Which forgotten performance car of the 1990s would you go for?

The 90s were an AMAZING time to be a car enthusiast. Technology had FINALLY given cars the power levels they once had in the glory days of the late 60s, but they could stop and brake and get decent mileage too. SUVs and crossovers were yet to take over, so there was a huge multitude of sporty cars to choose from before most of them got axed in the late 90s. There's like 50 cars from this era that are on my bucket list!

One thing I definitely miss about the '80s and '90s was the crazy amount of low-end entry level, mid-level sports oriented cars and outright sports cars. We don't have those anymore. Everything starts at 50k now no matter what it is Back at those times there were plenty of cars that had performance oriented aspects to them that anybody could afford

Corrado VR6! If you can find one, buy it. So many sport coupes- miss that era.

I remember lusting after the Isuzu Impulse and the Galant VR4. ❤ That VR4 you showed on here was a good deal. I’d buy it! 🎉❤🎉

The NX2000 was called an NXR here in Australia and was CRAZY Popular to modify in the late 90's early 2000's. Still a ton of them around even now

I have a Galant VR4 and like Captain Kirk said, I’ll never give her up.

Also, to clarify: 3k Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 were sold in the US. 2k in '91 and 1k in '92. :) And I forgot to add photo credits for a couple photos: At 14:28 the Lotus photo is by "Ecogarf" At 14:59 the Lotus engine photo is by "Brian Snelson" At 15:54 the Lotus photo is by "nakhon100"

I love that you had a Galant VR4 in ths list! Just to clarify, they were 195hp and 203 lb/ft of torque in the US. 2000 were sold here in 1991 and 1000 in 1992. All of them were manual transmission. There are a few un-numbered cars floating around as well. Tons more were sold in Japan and other markets from 1987 onward, and some of them are coming in to the US under the 25-year import rule now, which is cool.

Those 2nd gen SHO wheels are iconic.

My dad had a turbo 87 Mitsubishi Starion back in the 90’s it was a fun car , and they are hard to find these days

ISUZU was such a terrific brand. Sad that it couldn't last in the US market 😢

Very interesting list. Among your list, I would pursue the Nissan NX. Another for the list: Chevrolet Beretta GTZ If I recall correctly, Car and Driver described it as a budget M3.

Love your vids cause they always bring back good car memories from when I was younger. My ex-gf's dad had an NX2000 he was fixing up and I thought it looked too "cute" to take seriously. One time during a vacation in San Francisco I happened across a "mini-meet" consisting of three Impulses all owned by guys in their 60s. In the mid 2000s I remember having my room mate drive me all over NorCal trying to buy a SHO and every single one we inspected was a POS. Eventually gave up my search and got an 86 CRX. Keep up the cool videos.

I worked on Isuzus from 1984 thru 1998 when the Impulse RS came out it was a cool car, but it had a severe flaw that reared its head early on which brought a halt to production. And, I and my helper found the flaw. One if the reps, American Isuzu Motors Inc. (AIMI for short) was just around the corner from us so we dealt with a lot of big wigs. Anyway, this reps Impulse blew smoke from day one, so after pulling the head and a dent in the cylinder was found, a short block was ordered. It took a while to get the block but when it arrived I started to pull the engine. Mind you it is a tight engine bay so engine and trans were pulled as one, they dropped out the bottom. Once removed it was found that the engine and trans could not be separated. The only way to separate was to cut the trans case bellhousing. This was due to the clutch being a pull type pressure plate and a rod that needed to be removed to release the throw out bearing. Had the trans been 2wd, it would have been ok. But the awd had a larger portion of trans that was in the way. So, we called AIMI and the sent over reps to see the problem , then 2 days later Japanese reps were there and ended up taking the car and engine/trans away. There you have it, why the Impulse RS was so short lived.

Fantastic video review, I love this channel, just found it, it's really really informative, fun, enjoyable super great topics, on CARS dudes, best stuff ever. Great job, keep it coming.

I owned a manual 1995 SHO about 13 years ago. Pristine condition only paid $1500 for it. The value sure has gone up! Sold it 2 years later for $2000. Biggest mistake I've ever made I absolutely loved that car.

