10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

The performance gap between exotic supercars and less exotic everyday performers narrowed significantly through the 1990s. These are the cars that made it happen
10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

I need to go on record as saying this wasn’t an easy article to write - finding a range of “common” cars with the chops to run alongside supercars was easy, and as I browsed through recent automotive history I knew right away that the 1990s would be the key decade to talk about. The hard part was realising that the Japanese performance revolution from this era is a major reason why even average family sedans these days can go from 0-60 in six seconds. I know this is an apples-to-oranges comparison, but that’s fast enough to beat a Ferrari 308 and hang surprisingly close to a Lamborghini Countach.

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

It’s not that I hate Japanese performance. For crying out loud my garage at the moment is nothing but Japanese performance. But I’m a self-proclaimed muscle car fanboy from America, so compiling this fun little piece gave me a new appreciation for how Japanese automakers aggressively pushed the performance envelope forward. Yeah, I have a few cars from America and Germany on this list, but for this period of automotive evolution, I can only agree with our man Darren when he said this was the golden age for JDM performance.

Now about this list. Before you go bananas in the comments read this part twice. When I say humble that doesn’t necessarily mean faster. When you have a $150,000 supercar and you can barely inch away from a small four-door sedan, you’re technically winning but it’s still a humbling experience. And I’m not counting top speed this time around - I think we’ll all agree that supercars generally win that battle. But for the other 99 per cent of the time on the street, these 1990s superheroes had enough stones to either stick surprisingly close with the six-figure supercars of the day, or outright beat them.

1. GMC Syclone

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

In 1991 Car And Driver magazine held a rather infamous quarter-mile test between the new GMC Syclone and a new Ferrari 348. The Ferrari eventually pulled ahead of the small pickup, but not until after it lost the quarter-mile race.

2. BMW M5

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

BMW’s M cars were already exquisite performers, but the 1999 E39 M5 is arguably the car that elevated the 5-series to legendary performer status. With 400bhp and a six-speed manual, it could keep all four of its doors within reach of most late 20th century supercars.

3. Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

Some might argue that the 1990-1995 ZR-1 was a supercar. It had a relatively high price tag, and with 405bhp from a DOHC 5.7-litre V8 it certainly had the performance. But many people consider the C4 ‘Vette as the worst generation, yet I’ve no doubts there were many smug Ferrari and Lamborghini drivers eating crow after a ZR-1 encounter.

4. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This special-edition build of the already potent 1998-2002 Trans Am made 325bhp from its naturally aspirated 5.7-litre LS1 V8. It had a six-speed manual and suspension tweaks to make it a simple but terrifically effective muscle car. It could run door-to-door with supercars costing five times as much and it could turn surprisingly well. And few things are more humbling to a supercar driver than not being able to shake the dude with the mullet.

5. Audi RS2 Avant

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

Turbo plus all-wheel drive usually equals fast, as we’ll see with many cars still to come. For the fast-yet-functional Audi, the combo was enough to kick this glorious estate to 60 in under five seconds. In the mid-1990s that was on par with a Ferrari 355 and faster than a Porsche 911.

6. Mitsubishi GTO/3000 GT VR4

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

We begin the Japanese invasion with a personal favourite of mine. The 3000GT was heavy and much more of a grand tourer than a proper sports car, but with V6 turbo power and all-wheel drive it was terrifically quick. The earlier models had a bit more tech while the later builds had more horsepower, but they could all hold their own against many ‘90s supercars.

7. Toyota Supra

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

All hail the mighty Supra. Even in stock form, the turbo Supra could rip to 60 in about five seconds. That’s enough to be right there in the thick of it with 355s, 911s, and for those who hadn’t upgraded their Countach to a Diablo, tears usually flowed following a Supra encounter. But honestly, who drives a stock Supra turbo anyway? Turn up the boost and go hunting for 360s.

8. Nissan Skyline GT-R

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

Say hello to more Japanese all-wheel drive turbo power, this time from the fine folks at Nissan. I debated including the Skyline, simply because it’s widely considered these days to be a supercar. But when the R33 and R34 GT-Rs were rolling off the assembly line through the 1990s, they were just hopped-up versions of the Skyline - a long-standing Japanese nameplate for sedans, coupes and estates. These cars, along with the next two on the list, helped redefine the ultra high-performance genre. Instead of it being exclusively the domain of exotics and dedicated high-performance nameplates, pedestrian models could become superstars too.

9. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

What’s your favourite Evo of the 1990s? Take your pick, because they were all incredible performers with enough punch to run with cars costing way more. The fact that they were small sedans is even better - I don’t think many people outside the rally circuit took these cars seriously until they lost to one. And I’m sure it happened quite often.

10. Subaru WRX STI

10 Performance Cars Of The 1990s That Could Humble Supercars

If the 1990s is indeed the golden age for JDM performance, then it’s also the golden age for the WRX. The Subies of this era remain the best looking, the lightest, and arguably the best performers of the entire WRX line. With 276bhp, all-wheel drive and curb weights generally under 1250kg, a brave clutch drop could have these rally racers not just humbling, but humiliating 1990s supercars time and again. Of all the cars on this list, a 22B STI is the one I’d choose to go hunting for aristocrats.

