For me by 2000 design had started to get a little less sharp by this point. Sure an E46 is a beautiful car, but the E36 is just that little bit sharper. Or the Alfa GTV vs the Brera. 90s TVR vs 2000s etc etc. Each to their own, but pre-2000ish designs tended to be more on point. Maybe a fight to the death over the exact year car design went downhill would resolve this.
Another thing that was peak in the 90s was that speed regulations where not only softer but the plague of automated cameras still had to make their way across the roads. Now they are almost everywhere. Not to forget there was far less traffic compared to nowadays.
There is a 12 mile trip from my home where I grew up to where I went to collage in 1983. I could do it in 12 minutes in my mini pickup. It included a stretch of road where I could reach the mini's maximum 93 mph. I have a Jaguar XJ6 that can do 110 mph down that bit but the rest of the journey is plagued by 30 mph zones. Probably 20 minutes now. We've lost so much!
I won't lie, I went to Czechia last year with some mates and driving there was actually a lot of fun. I think the more fun areas to drive might be left towards Central or Eastern Europe. And trust me, I know what it's like to not have fun driving as I'm from the Netherlands, we're notorious for making not only driving less fun, but also owning a car because everything is extremely expensive here.
If I may be the first non OF comment.... I got my driving licence in the late 90s. It was peak technology for diesel, probably the point where computers had taken over the fuel system but not everything else, and safety was suddenly a priority but not to the point of annoying constant beeps. Car designers and engineers were equally empowered but the accountants hadnt taken over. VW were a powerhouse driving quality and innovation across all sectors. The emphasis of transport ministers was still on road rather than piblic transport. It was the peak of the automotive age.
I’d agree it was peak VW, they have gone down hill slowly, then diesel gate hit and been pumping out some very mediocre cars. I think back in the day, all the major manufacturers had a city car, super mini, hatch, saloon / estate and the odd SUV / sports cars, now they have dozens of platforms, models and the quality gets diluted
To be fair to transport ministers: the better public transport is, the emptier the roads will be for enthusiasts to enjoy. At least, that's how I always hope that would work. We'll never know though since public transport will likely always be shit.
James makes an excellent pitch for the 90's, but for a long time now I've said that, for me, car design peaked in the 00's. The technology could still be considered modern, safety and economy improved massively, performance made several jumps, as did reliability (although not universally) and there are some truly iconic cars and designs, of all types. You have the Rolls Royce Phantom, the L322 Range Rover, Aston Martin DB9, 1st Gen BMW Z4, Mk V Golf GTi (Still regarded as the best Golf GTi by many), the Mk II Focus and the RS and ST models, the Smart Roadster, the Renault Avantime, C6 Corvette, 5th Gen Ford Mustang and the Ford GT the Ferrari Enzo and 599, the E90 M3, the 1st gen BMW MINI Cooper S with that screaming supercharger. And let's not forget that seminal moment in motoring history; the Bugatti Veyron. And did I mention the V10s? Because I would like to talk to you about our lord and saviour; the V10 Engine... M6 V10, R8 V10 and Carrara GT V10 are all cars launched or produced in the 00's, and even the LFA (THE best sounding engine ever) had the 1st production model debuted in 2009. In fact, the 00's saw most manufacturers produce at least one iconic car for the brand.
Agreed the 90s was awesome it was the advancements from the 80s dialled up a notch styling was at its peak and then the 00s came and it was like the 90s cars we’re the fuel to one up everything. Interiors became massively better better performance and economy and some of the greatest cars ever made. My one and only gripe with 00s cars is the lectronic throttle 😢 I still daily a 98 e46 328i manual cable throttle and I love the crisp feel of it
If I had to pick a ten year period, it would be 1995-2005, most all of the cars you mentioned came out by 05. Personally, 1990 to around 2010 is perfection.
