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Join us for a piece of nostalgia as we run through the best '90s supercars on the market right now.
The ‘90s was a transitional decade for the supercar. The 200mph chase was on and performance figures went through the roof, but driving aids and general usability were still at the very bottom of the to-do list, resulting in some of the most exhilarating machines we’ve ever seen.
We’re seeing more and more members going back to the cars of the ‘90s for the sense of involvement and nostalgia, even if it’s in addition to modern supercars for those inevitable days (or weeks) the old girl is in for some TLC, so I thought it was about time we did a piece with our picks of the best of the ‘90s on sale right now.
Arguably the definitive supercar of the ‘90s, as every mid-engined V8 Ferrari tends to be for its respective decade, the 355 is an icon of its time and remembered as one of the greatest Ferraris. It’s far from the most impressive in terms of headline figures — the 375hp from its 3.5-litre V8 is now well and truly beaten by a four-pot Mercedes hatchback — but it has plenty of poke for British B roads, and in terms of emotion and involvement, the 355 is a marvel.
The wailing note from its V8 is totally unique, especially with a nice shiny Capristo exhaust, so a Spider makes complete sense to bask in that noise, and the all-important manual gearbox is a joy to use. The driving position is quite old-school Ferrari and the interior buttons have a notorious tendency to go sticky, but drop the roof and a couple of gears, and I promise you won’t care.
Sure, you’ll be paying double what you would have a decade ago and they’re not cheap to run, but given how iconic it is, I think the 355 is still pretty reasonable money for a guaranteed future classic.
1997 | 13,833 Miles | £124,990 | View full details here
There were a few Porsche options here from a more reasonably priced 993 Turbo to a wild seven-figure 993 GT2, but when I saw this 964 Turbo, it had to be the one, because Bad Boys! The car alone made the film an icon of the ‘90s for petrolheads, and if Detective Mike Lowrey had held onto it, he’d have a pretty healthy addition to his retirement fund because values have gone stratospheric.
The styling is iconic with the flared arches and whale tail spoiler which houses the intercooler, and typical of a 911 Turbo, performance was out of this world in its day. The 3.6-litre version was only produced for the final two years of the 964 with fewer than 1,500 worldwide. Power was up from 320 to 360hp of pure boosty thrust, and they have become hugely sought after.
This is a stunning low-mileage example of an extremely rare car. The downside? You’ll sure pay for it and likely be nervous of driving it, which is a shame, and you have to wonder if there’s room for them to go any higher in the future.
1993 | 19,335 Miles | £449,995 | View full details here
Something else incredibly expensive, yes, but the Diablo is probably the car most prolific on ‘90s boys’ bedroom walls. When I was a kid, I remember playing Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit which featured a yellow Diablo SV being chased by the law on the cover, so the Diablo has always been one of the big boy supercars for me.
This car is an interesting one which started life as a VT Roadster in 1998 before being converted to SV specification by the supplying dealer using authentic Lamborghini parts — a trend started by a US-based Lamborghini distributor due to high demand for SV Roadsters with only two originals in existence! Removal of the front drive shaft, front differential, and front drive axle lightened the car by nearly 115 kg.
An original is basically unobtainable given there are only two. One did sell at a Sotheby’s auction in 2023, but it was a sealed auction so the price remains a mystery. Even this conversion is eye-wateringly expensive, but those looks, NA V12, rear-wheel drive, manual ‘box and no roof sounds like a recipe for nirvana to me!
1998 | 14,453 Miles | £649,990 | View full details here
With the well-publicised involvement of a pretty handy Brazillian racing driver, the NSX is a left-field legend. For people of my generation, being one of the main cars you wanted to drive on Gran Turismo helps too! The NSX took Ferrari’s mid-engined supercar formula and produced something that drove better than any Ferrari before it.
Instead of a V8, the NSX had a high-revving V6 with just 276hp, but it was light and such a pure machine to drive with a typically brilliant Honda manual ‘box. They’re few and far between in the UK and have become accordingly expensive, especially given this example’s extremely low mileage, but for me, the NSX’s unicorn status could see it reaching higher still.
1992 | 5,360 Miles | £149,995 | View full details here
Let’s finish with a wildcard. It isn’t a supercar, but it was co-developed with and built by Porsche, and to some, this could be the coolest car on this list! Looking to the untrained eye like an early ‘90s private taxi, those with a certain level of nerd and petrol running through their veins will instantly spot the flared arches and 190E Evo II wheels — if you know, you know!
Under the bonnet is a 5-litre naturally-aspirated V8 with 326hp, and suitably, it’s the only car on this list with an automatic gearbox. The wider track and lower AMG suspension combine with some pretty hefty brakes to make this much more than just an exercise in shoehorning the biggest engine possible in an E Class. Less than 1,000 were ever produced, and I can’t think of much cooler than dailying this one!
1994 | 98,600km | €99,960 | View full details here
