The 1990s was an awesome decade for the world – it gave us the Hubble Space Telescope, the McLaren F1, great music and videos, on newly invented CDs and DVDs, and, most importantly – the World Wide Web, that thing no one can do without anymore. It also introduced GPS systems, which changed automotive navigation forever.
The 90s motor industry also saw huge improvements in automotive technology – particularly in the field of safety – much of which is now standard and became required by law to have in modern cars. This decade also produced some brilliant sports cars – most of which we still compare against their modern equivalents. Many of these 90s cars made such an impression on people, that they were forever engraved into petrolheads’ hearts and memories.
With some of them already over 30 years old, they have gained a cult following, with hardcore fans modifying their rides to do all sorts of different motorsports or wowing crowds attending car shows. Here are some of the coolest sports cars of the '90s and what they’re worth today.
10 Mazda RX-7 ($45,000)
The Mazda RX-7 is one of the coolest sports cars of the 90s, and one of the coolest sports cars ever, period. It was Mazda’s last attempt at a proper sports car aimed at being the best it can be, with an interesting engine choice, lightweight body, manual transmission, and drive going to the rear.
The RX-7 featured a twin-turbocharged Wankel rotary engine with a calculated displacement of around 1.3-liters – which doesn’t sound impressive, but the engine puts out 250 hp and 217 lb-ft of torque – all in a car that weighs in at only 2,700 lbs. The RX-7 is available second-hand for around $45,000 and has already become a cult car with a huge following, which will no doubt become a future classic.
9 Toyota Supra A80/Mk4 ($54,000)
The Toyota Supra was Toyota’s attempt at a proper sports car, and the Mk4 was the last model before the current BMW-made Supra Mk5. The A80 featured a 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six, famously known as the 2JZ, which produced around 320 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque. This power figure is easily increased, however, as 400-500 hp is entirely reachable with a simple ECU remap.
Like the RX-7, the Supra has a huge following, with many cars reaching well over 1000 hp with the 2JZ still equipped. The Supra has even been customized to fit Toyota’s own V12, the 1GZ-FE in the form of the Top Secret Supra V12, which was also twin-turbocharged. For normal car collectors, the Mk4 Supra can be purchased for around $54,000, but there may be offers asking to part with more cash than that.
8 Nissan 300ZX ($27,000)
The Nissan 300ZX was a vehicle in the Nissan Z-car family, sold as the Fairlady-Z in its home country of Japan. The Nissan-Z cars were the best-selling sports cars in North America by the 1990s, with the 300ZX accounting for over 80,000 units alone. It was only available with a 3.0-liter V6 – either in naturally aspirated or twin-turbo forms – producing between 222 and 300 hp.
The 300ZX featured a T-top roof and the North American version was only available as a 2+2 coupé. Even though they manufactured the 300ZX until 2000, Nissan discontinued them for the North American market in
1996, due to the ever-increasing Yen/Dollar ratio. This led to a car that cost around $30,000, rising to over $50,000 during the six years it was on sale. Now, however, a 300ZX can be found for an average of $27,000, making it a good entry into the JDM world.
7 Honda NSX ($55,000)
The NSX was Honda’s (known as Acura in the USA) idea of a mid-engine sports car as a more affordable alternative to Ferrari. The result was a significantly more reliable and efficient car than any of its rivals, whilst costing less to purchase. Out in the wild, it was commonly mistaken for a Ferrari, probably because Pininfarina was consulted during the design process for the HP-X concept car on which the NSX is based.
The NSX came with a 270 hp, 210 lb-ft of torque 3.0-liter V6, mated to either a 4-speed automatic or a 5- or 6-speed manual transmission. Honda considers the main innovator for the success of the NSX to be Ayrton Senna, the famous Formula One racing driver, as he acted as consultant test-driver for the project. With the popularity of the NSX, it has become quite desirable, therefore the price has gone up a bit.
6 Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 ($70,000)
The Skyline GT-R is the signature sports car from Nissan, employing a 6-cylinder twin-turbo engine, sending power to all four wheels through a manual gearbox. The R33 generation was available from 1995 to 1998 and featured the tried and trusted 2.6-liter engine producing 276 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.