@@AmosDohms Agreed! I have a 2005 Volvo S80 powered by an inline 6 cylinder 3.0 litre naturally aspirated ICE with no rust underneath and a lovely long distance tourer. Perfect for me on my longer drives and runs on LPG to help with the cost of running a car that does 30mpg on longer drives. 😅
I do agree with that statement. Car development did really start to move in the 1960-ies, with some interesting development, but the 1990-ies was the same on steroids
You're not wrong James. Was saying exactly this to a friend the other week - early 90s to say mid 2000s was peak. Modern enough but still simple. Loads of variety. Sensible sizing including wheels. Minimal beeps and nagging.
Performance cars, in my book, peaked on early 2010s. The likes of 430 Scuderia and later the 458 Speciale, 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and later the 991 R, Murcielagos and Aventadors, they walked that fine line between analog and digital in perfect harmony. Though every once in a while I looked at EK9 Civic Type R, R34 GT-R V Spec (must be in Midnight Purple III), FD3S RX-7 Spirit R, Delta Integrale EVO and all the Group A rally homologations and I thought 'Yeah, 1990s was just right...' EDIT: Oh. Crap. Rosso Corsa Judas really did it again. I fear your 550 might one day throw you to the Pharisees, then regret it and commit seppuku. Hope things got better for red Judas.
I think crucially 2000’s cars are significantly more reliable than 90’s cars while still not being too complex, making them more useable overall and hence my winner decade. A follow up video for 2000’s cars should be on the cards!
@@AmosDohms love it but cutting out 90-95 is a big loss. Cars were getting alot heavier by 2005 with safety features and the bloating affected the styling
@@1greenMitsi For me, the best 90's cars were still in production in the back half of the decade. More importantly, how can you exclude the Carrera GT, Enzo, Ford GT, and of course the Veyron? Also the Murcie, Gallardo, and F430, and on a more common level, the C6 Corvette, 5th gen Mustang, 987 Cayman/Boxster, and 997 911.
@@AmosDohms think about what youre cutting out McLaren F1 Lambo Diablo XJ220 EB110 Porsche 964 968 BMW E30 M3 NSX R33 Cars +05 lose points in weight tech style vs 90s. Its close but no, id happily extend it to 2 decades with 05-to 10 being the fade from peak
@@1greenMitsi F1, Diablo, NSX, and R33 were all produced in 1996. Losing the EB110 and the 220 suck, but I don't think it's hard to say that the Veyron and either of the GT's make up for it.
I still love driving my 1990 Audi 90 20v. Solid, characterful, designed by engineers with integrity, built to last decades. Simple, non-invasive electronic systems where it matters; ecu/sensors for mpi fuel injection, abs controller and a functional 'autocheck' computer system (that compliments dials) for fluid levels/temps/bulbs. Love the 2.3L NA straight 5. 170hp, 1200kg, 140mph so still brisk enough but sounds glorious, loves revving out to 7k rpm and it's good for high mileage. A fundamentally mechanical car with traditional tuning from the factory that is easy to work on / designed for owner self maintenance. Also a rare model and underappreciated!
How's parts availability for the 90? I've got a B5 A4, and have been beating my head against the fact that Audi have discontinued most of the parts, and the aftermarket is completely worthless.
@@mrflippant somewhat precarious! I've been managing ok with spares like bushes, bearings and brakes from Autodoc but certain parts are unavailable such as headlamp units & trim. In those cases, I have to rely on the Audi community for used items and they're getting expensive. I know my father is struggling to get a washer reservoir bottle for his B5 A4. Audi don't seem to want to know about their legacy customers.
I have to agree, IMO almost every manufacturer had a truly iconic vehicle at the time i.e. McLaren F1, Lamborghini Diablo, Porsche 911 GT1, Dodge Viper GTS, Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, Ferrari F355, Honda NSX, Nissan R32 GTR, and so many more.
All high end cars mentioned by you. I would take a 2nd gen affordable Toyota MR2 turbo, a mid engine pocket rocket with great road holding especially on twisting roads.
@@doommonger7784 I grew up with a father who owned a 1st gen Viper from 95-2015. So my perspective growing up was the big boys were all that mattered, though my first car I bought myself was a 94 Z-28 which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also think 1st and 2nd gen MR-2's are very cool cars.