I'd say the Ford Thunderbird supercharged V6 manuals aren't really on many people's mind. The 5.0 Mustang and Camaro existed, and the Buick GNX was also a memory stealer for it.

I just love those videos, keep up the good work and please upload more video of totally rad cars of the past .

Just found this! Awesome video!! The lotus was the only one I hadn’t heard of before. The SHO was a dream car sleeper back in the day 🤤

I had that exact red Asuna Sunfire at 18 yrs old. People used to be in awe at the “Handling by Lotus. “ Fun car. Tiny trunk. We snuck a buddy, Darren into the drive-in when those were a thing in that tiny trunk. We forgot about him and went and got popcorn. Good memories. Great vid!

My dad had a 93 SHO as his first car. He told me when I was a kid that it might be my first car someday. Unfortunately i was a very stupid kid thought it was old junk, and that I would want a new car when I started driving. He sold it to cash for clunkers after the Michigan rust took its toll. I deeply regret not convincing him to keep it, I would love that car now.

Great video and selection, I never heard of the last one. What an amazing find! For me the poison of choice was the 1992-1993 Acura integra GS-R (only 160hp) but a ton of fun to drive.

SVX!! Rare, but still reasonably available in good condition, one to buy, not complicated to work on, parts are reasonably available, and plenty of support

My first new car was a 1993 Nissan NX1600, with t-tops and a manual transmission. $9,995, right off the showroom floor. I should have kept it. It was a fun little car.

Another great video to get my nostalgia juices flowing... I'm not sure what that means I love the SHO especially the wagon that was in Car and Driver years (decades) ago, they only made one from my understanding

Love your videos man. You deserve 1 million + subscribers. As for me I would go with the subaru svx, hands down.

I know I’m years late to this video, but 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I have watched a lot of car videos, & I got to admit, I haven’t been so entertained in a while. Loved your presentation.

"I really don't like buying cars that have rust." Me sitting in Massachusetts looking at the salted roads in the winter.

I've also been on the hunt for an Impulse. They're freaking unicorns 🦄 and the RS? FORGET IT! I fell in love with that car when I was a kid and noticed the weird goofy way the turn signals worked. LOL

I was a SHO nut in the early 2000's. Drove/raced 4 of 'em. Mechanics back then HATED working on them, so I taught myself.

Ethan you were killing it here on KZfaq when you stopped making videos it really hurt your channel but KZfaq suggested this video so keep it up you'll be on Hoovies or tavarish level if you keep going im rooting for you

Cool vid! 2 omissions on the NX. Firstly the interiors were built to a high standard and were an exceptionally nice place to be. Secondly a turbo engine swap is about as easy as it can get, readily taking the SR20DET(urbo) from a range of vehicles such as the U12, W10 (my fave) and RNN14 GTiR :)

Great Video. I still have my '95 SHO MTX after 20 years of ownership. Back in high school my buddy had an SVX, both our cars red. He would always jump me off the line but the SHO pulls so hard once you're in second gear it wasn't long before that Subaru was in my rear view. I would love to own any of these at the end of the day.

Please showcase the Amazing 1978-1980 Ford Fiesta! Love that car!

I've owned a Galant VR4 (597/2000) and an Isuzu Impulse RS. I owned a 93 Sentra SE-R as well. Edit: The Impulse RS shared a motor with the Lotus Elan. The Lotus Carlton had the same transmission that the original Corvette ZR1 came with. It was needed to hold all the power and torque.

I saw an Impulse rs turbo at a junkyard here in souther California about 10 years ago, the Lotus badge caught my eye and I remember admiring its unique looks for a while. Such a unique looking car.

Ok HelloRoad!! I got a few rare sightings for ya. A few months ago I actually saw a Porsche 968 Cabriolet rollin around for the first time in like 20 years. I have also recently seen a second Gen Eagle Talon TSi if you can believe it. I thought those Talons/Elcipse had all been raced into oblivion by the import crowd. LOL I do see 2nd gen and newer Eclipse still rollin around from time to time though. But the best one has to be last year seeing someone putzing around in a first gen Plymouth Laser. I've never been a mopar fan but that was wild to see rollin around as the Daytona was the more popular one of the 2. Although I am starting to see other vintage stuff coming out of the woodworks like spotting 2 Lincoln Blackwood trucks in the last 10 months now too. Cool videos as always. Keep it up 👍👍

I owned a '93 Sentra SE-R for a few years. I loved the way it drove. Always wanted the NX though.

