If there's one decade that completely shifted the trends and standards of the automotive industry, then it has to be the '90s. This is especially true for sports cars, as we saw the birth of the Ferrari F50, Lamborghini Diablo, and McLaren F1, all of which laid early foundations for the ridiculously expensive supercars and hypercars we see tycoons bragging with today.
However, not all sports cars of the '90s were revolutionary beasts brimming with performance. There were plenty of flashy models that looked promising at first sight but failed to deliver absolutely any kind of thrill once you actually got behind the wheel.
There are a number of reasons for this disappointing performance, such as underpowered engines, wrong aerodynamics, and even the weight of the vehicles. Although many of the '90s high-performance cars are considered fast even today, there are some that weren't fast even then. Let's look into them.
RELATED: This Was The Fastest Sports Car Of The 90s
10 Mazda Miata MX-5 (NA)
At first sight, every gearhead would say that the Mazda MX-5 is a fast little roadster. However, this claim is entirely wrong.
Yes, Mazda MX-5 looks fast and it is a cute vehicle, but if you are a real adrenaline lover, Mazda MX-5 is a huge pass. The first iteration was produced from 1989 until 1997 and had only 115 hp, and it needed 8.3 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph and the top speed was limited to the disgraceful 126 mph. Although improvements were offered through the years, including the supercharged engine, there wasn't any dramatic change to this roadster.
9 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier
The Chevrolet Cavalier was first in production in 1982 and it lasted until 2005, going through three different generations before it was dropped down.
The third generation of the Chevrolet Cavalier had that sleek design of a sports car, borrowing some design cues from the much more powerful Chevrolet Camaro. The aerodynamics were impressive, but the underpowered 2.2-liter inline-four cylinder engine was rated only at 120hp, which made this stunning two-door coupe accelerate to 60 mph in 10.3 seconds.
8 1994 Ford Mustang
The Fox-body Mustangs are not so popular today; introduced in 1994 as the fourth generation, it brought several changes, but they weren't that good.
For such a genuine sports car with a long pedigree of success and with more sleek lines and rounded curves than ever before (even featuring a spoiler for the added effect), this car was a massive disappointment. Thanks to its trimmed-down 145-hp engine, it needs 9.5 seconds to reach 60 mph and has a top speed of 120 mph, easily stepping into modern minivan territory.
7 Lotus Elan M100
The Lotus Elan is a British sports car that comes with front-wheel drive. This is obviously an error since this roadster is found on the list. Produced from 1989 until 1995, it came with the 1.6-liter inline-four cylinder engine that produced just 130 hp it needs over 7.0 seconds from naught to 60 mph.
However, there is a turbocharged version, with 162 hp, however, there is not much improvement on the speed. Handling is great on both versions, thanks to the front-wheel drive, but it is not fast, despite that it weighs just 2,370 lb.
6 Ford Probe GT
The Ford Probe was introduced to the enthusiasts in 1988 and was produced until 1997. It included sporty looks and the GT version. Although it included heavily sporty looks, the engine was scarily underpowered.
The Ford Probe GT came with a 2.2-liter turbocharged engine that produced only 145 hp, which is not enough for a sporty look like that. The top speed was limited to the poor 131 mph, and the Ford Probe GT needed 7.3 seconds to reach 60 mph. It is one of those flashy sports cars that will trick you it is fast, but even with the turbocharger, it failed to be a proper sports car.
5 1994 Chevrolet Impala SS
The Chevrolet revived the Chevrolet Impala for its seventh iteration in 1994 and kept it in production for only two years. Under the name Chevrolet Impala SS, it had the Corvette's LT1 5.7-liter V8 engine rated at 250 hp, but it still needed 7.0 seconds to reach 60 mph, and a top speed was set at 142 mph.
The sleek design talked more than the engine and the failing transmission, while the additional weight of the body, unfortunately, was also slowing down this beautiful Chevrolet Impala SS on its way to great speeds.
4 Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 was the first-ever Porsche with the V8 engine and the first-ever Porsche coupe with a front-mounted engine. All of this affected the total power of the model, and it never improved, despite being in production from the late-'70s until the mid-'90s.
The Porsche 928 had a top speed of 142 mph, and in order to accelerate from 0-60 mph, it needed a sluggish 7.5 seconds. The fastback didn't help, or the rear-wheel-drive to make this 2-door coupe faster.
3 Mercedes Benz SLK200
The Mercedes SLK 200 is one of the sportiest cars ever to behold. It was produced from 1996 until 2004 but without much success. It was powered by two different engines, but none could propel this 2-door roadster to decent speeds.
The first option was the 2.0-liter straight-four cylinder engine rated at 134 hp, and with this one, the car needs extensive 9.3 seconds to reach 62 mph. The second option was the supercharged inline-four-cylinder engine that develops 189 hp, and it is greeted with improvement, but only to 7.7 seconds, which is still rather slow. Just look at this roadster, can you say it is slow at the first sight?
2 1990-1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is how a sports car should look like, but they messed it up with the engines. The measly 92 hp that came from the naturally aspirated 1.8-liter 8-valve SOHC engine, wasn't enough.
Though its body lines were perfect and it even came with the pop-up headlights, making it even more likable, but the 2-door coupe was rather slow, with 8.7 seconds to 60 mph and a top speed of 136 mph. There were improvements before the second generation was introduced, such as the turbocharged engine with 195 hp.
1 Toyota Celica 7th Generation
The Toyota Celica was introduced way back in the '70s and went through seven consecutive generations before finally being put out of its misery in 2006. It was by no means a bad car, but with each generation, this affordable sports car got progressively worse. And despite the flashy look, the Toyota Celica 1999 was a great disappointment.
Equipped with the 1.8-liter straight-four cylinder engine that produced only 140 hp, it has limited this liftback coupe to a speed of just 127 mph and it needs 8.7 seconds to reach 60 mph. Abysmal.