I would say late 90s to the late 2000s was the peak era for cars (99-09). They were fun to drive whilst being easy to work on, styling was clean and nice on the eye. No silly tech, no stuck on screens and no complicated systems. A car to be determined as a 90s car needs to be released in the 90s regardless if it ran into the 00s for sometime. As an owner of an Honda S2000 myself, cars like these were peak motoring and hence why you won’t see one like this again, they are brilliant even today. Cars of this era was made with no limits or budgets, they were made by drivers for drivers. Great video.
It was. I think you could say that it spills in to the early 2000s too, probably started to go downhill at around 2004 when cars started to get bigger, electric steering came in etc
Totally agree that each manufacturer had distinctive look not only from others but from within. Nowdays one cannot tell between a C E and a S class Mercedez at a glance without checking the badge.
To be honest, I have a hard time telling most of the Sacco sedans apart, and the generations before that as well. Mercedes generally does hold a very homogenous styling department across their line historically. Probably too much, in my book.
yeah you picked a bad example given that Mercedes back in the 80s and 90s had very similar looking cars. a W140 S class and a 90s W124 merc look way too similar, while the 500SEL and a W123 have too many similarities
Outside of the performance domain, there were some great sedans. Sacco's iconic W140. LS 400 which altered expectations of build quality and had then unheard of durability. The 5-series from the 90s is to me one of the best looking sedans ever. In pickups, the F-150 was a handsome and capable rig and people still love the style. There's one with 257K miles listed near me now for 19 grand (US). Totally agree with James on the XK - showstopper in comparison to what we had thought of as "Jag" here in the US. It was a car that people really noticed and people didn't think you were an 800,000 year old retiree. Chrysler and its stable twins got a new lease on life following an abysmal 80s lineup, although the talking Chryslers with digital dashes in the 80s will always be nostalgic for me. While the cars are not problem free in terms of, well, engineering, the cab forward design is now copied in things like the ES Lexus and CLS, although in some applications the interior is still small unlike the inspiration. The CLS front end was a dead copy of the Chrysler LHS. I remember thinking Chrysler had updated their sedans the first time I glimpsed a picture of the 06 CLS in a magazine. Then one day I parked my end of the line LHS next to a brand new 2006 CLS and saw just how much they cribbed. Car seats often were comfort oriented. I miss some of the softer suspensions from US cars in the 90s and early 2000s especially living in a city where the roads can be like the third world in places. I still don't think a giant, heavy quasi-off-roader should be set up to ride and accelerate like a sports car. Great trip down memory lane.
Completely agree! Power steering was still hydraulic, downsizing was still just a bad dream, and many brands still had their character. Much nicer than today's ugh offerings.... Those really don't get me excited- at all. Also, rust had ceased to be the number one cause of death for cars, as it still was in the 80s.
@@cammyd7514I agree ,it is 60s the cars are sexy to look at , no computers or tech, in 60s America street racing was huge and card were built for Drag and Street Racing aimed at young men, and also The Supercar was born.
The 60s were such a decade of rapid advancement. Comparing a car from 1960 in 1969 is already worlds apart. Performance, driving dynamics, styling and all sorts of other things made these cars so much better than their predecessors. Also introduced some of the most iconic cars of all time such as the 911, Miura, E type, all the muscle cars, 240z and whatnot.
Here in the U.S. my opinion is that the Late 80s through late 90s is peak. The Japanese manufacturers earned a reputation for solid reliability through the 80s that forced the big 3 to follow suit. We went from 100k miles being a death sentence to being just another point of scheduled maintenance. Fuel injection had reached a point of having the least amount of components and it just works for years and is easy to repair when needed. As for “features” we got most of what we needed standard without all of the screens and integrated modules. The intersection of technology, emissions standards and crash standards were at a place where cars were relatively safe, somewhat lightweight and things like low tension rings, and cylinder deactivation, that lead to oil consumption, were not required to eek out every drop of mpg. Paint and prep were to a point where most cars weren’t rusting out within a few years. We personally daily drive 2 99 Hondas, both coming up on 300k. This is 100% by choice. Not necessity. I also have an S13 that I love for its simplicity, looks, and perfect size for me.