The Impulse RS Turbo is one the coolest cars of the era, without question. Exceptionally rare, literally haven't seen one since I was a kid.

Lotus Carlton would be the one I'd go for, its looks fantastic! I've always love the Galant VR4's but since I own multiple dsms with the same drive train no point getting one.

I'm a big fan of the more underrated performance cars of the late 80's and early 90's :) there were a ton of awesome cars that often go under the radar when thinking about this era

This is a great concept for a video.. you could probably do 10 more on the subject.

I remember test driving a new NX2000 and 1600. Cute little car that fit me well. Weird front-end styling. If you ever come across one that's local be sure to see if you fit inside. Cramped is the key word. And I still remember those old Joe Isuzu commercials where the announcer, Joe, makes these wild, outrageous and ludicrous claims about the car. Great stuff!!

My mother bought a ‘93 NX 2000 new. That was a great car. Limited slip, 7,500rpm redline, super deep rest storage and with the rear seats folded you could fit a ton of stuff in them. Great car. A magazine at the time had 6.9 listed to 60 which was incredible for a NA 4 back then. One of the major mags had a piece representing best handling cars in the world and the NX represented the best fwd car in that article and thus the “one of the best handling cars in the world” statement started.

So many cool cars on this list. Nice to see Andrew Pascarellas (from AOT) pic on here for that VR4. My Fairhaven from the list is the SHO. Another super impressive forgotten 90s performance car is the Olds Cutlass Calais 442 and the later Achieva SCX W41. They had a 2.3l 16v I4 that made 180 and later 190 horsepower, naturally aspirated, with no vvt or other tricks. This was back when the GTI 16V and Sentra SER were making 140, the Integra GSR was 170, and you had to get a Turbo DSM to get those power levels. Sure they engines were rough and unreliable but just so nuts. Same engine also went into the Beretta GTZ but I think the Olds cars are lighter and weirder. Also can't forget the Dodge Spirit RT and Daytona IROC RT which had a dohc 16v version of the Mopar 2.2 Turbo. Seriously fast cars back then.

I’ve never heard of that lotus Carlton. And I’m 44 years old. That car is absolutely amazing. They just knew how to make drivers cars back then in the 90’s.

I had an nx2000, did a vvl engine swap , all the progress suspension parts ever and wheels and I loved that car. The issue with mine became it was rusting in the pillars and near the rear shock towers. It was great.

My friend just sold their NX2000 project in late 21 I think? He'd been building it for over a decade by himself, but decided he couldn't deal with his project cars any more. It was both his younger sister's car and his friend that happened to be the original owner's car before him. Dude swapped it with the SR20DET from the Pulsar GTiR, just without the awd system, on a nistune or something. Also repainted it himself and got the last new front bumper in the US in order to clear the intercooler. That thing ripped when I rode in it, but it had it's share of overheating issues due to the stock aero, hence the aftermarket front bumper and a Cobra GT500 hood vent installed in the stock hood. Dude fought that issue for years before finding it was an obscure and simple problem after throwing the sink at it. It was... overbuilt for the most part because of that. Same goes for the tranny that could handle the power & bolt up w/o an adapter, which was a special LSD one for a Sentra anniversary edition, not an SE-R like you'd expect. He sold it to a couple teens or early 20 somethings that apparently blew it up this past summer, go figure. What a sad end to a passion project. His other project car found a good home: 96 Impala SS. He was the original owner of that thing, but blew it up a few times cause of nitrous. It had been sitting since before I met him, and before he started work on the NX2k. Thankfully he sold it to an older guy that restores cars and whatnot.

C36 AMG sounds great . Nice looking car .

As the previous owner of two 91 Impulse RS' I can attest to how much fun they were. So damn cool

I'd add the Peugeot 405 Mi16, with it's 150hp 998 cc XU10J4 16V I4. The 405 was supposed to reverse Peugeot's flagging sales in the US but sadly did not. The performance oriented Mi6 was a impressive sports sedan that was supposed to compete with BMW's E30 3 series.

