The ’90s changed how we built cars.
Forget the sharp angles of the ’80s. Aerodynamics won out. Bulbous shapes. Sleeker lines. Fuel injection went everywhere too, fixing the reliability nightmares of previous decades. Most cars finally started working properly. Some got the fame. Others? Not so much. These models deserve a second look, usually.
Mercedes-Benz 500E
Built from 1991-1994. A bizarre but brilliant union.
Mercedes brought the W124 sedan body. Porsche took over, rewriting the chassis and suspension to handle the SL’s 5.0-litre 322bhp V8. They added muscular bodywork to match. Only 10,4279 units rolled out, making it rare. In 2021 one fetched £32,25 at auction. Fair? Maybe. It always lived in the BMW M5’s shadow though, which feels like a mistake.
Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Arriving in the ’90s with a turbocharged four and all-wheel drive. Tiny, but fast.
The GSX was the top dog, making 195bhp. 0-60 in under 7 seconds? It could embarrass American muscle cars easily. Mitsubishi dropped the Eclipse later, pivoting to hybrids. A sensible business move. A tragedy for enthusiasts.
Porsche 968
You know the 911. The Boxster. The 928.
The 968 gets ignored. It kept the 944’s layout but added Porsche’s VarioCam tech. 237bhp. It could hit 156mph. Handling was the real focus though, not just top speed. Fans wanted the rear-engine layout of the 911 so they looked down on it. Disappointment is funny thing, really. Speed, luxury, agility. The 968 had it all. Just the wrong engine placement for the purists.
Nissan Sunny GTI-R
Nissan didn’t need to shout about this one. A cult following formed naturally.
The basic Sunny was a cheap transport pod. Boring. Efficient. In the early 90s though, Nissan chased Group A WRC glory. They needed a weapon to fight the Mazda 323. The GTI-R was that weapon. Sold as a Pulsar in Japan. Turbocharged 2.0L engine. 220bhp sending power to all four wheels. 14,61613 built total. Rare now.
Dodge Neon R/T
The R/T badge used to mean muscle.
Think ’70s Chargers. Think Challengers. Then came the Neon, a family car in a 3D-printed body. In 1998 Dodge slapped R/T on it. Got a 2.0 litre engine. 150bhp. Only 18 more than the standard model? Disappointing. Faster than a Golf GTI though, apparently. Lacked the soul of a Ford Focus maybe. Now it’s just history.