Other 90s classics include the Aston Martin DB7 and the Alfa Romeo 156 and GTV & Spider! The DB9 is one of my all-time favourite fantasy cars and Clarkson himself said it was one of the most gorgeous things mankind has ever made. The 156 was European Car of the Year in 1998 with clean stylish crisp Italian lines which also consigned the charming but boxy 164 to the sidelines. Clarkson himself made a piece for TopGear about how the GTV was, despite being flawed in so many ways, the coupe of the time that always made him turn back and look at it…
90s is where it’s at for me. Not just with cars, but, with movies, music, everything. It really was the best decade for me. Back to the cars though. I drive a2000 Lexus LX470 which made its debut in 1998. I love that car. It’s properly 90s luxury at its finest. Old enough to be easy to maintain but new enough to somewhat efficient. As it’s based on a Land Cruiser and I live in a rural part of Australia, it really is just the best of everything for us. Great video. Need to see more like this
My 2000 Lexus LS400 was the best and quietest car I have ever owned . I sold it on a while back when I moved abroad. It was a wonderful to drive V8 and totally reliable and quick too for its day with 290 bhp.. I kept in touch with the new owner; it's still on the road (2024) and it passed its last M.O.T. test without any advisories. Its at 220,000 miles now and still has original autobox. Got to hand it to Lexus. Topped the reliabilty ratings in those days for a reason.
You’ve hit it right on the head! No vehicles have made me feel WOW for years, everything is similar or copied by everybody else. The 90’s set the stage of excellence in design and desirability but at some point they lost it and all that’s left are manufacturers copying everybody else.
I'm 28 and I've gotta say I'm recently finding myself getting stuck around the 2000s and 2010s for my preferences. Just like you said, I think a lot of it's because they're my formative car years. But there is also some actual reasoning to it, because I do like cool, modern stuff, cars included. Especially the 2010s were still modern and sleek and techy, but hadn't gotten toooo lost in the sauce of modernity like we're starting to do in the 2020s. 2010s/some 2000s cars are what I see as 'Just modern *enough*' (Favourite cars being the original 4.2 R8 and the prefacelift (and preparticulate filter...) v8 F Types)
90s - they got emission controls sorted so power levels started to shoot up. This was matched with major improvements in affordable tyres. Most manufacturers seemed to get the knack of making cars that had a modicum of handling.
I think it depends a lot on your age, when you first become interested in cars, so for me it's 70s cars, Aston Vantage, Countach, Ferrari BB, Stratos, Pantera, Esprit etc. Plus the more mundane Allegro, Dolomite, SD1 etc which always bring a smile to my face when I see them now, not least coz I can't believe they're still going!!! 😂
I changed the exhaust on my MR2 to a huge 3.5 inch dual exit exhaust and also fitted a sportscat that allowed greater airflow. I also fitted a K+N cone air filter which was a much less restrictive air filter. The ecu was pretty rudimentary so it would feed as much fuel as the oxygen sensor said could be burnt. As a result after a hard drive and once the exhaust was hot on the overrun my MR2 would spit fire out the exhaust. I used to get about 19mpg average. I eventually had to take off the K+N because the only way to pass the MOT at the garage the mechanic said was to take off the K+N and stuff towels into it to limit airflow. I had noticed low end torque had been affected so I relented and put the original airbox back on. The sound from the K+N 54i was epic and I missed it the entire rest of the time I owned the car. It made it have such a throaty roar from 5000rpm to redline at 7250. SW20 MR2 MK2 rev3 == Best car. Luv and Peace.
Styling is in the eye of the beholder, but your points about the variety of cars and the sweet spot between reliability improving and regulations not yet being too restrictive are strong. On the variety point, manufacturers at the time still had the confidence to differentiate themselves, now they ape each other so much.
Yeah, sorry James but as someone nearing 60 year of age who used to think the 80’s were boss wrt car design, I have changed my mind and now believe that there isn’t a definite decade which takes the crown. For the simple fact that they all have some absolute gems but also some real munters. Far too many of either end of the range to mention but you know what I mean. Fab video. 👍
Fully agree. The 90s ruled. I had quite a few of the cars mentioned during the '90s (Mk.3 Supra, Mk.4 Supra, Boxster, E36 325i, E34 M5, E39 535i, Nissan 300ZX (z32), Subaru, E32 730i, 735i, 750i, Celica GT4, Senator 24v, W210 E-class). I really lost my damn mind and loved every minute of it.