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Comments

Anonymous

Gotta catch ‘em all -

02/20/2016 - 10:13 |
48 | 1
ramses rizal

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Pokemon! lol

02/20/2016 - 10:47 |
7 | 3
Anonymous

Its a nice list, but would of like to see more cars we didnt know about yet. The supra, gtr, lancer and impreza are a bit to obvious

02/20/2016 - 10:15 |
20 | 1
Firebolt

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Like the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, you mean?

10/14/2016 - 08:37 |
3 | 0
CitigoMan

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Volvo 850 T5R. It’s not a 850R it’s a much quicker 850r hitting 0-62 in 5.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 172MPH

10/14/2016 - 11:29 |
1 | 0
Jakob

What about the Ford Escort Cosworth? 230+ km/h top speed, 0-100 km/h in under 6 seconds… with a Ford Escort, that was science fiction in 1992.

02/20/2016 - 10:27 |
138 | 0
Adrian T. R.

In reply to by Jakob

And how easy they are to tune. It’s hard to find one on the road that doesn’t have the 330 kit :D

02/20/2016 - 10:53 |
13 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Jakob

Yes mate :-)

02/20/2016 - 12:34 |
0 | 0
RustyToast

In reply to by Jakob

Lotus Carlton deserves a mention too, 0-60mph was 5.1 seconds. In 1990.

02/20/2016 - 18:47 |
31 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Jakob

Came here to say two words. Escort Cosworth.
You beat me to it sir, well done. Even my old one with “only” 286bhp could beat 911s and mustangs off the lights and down twisty back roads. (Once you’d learned how to deal with the gearbox and keep it on boost)

05/10/2016 - 06:53 |
0 | 0
Aaron 15

Jaguar XJR?
375bhp of supercharged madness
0-60 in 5.3 seconds, top speed of way over 170mph, that was supercar standards

02/20/2016 - 10:46 |
7 | 0

Exactly my thought. I own one, and with the throttle body mod (5 minutes with a good OBD2 computer) it even goes to 60 in 4.7

02/20/2016 - 15:08 |
1 | 0
Zahed

U forgot the nissan pulsar/sunny gti-r , mazda 323 gt-r and nissan 300zx tt just to mention some classic jdm power

02/20/2016 - 10:47 |
19 | 1
Anonymous

In reply to by Zahed

Amen

02/20/2016 - 12:29 |
0 | 0
Gary

In reply to by Zahed

It seems like the 300zx is always forgotten on most list for some reason. It’s definitely a great car

02/20/2016 - 15:06 |
9 | 0
Ben Conover

In reply to by Zahed

They just felt like mixing it up a little. Maybe they’ll do a JDM version of this list.

02/20/2016 - 17:34 |
0 | 0
ramses rizal

Nice article! Still Evo can manage to keep up with Lambo

02/20/2016 - 10:50 |
41 | 0

That episode was utter sh!te. First they show you it can keep up with a V12 monster, then they ramble about turbo lag and stage an idiotic drag race.

02/20/2016 - 11:06 |
5 | 27

Except in the straights….

02/20/2016 - 16:00 |
5 | 2
Benji Gahleitner

I don’t see the Skyline GT-R as a Supercar, more as a japanese version of the M3.

02/20/2016 - 10:52 |
2 | 0

They never said it was a super car. Just that it can rival super cars.

02/20/2016 - 12:48 |
2 | 0
One Lap Kings

Nice list, but some of these cars are starting to pull in Supercar dollars when they come up for sale. 22B’s are worth close to (if not more than) $100k these days, and R34 GTR’s are on their way there too here in Canada (maybe just because they became legal to import and there is a huge demand for them). And its just impossible to find a Mk4 Supra these days. People definitely know what these cars are and want them.

02/20/2016 - 10:56 |
2 | 0

The gc8 ra is quicker and is only 10g including shipping to canada

02/20/2016 - 11:59 |
1 | 0
𝔇𝔦𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔬

At the end of the day the other guy will go back home in his supercar knowing that he made it in life while you, having the faster car well stay dreaming about that day where you get to own a supercar of your own. I’ll admit driving a car that you put all your effort, money and time into feels great especially when you beat a car that costs way more but supercar ownership is something I definitely would not want to miss. I’d take a Countach over an R34 although the R34 can easily smoke the Countach but if you’ve got enough money to buy and enjoy a supercar then why go buy an EVO or STi or GT-R? A supercar is bought for self satisfaction and as a status symbol as well as being an enjoyable car to drive every once in while, its not bought to race highly modified EVOs or other cars that need modifications to beat a supercar.

02/20/2016 - 10:56 |
2 | 7

Your comment is part true depending on way you look but it’s utterly unnecessary and also can make no sense, what exactly means to make it in life? I believe it means achieving what your goals are, which can be very different from person to person, believe or not, not everyone want to be a millionaire and buy supercars, some are just happy to have a cool family, cool friends and a car they can work on and have some fun once in a while, and I’m saying that having in mind that I am a supercar fan and want to own one someday.

02/20/2016 - 14:33 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

So cool seeing my dads car on that list.(m5)

02/20/2016 - 11:03 |
0 | 0