Awesome videos! You should feature the Chevy Beretta GTZ, I want one of those, but I'm still happy with my base model.

I had a friend with one of those Taurus SHO back in the late 90s early 2000s and boy did that thing move...

Here's a good one, 1998 to 2000 Ford Contour SVT. Had one and loved that car. Sleeper no one ever paid any attention never a ticket. Miss that car the most of all my past cars.

For the Galant VR-4, there were a total of 3000 sold in the US for 1991-92. 2000 for 1991 and 1000 for 1992. Very fun car to have and the ultimate sleeper.

Growing up. The Lotus Carlton was one of my favorite. I ways admired that car. 😮

Lotus elan! I've seen one of the lotus omegas in person on the east coast. It's so cool! Owner had an m100 elan too!

Loved your pics. I’d have to choose the Taurus SHO realistically ($). I always liked the way they looked and manual would be my choice as well. At the time, I felt I was driving a ‘forgotten’ American sports car: a 1993 Buick Regal Gran Sport Coupe. It really was a fantastic car and one that’s on my short list of 90’s car I’d like to have back fully restored.

Cool, I like the Nissan NX and Mitsubishi 😀

My friend had a Isuzu mrk 2. Cool little hatchback with a turbo engine. That thing handled well. Also the Chrysler conquest tsi was awesome in early 90's

I had a 1996 Stillen SMX Nissan Maxima that had a manual transmission and was supercharged. It was a blast to drive!

One cool thing about the Nissan, the SR20DE engine also came in an intercooled turbo SR20DET configuration and it's pretty easy to get a hold of one for a pretty much bolt in motor swap for a nice horsepower gain.

The Geo storm was the poor man's Izusu impulse. Structurally they were the same.

Dodge Spirit RT from 1991-1993 was a sleeper performance car that was forgotten

The 1997-2003 Galant VR-4 is absolutely insane. (96 Galant E50 owner here) ;)

I really appreciate the fact that when watching one of these shows especially with these old cars that you're actually looking up prices and stuff cuz that was always a huge thing with one watching channels like this, all up and down the comment thread it would be, how much does that cost blah blah blah how much does it cost where can you find one...

I bought a band new MK2 GTI in 1991. My second MK2 and the first new car. Given my budget at the time, it was either the GTI or the CRX. The car was very nice to drive, handles better than it had any right to, but it wasn't exactly a rocket. I remember looking at the cars in this video - mostly in magazines, but sometimes in the wild - and hoping that one day I could have something like that. That day finally came in 2006.

There was only 2 ever to come in Newfoundland Canada, there is ironically 1 for sale right now, too bad it’s rotted out and has no registration, but still pretty cool to see an Impulse RS T after all these years

What about the AWD turbo Mazda 323? Always seemed like a fun car and it was used in Rally Racing.But I guess that’s actually a late 80’s car

The Impulse had Lotus tuned suspension too, great car!

Loved my 98 Grand Prix GTP, so much fun.

Never mind the galant .!! The 1991 to 1994 Subaru Legacy turbo is where it’s at

This channel is underrated! The youtuber even goes through the effort of liking many of his comments

That Isuzu Impulse looks like a mashup between a Olds Cutlass Supreme and an Olds Achieva with a shrunken wheelbase. Thats actually why I clicked on this video!

The 91-92 Dodge Spirit R/T that had a turbocharged 2.2L with a Lotus designed 24V cylinder head producing 224hp. At the time it was the fastest production sedan (iirc even cited by MotorTrend)). They were 5spd manual trans only. 91s only came in red or white. In 92 they added silver as an option. 92-95 Audi S4/96-97 S6 2.2L 20v 5cyl. Only available in manual trans and awd. Later S6 available in a wagon too! 1994-95 Audi RS2 (not sure if it counts as it’s a wagon only). A mix of Audi and Porsche craftsmanship 311hp, awd, and manual only. Not sold in the US but a potent car if you can find one. They’ve been popping up on BaT and selling for big bucks.