I learned my job as a mechanic in the 90s at an Opel dealer. It was a great time! We had Omega Evolution, Irmscher Senator 4.0 24V, Kadett/Astra GSi 16V and of course the Calibra Turbo and V6! You also have to consider the relatively cheap petrol/gas prices back then. Fuel economy wasn't as important as today and so i drove a BMW 325i E30, which did about 20mpg (UK), and it was fine.
Totally agree. Always thought it is because I was in my 20s then. But I think the point is, that cars in these days had enough power but weighed much less then todays. I mean my Opel Kadett 16V had 150 PS at 1030 kg, the Calibra turbo was 204 PS at 1350 kg (awd included). I own a 2004 996.2 GT3 Clubsport which is so much fun to drive, even when you are only cruising around. The lightness of cars is totally lost and so is the connection to the driver. My daily car is from 2011 and I have no intention in switching to something new.
What liked about the 90s was the Venturi 400GT and 300, Lotus, esprit v8, Lister Storm, Marcos Mantis GT, TVR Cerbera and Griffin 500, Helem V6 Renault spider, Maserati Shamal and ghibli, ,Mazfa RX7, Honda NSX, Mishubishi Lancer evo, Bentley continental T and R, Tommy Kairi ZZII, Aston Martin Vantage and DB7, Jaguar XKR, Caterham 21 Nissan 300ZX and skyline R33, Ferrari F355, Porsche 911 GT2, Gillet Vertigo, Ford Mustang Saleen SR widebody
Wonderful video. Thank you so much for including the C5 Corvette. Not many people consider it. I would have included the Miata (rejuvenated the sports car and went on to put a smile on a million faces). And yes, I know the Miata was introduced in 1989. Haha.
While I was born in the early 90's, I "grew up" in the 2000's. So, as far as cars go, as a whole, that's the decade I sit best with, but I can't deny for a second that the 90's were a brilliant time for enthusiasts. JDM alone was never before, nor since been as desired as it was in the 90's, and I'm firmly in that camp, as well.
As a child of the 90s, (ok born late 80s) I would definitely agree. 90s cars are generally modern enough to be comfortable, quick, easy to drive and live with but came before cars started ballooning in size, weight and complexity. Although I also love the 2000s for its engine arms race with ever more crazy V8s and V10s appearing in otherwise very everyday cars. Both great eras.
One of your best videos ever Jay . I couldn’t agree more. But your language left a lot to be desired I’m afraid, you forgot to mention the C word Cosworth ❤
This bloke has literally 10s of 000s times more car knowledge than I do so I'm sure he has a point. Definitely some very pretty and underrated models from the 90s. I'm a bit of a sucker for earlier cars looks-wise at least, I think 30s or 50s would be my favourite decade for looks. But in terms of balancing authenticity, looks, performance, accessibility, all-round class, he could well be right about the 90s.
Well Jay, there must be something in this! I've my perfect 90s 2 car garage, and I love them, '99 E36 Touring in Meer Green and a 996 C2! You're welcome to drive them anytime to keep the nostalgia going
Great video James! As a somewhat biased Chimaera 450 owner, I couldn't agree more. I grew-up with 70s and 80s hot hatches as the aspirational set of cars (I'm 46) and loved my mk1 and mk2 GTIs but the VR6 Corrado absolutely rocked my world and led me down a path of big engined 90s coupes I've struggled to move on from. Keep up the great work
To me it's late 70's to the mid 80's for me and no I wasn't raised in that Era I was born in 2000. My family has cars like the Z31 preludes crx's and even a pinto. To me that Era of cars has the perfect blend of simplicity, build quality, and easy mantinance that later cars lost with all the electronics and tech that got added. The car I use everyday has really sealed the deal for me my 1981 Toyota Celica with over 500k miles on the original from 81 internals I've owned the car since 2014 and have been using it as a daily since 2018 yes its slow but it starts everyday gets 40 mpg and is more fun to drive then a miata not mention 400lbs lighter then one as well.
