of crash tests and it failed drastically, giving just one star for adult occupancy. With sales collapsing, Rover pulled it from the line-up.

For those who are fans of performance SUVs, the Typhoon was the car that started it all. It was powered by the same engine its Syclone sibling had, a 4.3-litre 280bhp V6, but it featured unique pistons and a throttle body from a 5.7-litre Chevrolet small block engine. It sent power to all four wheels and although it only came with a four-speed automatic, it could hit 60mph from nought in 5.3sec and reach the quarter mile in 14.1sec.

This meant performance that could rival both the Ferrari 348TS and Chevrolet Corvette. GM produced just 4697 cars from 1992 to 1993.

In design terms, Alejandro de Tomaso based his Guara idea on the Maserati Barchetta Stradale prototype from the early ‘90s. The fibreglass and kevlar body sat on an aluminium backbone chassis with suspension like that of a Formula One car. Ford was originally meant to supply engines for the car but was unable to, and attention was turned to BMW engines instead.

Early cars used the V8 found in the BMW 840Ci which gave 280bhp but BMW later phased out this engine and Guara’s were later given a 4.6-litre V8 with 316bhp. Only 52 cars were produced from 1994 to 2004 as De Tomaso went into liquidation.

The Renault 5 Turbo was a success and Renault decided that a sport division was needed - to kick things off, they made the Renault Sport Spider. The Spider would serve in Renault’s one-make racing series and serve as a road car. Production started in 1996 and all cars were fitted with a small aero screen but, in 1997, buyers could choose to have a full windscreen with a windshield wiper, whilst all cars got scissor doors.

Its chassis was made from aluminium while the bodywork was a plastic composite, the engine was robbed from a Clio Williams and produced 148bhp. Renault made just 1726 Sport Spiders before seizing production.