The 90s were arguably one of the best decades for cars. Whether they saw the release of the best iteration of a car, or they saw the birth of a totally new kind of car, there are dozens upon dozens of brilliant vehicles that have a high level of desirability.
However, a lot of those cars, particularly the European ones were never sold in the United States. For one reason or another, these automakers didn't find a market for these cars Stateside. But, fear not, because some of those brilliant European used cars from the 1990s can now be legally imported to the United States.
10 Audi RS2 Avant
One of the most legendary Audi models of all time, the RS2 Avant is always credited for making a big deal out of the fast station wagon idea. But, it ended up working perfectly, and everyone wants one of these now.
If those wheels and mirrors look familiar to you, that's because this car was assembled in collaboration with Porsche. While the components of this car were almost entirely Audi, Porsche took care of the assembly in the same factory where the Mercedes 500E and Porsche 959 were built. With a 2.2-liter turbo five-pot and Quattro AWD, the RS2 Avant wasn't to be messed with.
9 Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo
How about owning a compact, cool-looking mini Ferrari? The Fiat Coupe, though it has a design that sometimes divided opinion, was definitely very distinctive and unique. But it wasn't just the looks that made the Coupe cool.
In 1995, Fiat offered a turbocharged, 20V inline-5 powertrain with a respectable 220 hp. Equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission, this car could do 155 mph and 0-60 in 6.3 seconds, which can put a Mk7 Golf GTI to shame. Not only that, but even for a Fiat, it's relatively reliable and not that difficult to work on. They're also very cheap.
8 Renault Clio Williams
We were absolutely shocked to hear that, despite the fact that this little rocket was called the Clio Williams, it had nothing to do with the famous F1 team at all. It was simply named in their honor. But, that doesn't mean this is not a serious little hot hatchback.
All of the engineering work on the Clio Williams was done by Renault's in-house skunk works team, Renault Sport. The naturally-aspirated 2.0 liter 4-cylinder made a peppy 150 hp. Not bad for a tiny car with tiny weight. 0-60 took 7.3 seconds and it could reach 134 mph. Well done, Renault Sport.
7 Alfa Romeo GTV
The final generation Alfa Romeo GTV definitely had a unique exterior design, shall we say. We think it looks beautiful, but not everyone did. It had somewhat of a resemblance to the Fiat Coupe up there, but more modernized. Also (rather unfortunately) without the slashed fenders.
The very earliest GTV models can now be imported to the United States. The same goes for the Spider, if that's more your thing. Plus, the earliest models had the highly desirable Busso V6 engine. Despite only making 192 hp, it still had respectable performance, with a 7.3 second 0-60 time and a top speed of 140 mph.
6 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
This has to be one of the most legendary performance Fords of all time. The Escort RS Cosworth is also a wolf in sheep's clothing. For reasons beyond us, the Escort RS Cosworth is in fact, a shortened Sierra with an Escort body.
But even with that setback, it worked. The RS Cosworth absolutely dominated world rallying, and it even dominated hot hatchbacks on the road in production form. As well as permanent AWD, the 2.0 liter Cosworth YBT engine made 224 hp stock. But that engine is also famous for being extremely tunable, and outputs of over 1,000 hp have been recorded.
5 Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II
Speaking of rally legends, we can't forget about this. The Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione, with its mouthful of a name, absolutely dominated world rallying in the 80s, wearing the iconic Martini Racing livery.
It continued the legacy of its RWD stablemate, the 037, which remains the only RWD car to take the title at WRC even to this day. The road-going version had 215 hp, AWD, and can smoke a lot of modern hot hatchbacks. Plus, it just looks epic.
4 BMW M5 Touring (E34)
One of only two M5 generations to be offered as a wagon, the E34 M5 Touring is truly an awesome machine. The E34 is often considered to be one of the best M5 generations of all time, and combined with the wagon body style, it makes the E34 M5 Touring very desirable.
They are somewhat rare, but definitely a worthy investment, as prices of these will only go up. Despite being a big station wagon, the M5 can still hold its own, thanks to its inline-6 with up to 3.8 liters in capacity, 311 hp and 155 mph top speed.
3 BMW M3 (E36)
Yes, it's true that the E36 M3 was sold in the United States. But, that version was butchered significantly. It used a 5-speed manual, rather than a 6-speed, it had a fuel consumption gauge and it had significantly less power.
Thankfully, the full-fat European version is now legal to import, and that's the right thing to do if you're in the market for an E36 M3. At its peak, the European M3 E36 produced 316 hp, allowing 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Not to mention, it's one of the best track cars and drift cars ever.
2 Jaguar XJ220
Admittedly, this one is very pricey, but it's at least worth taking a look at. Infamous for not being able to deliver on its promises, the Jaguar XJ220 was Jag's definitive supercar back in the 1990s. For a very short while, it was the fastest car in the world, achieving 217 mph.
Surprisingly, that speed was thanks in part to a turbocharged V6, right out of the MG Metro 6R4 rally car. The XJ220 was RWD, used a 5-speed manual transmission, and it was absolutely massive. Prices are starting to creep up, so get one while (and if) you can.
1 TVR Chimaera
Sadly, the more recent and crazier TVR models are currently out of reach, but the Chimaera is definitely a worthy contender. Though there are some reliability and maintenance concerns with this car, it's one of the best TVRs.
The earlier ones are legal to import and have been for a while, but as of this year, the later versions with the bigger 4.3 liter V8 can also be imported. The 4.3 makes 284 hp and it could do 0-60 in an impressive 4.6 seconds.
As all of these cars are now 25 years old or older, they can be legally imported into the United States and enjoyed by enthusiasts who never got to experience them when they were new. As time goes on, we can't wait for other cars from the latter half of the 90s to become legal to import Stateside.