As long as you’re happy to play fast and loose with the start dates and include cars launched in the 80’s and still available in the 90’s I’m with you. I could cut from 85-95 if preferred!
Yes. When I think about it, you are totally right. Styling-wise I would go for the 60ties or 70ties, but for the complete package it was the 90ties. Maybe that's why I drive a '98 CLK...
I think the sweetest thing about 90s cars, for me, was that not everything was forced induction to get its power. A lot of companies exterimented with valve train tech and threw gobs of revs at it to make the car a good EXPERIENCE rather than getting super anal about power numbers and efficiency.
I passed as a 17 year old in 1990 and collected 6 points in my first 6 weeks of driving! 😄 After that I learned to use my mirrors and be more aware of my surroundings! Ironically, despite owning several hot hatches and sports coupé/saloons through the 90’s and 2000’s, I only ever got points on my licence whilst driving either my mum’s car or a works van! I miss the days before speed cameras every 400 yards….
I agree with you James - (some) cars took a step up in the 90’s. From my car history point of view- the Honda CRX got VTEC, making a great little affordable car even better. At the other end of the spectrum, Honda made the NSX in aluminium in the 90’s, and made it better in 97 with the C32B engine, and even better in late 99 with better ABS. That’s why my NSX iis a Type S from December 1999.
I've fell in love with 90's cars', I really struggle to shake that obssession to such a point where I struggle to even consider cars outside of this era
Fully agree, I drive a Porsche 993 and 968, although both are continuations of eighties cars, they are peak ninties with all the drawbacks, but also all the (many) positives
I’ve lived in 6 decades and the 90s was best for pretty much everything, not just cars…..music, movies, culture, attitudes, ladies, err, fashions…..take me back please.
Everything in the 90s was amazing. Music, film, cars you name it. Must have been something in the drinking water or something coming through the hole in the ozone layer.
I was a teenager in the 80s, so 80’s music is the best genre and there are many 80s cars I lust after, however By the 1990s corrosion resistance had improved significantly whilst heavy use of electronics was mercifully limited. Driver ‘aids’ were limited to, if you were lucky, abs. The driving experience was still an involved and visceral analogue experience. The roads were also mercifully free of cameras and the roads much less congested than today. So I would agree The 90s was a great decade for cars, and for driving.
I absolutely agree that the 1990s was the best decade for cars. You've definitely listed a lot of motoring icons back in the 1990s, but I think there was one glaring omission: the Mercedes-Benz W140 S-class - particularly, the 600SEL, S600 and CL600 - the V12 variants. I was a teenager in the 1990s. Before my teenage years, my dream car was a W126 S-class, but when the W140 was released, while I still had an affinity for the W126 (and the W116, as I had my first experience in a Benz in a W116), the W140 boasted many more electronic wizardry, double glazed windows, far larger and more spacious interior, and generally also a much more solid feel than even the W126. And then I heard the V12 engine start-up, and I was hooked. To me, the W140 represents Mercedes-Benz at its peak. They were THE luxury car of the 1990s. Meanwhile, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit/Silver Spur was riding on a platform that dates back to the Silver Shadow, and while the E38 was a competent luxury car, it never had the presence, or the brand cachet of a W140 S-class, and from many of the reviews I've read, it didn't have as comfortable a ride as the S-class either.
Fair statement. My interest in cars is mostly based on desingn so I'm a fan of the 60's. As you mentioned are a lot of the car lines in the 90's based on older fluid forms combined with strait and simple lines. I got a 90's mini so that fits the bill. Interesting video! Sorry to hear the 599 broke down.
