In most cases, you can tell when a performance car is coming your way. A low-slung sporty body, eye-catching paint job, flared wheel arches, overzealous rear wings, and huge diffusers are some of the early signs of fast cars.
However, not all performance cars look fast. Over the years, manufacturers have realized that there's a growing number of gearheads who love cars that look slow and sedate but perform just as good or even better than more obvious performance cars. Sleeper cars, as they're popularly referred to, have unassuming designs that easily blend in with everyday cars, but once the roads open up, they'll leave any gearhead with a fat smile across their face. The '90s gave us many fantastic sleeper cars. These are ten of the best.
10 Audi RS2 Avant
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The Audi RS Division has built many iconic models over the years, but few are as revered as the RS2 Avant. Introduced in 1994, the RS2 Avant was developed out of a partnership between Porsche and Audi - though you couldn't tell just by looking at it, as the RS2 Avant was a station wagon with a boxy design.
Not to worry, though, as most of Porsche's work was under the hood. Powered by a 2.2-liter turbo five-cylinder engine with 311 hp on tap, the RS2 Avant took less than 5 seconds to blast past 60 mph and topped out at 160 mph. It's no surprise that the RS2 Avant is considered to be one of the greatest wagons ever.
9 GMC Typhoon
SUVs are meant to be large vehicles for transporting families and having fun off-road. They're not usually fast, as they're typically heavy and lack the aerodynamic efficiency of sports cars. However, GM decided to rewrite the SUV rule book in the '90s when it unveiled the crazy Typhoon and its pickup truck brother - the Syclone.
Powered by a 4.3-liter turbocharged V6 producing 280 hp, the Typhoon only needed 5.3 seconds to get to 60 mph. This made it quicker than the Chevy Corvette, Nissan 300ZX Turbo, and even the Ferrari 348ts.
8 1994 Buick Roadmaster
The Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon of the '90s doesn't look like a car that can get anywhere close to 100 mph. It's a large wagon with an ugly design featuring woodgrain body panels - the type of car you expect your grandma to drive.
However, towards the end of the Roadmaster Estate's production run, Buick decided to give it a proper send-off by turning it into the ultimate sleeper. The 1994 Roadmaster Estate was equipped with a Corvette-sourced 5.7-liter LT1 V8 producing 260 hp, improving performance significantly.
7 Mercedes-Benz 500E
In the '90s, Mercedes-Benz hatched a plan to build a high-performance version of the W124 that could compete with other top European sedans. However, since the engineering department was too busy working on a new S-Class generation, Mercedes-Benz asked Porsche to modify the W124's chassis to allow it to use the 5.0-liter V8 from the SL class. The result was the 500E.
The 500E had a power output of 322 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, giving it a 0-60 mph of around 5 seconds and a top speed of 160 mph. However, you'd never know it was that powerful by looking at it.
6 Ford Taurus SHO
When naming Ford's most important vehicles, most people would mention popular models like the Mustang and F-150. However, we believe that the Taurus deserves to be mentioned as well, since it's the main reason why Ford didn't go bankrupt in the '80s. Despite selling millions of examples, the Taurus didn't offer great performance. So, in the late '80s, Ford introduced the Taurus Super High Output (SHO) to fix that.
The Taurus SHO was a huge hit. Although it looked like the base Taurus, it was powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine with 220 hp on tap, making it fast.
5 Chevrolet Impala SS
The 'SS' badge on a Chevy is usually an indication of a fast car. However, even with the badge, the 1994 - 1996 Impala SS looked like just any other slow, four-door sedan meant for running everyday errands.
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Thankfully, things were a bit more interesting under the hood, as the Impala SS was powered by a 5.7-liter LT1 V8 developing 260 ponies and 330 lb-ft of torque - the same engine in the Corvette of the day. The Impala SS also had a sport-tuned suspension system, four-wheel disc brakes, a high-output electrical system, and a dual exhaust.
4 1992 Dodge Spirit R/T
When Dodge introduced the Spirit in 1988, it was just like any other mid-size sedan. However, in 1991, Dodge went back to the drawing board and built the high-performance R/T version, turning the Spirit from a boring sedan into a proven performer.
At the heart of the Spirit R/T was a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine with a Lotus-designed 16-valve DOHC head fed by a Garrett turbocharger. With an output of 224 hp and 217 lb-ft of torque, the Spirit R/T could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds.
3 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
The new F-150 Lightning is causing a huge wave of excitement across the auto industry as it's Ford's first electric pickup truck. However, we prefer the original Lightning, as it showed the F-150 could also be a performance car with the right upgrades.
The original Lightning was built by Ford's Special Vehicle Team in the early '90s. It was based on the ninth-generation F-Series, but was powered by a 5.8-liter V8 producing 240 hp.
2 Volvo V70 R
The V70R is a car that often leaves gearheads with a puzzled face. From the outside, it's one of the ugliest cars you'll ever see - the long, boxy shape will not turn any heads as you drive around.
However, the features you find in the V70R seem like they were plucked from the best performance cars of the day. For starters, it has a 2.5-liter turbo five-cylinder with 300 hp on tap. This is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, Monroe shocks, Brembo brakes with ventilated discs, and other cool features.
1 BMW E39 M5
The fourth-generation BMW 5-Series stuck to the same winning formula as its predecessors - an awesome four-door executive car with a plain-looking design, luxurious interior, and advanced technology. As always, the M division built a high-performance version for gearheads who needed more power.
For most people, there wasn't much of a design difference between the base 5-Series and M version. However, there was a clear difference under the hood. Instead of a 2.0-liter straight-6, the M5 had a 4.9-liter S62 V8 generating almost 400 hp, giving it superb performance.