Models from the 1990s

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For me, the 1990s will be memorable for four things: the Gulf War, the death of Princess Di, the Clinton / Lewinsky affair and the Oklahoma City Bombing. There was a lot more to this decade, of course: the highest grossing film of all time (Titanic), two white rappers (Eminem and Vanilla Ice), the collapse of the Soviet Union, the release of Nelson Mandela, Dolly the Sheep, the Columbine Massacre...

But it’s those four that stick in my mind. It was both a great decade and a sombre decade, and also one that produced (possibly) some of the best cars the world had ever seen. I class ‘90s cars as those that were launched between 1990 and 1999, and also a few that were launched in the late ‘80s (’88 or ’89) and gained popularity / infamy in the latter decade.

Let’s start with Japan. If the Germans owned the ‘80s in terms of automotive excellence, then the ‘90s were all about Japan. Mazda brought us the lightweight and fun Mazda MX-5 / Miata and the defining moment in rotary engine tech: the third generation Mazda RX-7. The boys from Nissan brought us not one but three generations of the phenomenal Nissan Skyline GT-R, solidifying it in the minds of street racers around the world. Nissan also gave us the slickly styled 300ZX, probably the best Z car since the original 240Z.

The rest of Japans automakers weren’t resting on their laurels though. Toyota had its Supra, Honda / Acura its NSX and Subaru stunned and shocked us with its “way out” SVX. Speaking of the latter, what would the ‘90s be without these two turbocharged, AWD four-doors: the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution?

The Yanks gave the world the still-awesome-after-19-years V10 Dodge Viper, the insanely styled Plymouth Prowler (really the last gasp of a dying brand), the final iteration of Pontiac’s Firebird and the Lotus tuned C4 Corvette ZR-1.

The Bavarians had the 8-Series, the last bastion of ‘80s excess in a world that was rapidly realising that greed wasn’t so good anymore but the real news was in Italy, where Lamborghini made a comeback with the awesome Diablo, their first new car in almost sixteen years. Two other Italians: the Alfa Romeo RZ and the Chris Bangle designed Fiat Coupe, proved that the ‘90s could be just as wild as the ‘80s had been at the time.

And last but not least, the Brits showed the world how it was done with not one, but two extraordinary hypercars: a God (the McLaren F1) and a dog (the Jaguar XJ220). They also brought us the Lotus Carlton, the result of taking a boring, poor selling sedan and handing it over to those mechanical mavens at Lotus. The result was a car that was quick on the straight, slick around the bends and totally badass to look at.

So, is your favorite on this list? If not, tell us! The comments section is open and ready to serve your every need.

The Many Patterned World of Automotive Spy Shots

Spy shots are the freelance automotive photographer’s bread and butter. Like the paparazzi who snap Bruce Willis’ beer gut hanging over his Speedos or Jessica Alba stuffing herself at McDonald’s, it’s the photos the stars don’t want us to see that rake in the big bucks.

Who are these “stars”, you ask? Why, none other than the latest and greatest models from the world’s carmakers. And, like celebrities behaving badly, these are the photos the manufacturers don’t want you - or their competitors - to see.

The New York Times has an article on the supposedly new trend of covering test mules in slick, artsy vinyl. The bulky rubber bumper extensions and tape on the headlights and windows are gone, replaced with swirls, triangles, checks and other, more curious shapes rendered in black and white.

There are a few good reasons for doing this. For one, vinyl is much cheaper and more easily removed than rubber and tape, and are just as effective at disguising those little tell-tale details like headlights and grilles on pre-production mules. According to BMW designer Adrian van Hooydonk, many of these way-out patterns are created by the very designers who penned the cars underneath.
And it’s not just the mainstream manufacturers who are into this: McLaren did the same with their horridly named MP4-12C supercar, covering it in what looks like a bunch of animal scratches. So there you have it: automotive art for secrecy’s sake. What’ll they think of next? Disguising Toyotas as Aston Martins?
Oh, the Cygnet. Right...

New Audi TT GT4 Concept with 340HP comes to Life at DTM Race in Shanghai

When we saw the Ginetta G55 GT4class racecar, we were impressed. Packing a potent 370HP engine at an affordable price, it's good looking, too, even though for obvious reasons that matters a lot less in the world of motorsports. Now, Audi also wants a piece of the GT4 action. On the occasion of the DTM race in Shanghai, the German automaker presented the concept of a GT4 car based on the TT sports coupe. The Ingolstadt-based automaker has not yet released full engine specs, but it did note that the GT4 is equipped with a TFSI engine delivering about 340 hp, linked to an a S-tronic transmission with a differential lock. A modified production suspension with adjustable dampers, plus 9.5 x 18 inch light alloy wheels are also part of the racing package.

The front apron, rear apron and the rear wing are sourced from the production Audi TT RS, while the hood, doors and trunk lid are made of CFRP and the windows of plastic.

Being a racecar, the GT4 also gets a roll-cage, a safety-optimized fuel tank along with a host of other modifications.The racer will set buyers back for about €120,000 (or US $158,868, at today’s exchange rates) which is a lot more than the Ginetta’s price tag (€88,387 or US $117,016). Even so, Audi says that the TT GT4 is an affordable option for potential customers with the company not only targeting Europe but also the Asian market.