Geography plays a part as much as the era we grew up in. Being in America, it took until 2001 for us to get the Subaru WRX, and 2003/2004 for the STi and Evo battle to reach our shores. A bit late to that party, though other aspects were changing on this side of the pond. Our normal midsized cars went into a power war when Nissan threw in the VQ35 engine into the Nissan Altima (240hp was a lot for a normal family sedan, when most everything else in the class was barely tickling 200hp). That battle spawned the 3.5L Toyota V6 for the Evora, after all. American companies also started to care about something called "handling" around this time, going to the Nurburgring for testing, Chrysler brought us the RWD Hemi platform that has spanned to the modern day, GM tried to tackle the Miata along with reviving the GTO (which flopped and eventually ended up bringing the Camaro back). Indeed, the '90's had a few cool things here in America, but not as much as Europe. At the most, America in the '90's had the Viper, love/hate Plymouth Prowler (lot of aluminum and a rear transaxle in often overlooked for "not a V8"), the ZR1 Corvette, Shelby Series 1, Ford played with DOHC modular V8's (Mustang Cobra and Lincoln Mark VIII and lesser extent FWD Lincoln Continental), and some oddballs like the Panoz AIV Roadster and Esperante (which also used that V8). But the '90's simply never quite hit the spot for the every-day hero cars as much as "the naughties." There were a few Japanese sport compacts, but never seemingly as interesting or compelling as what followed a generation or two later. With that said, the mid-90's flowed well into the mid-2000's, as the TT and Golf received the 3.2L, DSG set a new precedent, and airbags started to shrink to be much less of a diaper in the middle of the steering wheel. The 2ZZ-GE of the last generation Celica lived on from 1999 into the later naughties, including the Elise of course. The MR2 Spyder was also a barely 1990's product. While AMG existed in the '90's, it really seemed to proliferate in America into the early 2000's when the supercharged E55 came to be, but that era also brought far more nannies, even if not to todays ridiculous amounts. What the '90's did was set us up for a new era of greatness, with better turbos, ECU's, and variable valve timing technologies to make our cars much more flexible for the following decade.
I love 90's cars. Have you ever had a Peugeot 406 coupe to drive? I used to have one. Yes it had all the Peugeot problems but it was designed by Pininfarina and I still think to this day, one of the best looking coupes ever made.
I agree with everything you said, but how could you forget TVR? Some of the most raw, aggressive, and pure drivers cars ever made, and some lovely examples came from the 90’s.
My money no object dream cars are from the 90s, Ferrari F50, Mercedes CLK-GTR and McLaren F1. Been fortunate enough to see the latter two in person. Then there's the more original stuff like the delta integrale, sierra/escort cosworth, Impreza 22B. All worth a considerable sum now
Would you rather just feel lucky to have seen a few exotics or to actually own a few good and entertaining cars. The hypercars bore me. Sure, they put up impressive numbers, but in the real world where 99.9% of us live they simply don't exist. It's taken me a long time, I'm 77, but my little collection consists of a '16 Mazda MX-5/Miata, a '16 Jaguar F-Type 3.0S 6mt Coupe, and an '06 Jaguar XJ8 VDP LWB. Each appeals to different needs/wants, they are all pretty good to look at, at least for me.
@@3ducs don't get me wrong I've had a few fun cars over the years and two mx5s like yourself, an NB and a ND2 which I currently have now. But these 90s hypercars (postercars whatever you want to call them) are what excited me as a young petrolhead, and given how heavy and safe new cars are now with all the regulations and emissions they have to comply with, I dont think we'll ever see those kinds of cars again. Like I said originally, it's the fact that they're worth so much money and are extremely rare, it is special to see such a car. Hence the term dream car
@@richboy900 I was forgetting what curled my toes back when I was young. Those were different times back in the early '60s, the cars were simpler but still well out of reach for a kid with a paper route and lawn mowing money. They were inspirational though. My first car, back in 1967, was a 1964 101 Series Alfa Sprint Normale 1600.
I personally think that, the 60s gave us iconic literal pieces of art on wheels, in the form of the Miura, 250 GTO, E-Type, 911, GT40, Mustang, C2 Corvette, 2000GT and so on; the 90s on the other hand, gave us cars that are incredibly close to our hearts (well, close to mine anyway), apart from having the performance to match the beautiful looks. If I had to make a list of my top 20 favourite cars of all time, I'm very confident that close to half would be 90s cars. And while I agree the 00s also gave us equally stunning cars that were even objectively better, they somehow don't have that sense of mystic that makes the 90s cars stand out. It's that layer of extra that you can't count or explain on paper that does it for me.