Like most of its rivals, it has almost endless aftermarket customization options available and the stock engine can achieve huge amounts of power without much modification. Nissan also produced a limited-run NISMO version with an uprated 2.8-liter twin-turbocharged engine, producing a healthy 400 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque. Just like the R34 GT-R, its successor, the R33 GT-R’s price has increased over the last few years, making it more difficult to obtain.
5 Mitsubishi 3000GT ($20,000)
In the late 1980s, Mitsubishi decided to make a front-engine sports car to rival that of the Toyota Supra, so the 3000GT was born. It had a 3.0-liter V6 with a couple of turbos fitted, producing 300 hp and 308 lb-ft of torque going to all four wheels through a 4-speed automatic, or a 5- or 6-speed manual.
The car was sold in the United States and Canada as both the Mitsubishi 3000GT and the Dodge Stealth R/T. Both cars had the same drivetrains, with minor interior and exterior changes to the bumpers and wheels. The Mitsubishi 3000GT is available for around $20,000, whilst the Dodge Stealth can be purchased for slightly below the same price.
4 Porsche 968 ($24,000)
The Porsche 968 was the final version of the 944 – which started out as the 924 – and was built as a sports car to help Porsche out of a financial crisis. The 968 featured a 3.0-liter i4 turbo, producing 240 hp and 225 lb-ft of torque, going to the rear wheels only via a 6-speed manual or a 4-speed ‘Tiptronic’ automatic transmission. More than 80% of the 944’s components were updated and the car featured better-sculpted bumpers, larger wheels, and revised headlights and taillights.
For the 1993 model year, Porsche introduced an even higher-performance version, called the 968 Turbo S, producing an impressive 305 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque from the same 4-cylinder turbo. It also featured an adjustable rear wing, unique three-piece wheels, and had a limited production run of only 14 – all for sale exclusively on mainland Europe. Being a German performance car, the 968 has depreciated to a point where it had become an affordable sports car for the average petrolhead.
3 Porsche Boxster ($20,000)
The Boxster was introduced in 1996 as Porsche’s ‘entry-level’ car and featured a 2.5-liter flat-6, mated to a choice of either a 5-speed manual or automatic transmission. The Boxster Concept was heavily inspired by the 550 Spyder of the 1950s, with the production version featuring many of the design elements of the concept. The Boxster was designed to fill the ever-increasing sales gap that the outdated 944 was creating, and proved to be a huge success.
Porsche had Toyota as a consultant during the design process and employed their part-sharing strategy to reduce costs. The Boxster has been heralded by many as the car that saved Porsche from financial ruin – not only saving the company, but turning it into the extraordinary marque it is today. These little miracle-working cars are available for purchase for around $12,000, or a bit more for a well-specced one.
2 BMW M-Coupé ($45,000)
The BMW M-Coupe was essentially a Z3 Roadster with a shooting-brake body style and the engines from the E36 and E46 M3s. Whilst sales were slow compared to the Roadsters, collectors became interested and bought a few units.
Drivetrains for the Z3M and the M-Coupé were the same as both cars shared drivetrains, with only body panels towards the rear of the car differing – to accommodate the revised ‘clown shoe’ look. Today, the BMW M-Coupé is a collector’s item and their prices have increased dramatically.
1 Chevrolet Corvette C4 ($15,000)
The Chevy Corvette is a car familiar to every car enthusiast. It stirs up thoughts of a V8 grumble and a flash across one’s vision. The C4 generation of the Corvette was completely redesigned from the C3 with a new chassis, suspension, and, most importantly, a new engine. It was the 5.7-liter LT5 V8 fitted to the ZR-1. The interesting thing about this engine was that it was designed and built by Lotus, which was only ever available in the C4 Corvette ZR-1.
The LT5 produced 375 hp and far surpassed its rivals in each motoring test thrown at it. The C4 Corvette reignited interest in the Corvette brand and helped General Motors to continue producing fast V8 coupés, which eventually led to the high-performance Corvettes we get today. Now, a C4 Corvette can be purchased for as little as $9,000, or an average of $15,000 for a well-looked-after one.