The last Omega was just a "regular" 3l naturaly aspirated Omega ;-) hence Omega 3000. Also rare here in Germany but not like the Lotus

Olds Cutlass Calais 442 W41. 5 speed, plenty of horsepower and really unique. Also featured in your intro.

When you showed the Isuzu Impulse, I immediately thought of the Geo Storm and the Isuzu Stylus. 😊

The problem with the Ford Taurus SHO Was with the and reliable Yamaha engine. The Achilles heel of every forward is always it's automatic transmission which is why the 1st generation didn't offer 1. Forward struggled to make an automatic transmission that could stand up to the more powerful Engine. The Nissan NX Was simply a redesigned Nissan pulsar Which was also based on the Nissan sentra platform. If you look at the side profile you could see that it's basically a more modern and rounded version. The impulse Was also sold as the Geo storm. I don't think they offered a Turbo version of the storm though? One of my favorite cars from the 1990s will always be the herenden asli unreliable and underpowered Hyundai Scoupe. It was a much sportier styled Version of the ghastly Hyundai excel. Growing up I remember seeing them all over Miami But by the time I was old enough to drive they were basically extinct. That's pretty bed considering I think they were dropped by Hyundai In 1995 and I started driving in 1996. I've seen some of them still around on KZfaq but usually zipping around 3rd world countries. How does that Happen?

Yes please, a video on how to take pictures of your car is a great idea.

Hey, I've seen that VR-4 before lol. It was parked in the garage in my way years back. I do residential garage doors, so seeing neglected cars is my thing. Bought an 07 Buick with the 3800 and 31k miles on it for 500 bucks a couple months ago. It's not fun, but it's reliable af and efficient

Hey bro love your videos. I'm spending my retirement years restoring a 1991 Dodge Spirit RT

90s were great all around. My teen and college years. I was broke as all get out but life was good. ‘93 Chrysler LeBaron 2 door with turbo.

GEO Storm was a rebadge Impulse as far as I remember. May be able to find one of those? They did not have the all wheel drive nor the turbo option on the Storm as far as I recall.

My dad had a green corrado very briefly in his mid to late 20s when I was a kid. I remember it breaking down, us having to get a battery. It breaking down again. Him driving it to his dads and leaving it there lol. He had that car for like a few months. It was always breaking.

NX2000 reminds me of that GEO Storm, I remember seeing many of those.

A friend of mine in junior high, his mother was a full on smoke show. She drove a white Impulse Turbo, it was a really cool car. It is nice to see it included. Funny story, one of the fastest cars around was an Chevy S10 SS and the Impulse smoked it.

Highly slept on decade, I view the 90s as the true golden age.

My friend had an Isuzu Impulse. It was acutely a great car. Easy to work on and fun!

I had a 91 Eagle Talon TSI back in the day! That thing was awesome! I'd like to build one now that I'm older and have some cash! haha

I remember these all over the lot dealership that was called Jack Williams West fort Worth Texas. After that it became Troy Aikman Auto Mall. I did a lot of after hours shopping there😅

First gen Mazda mx-6 has been completely forgotten by the masses but was an outstanding car.

did you get the fiat 20v coupe turbo in the states ? a real weapon, pretty reliable also, and an lsd on the front wheels

I remember as a kid seing cars that looked like that lotus butt they were opel, also another very cool car from that time that I hardly ever see anymore is the opel calibra 2.0. But in this entire video, my favorite car was actually that sentra at 5:00 😍

I had a 91 impulse rs when i lived in alaska so much fun

The isuzu imark/impulse rs turbo 4wd and the vw corrado nissan nx2000 were my favs of that era. Hard to find in any condition these days. Oh cant forget the merkur xr4ti. It had a mustang svo stablemate . Xr4ti is my fav of the era.

My neighbor and best friend sold his impulse RS, 3 yrs ago that he bought for $400 in 2012. He regrets selling it. He added a larger turbo, exhaust, boost controller and clutch and the car was a rocket that handled like a cat!

The Isuzu Impulse had some twins: the Geo Storm and the Asuna Sunfire. I owned a 1993 Asuna Sunfire. That car was fun to drive and a head turner. However, it was rusting AF and finding spare parts was a nightmare

My first car was a 93 Ford Taurus GL. Always wanted an SHO.