Absolutely right. The variety of engines, good power but not ridiculous, unusable amounts, no touchscreens, minimal electronics, and best of all, minimal to no electronic nannies. Only traction control which could easily be switched off. So you had to have driving skill to drive the cars properly. Cars were analog and had character. Not just in how they looked but in how they sounded and drove. And the sizes were correct. Not all these huge, overweight cars of today, which you couldn't tell what marque they were if you didn't see their badge, and are nothing more than smartphones on wheels. Those were the days...
My two cars are Volvo 940 wagons, a NA for daily work car and an inter-cooled turbo model for my fun weekend car. Not exiting but fun, insanely reliable, all the modern technology and drivability you need with none of the overcomplicated unreliable trendy nonsense of todays cars that you don’t need. My best friend has a car collection, but his two favorite drivers are a 91 Fleetwood Coupe, and a ‘96 Brougham sedan (the last of the big V8 rear drive Cadillacs). Same plus points as my 90s Volvos. I had a couple of Boxsters for years, brilliant cars…I could go on, but the short version of this statement is: I have to agree with you! 😉
As someone born in the 1960s and therefor rather older than James, the sweet spot for me is the early noughties when Ford owned Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.
I would have to say early 90's, we had moved from the strange to slightly strange and weird, new designs coming out every 6 months. Each manufacturer trying to out-do the other, in terms of how different they could go. Much better than the 00's when cars seemed to just follow the then trend of headlights, tail-lights, bumpers and wheel arches. In the 90's at night you could be driving and know exactly what the car was behind by the headlight shape.
I definitely lean towards the 80's as peak car because of the simplicity and lightness, but I'll admit that 90's is probably the best mix if you want to daily drive and value things like safety, creature comforts and at least reasonable amounts of power.
The Honda Integra DC2 which I picked up in the late 90s and drove for 18 years/195k miles will go down as my all time favourite ... light weight, revvy engine, fantastic steering and chassis. The right amount of go for the road without attracting (too) much attention!
The whole decade was a great time for cars in South Africa (where I grew up).. Opel released the Kadett GSi Super Boss, Kadett and Astra 200TS, BMW released the 325is and we got the German Spec E36 M3, Nissan released the Sentra STi and Sabre GXi, Toyota released the Conquest RSi and Corolla RXi...so many great cars that now fetch a heavy price to collectors... Nothing too exotic, but all working class hero`s...
I drive a 2001 SLK 320 the most Modern car I've ever had was TT 1.8T 05 plate, and love the simplicity of late 90's/00's cars, they still feel analogue but every day usable, it's how 80's cars felt in the early 00's. Tactile & fun not over saturated with tech! Pick up a 00's car now is the next up on the block for being a classic invest.
There is a lot of good nostalgia here :-D I passed my drivers licence also at the end of 90's, I have started on cars from 60/70's because they were the cheap "classics" i could afford that time, first a Ford Cortina, then MGB GT , i had lot of fun fixing up and driving them. I considered 90's cars too modern that time or i how to put it, too muted, to many nannies, electronic stuff already.. But as time is passing by, i am realizing my dream cars today are somehow the 90's ones. And i feel they are the last era of the very advanced, but still very mechanical drivers cars. So, today i drive a 99 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI and i think it is absolutely one of the best cars of the era from pure handling point of view. Maybe i am lucky, i havent had money to buy one in the year 1999 with my fresh driving license, i am sure i would have killed myself in it back that time :) I used to have a 996 Carrera 2 for nearly 8 years, but sold it as it gave me oportunity to buy a 911 Carrera 3.2 , a pure 80's car with no nannies, no power steering and proper aircooled flat six sound. I thought i keep the 996 forever, but once the old Porsche came home, i never fancied driving the late 90's water cooled Porsche since. And my third car is a Lotus Elan. And thats pure 60's. So, i am kind of thinking that it is not so simple answer to say which period is the best one, where is the peak. Unfortunately the peak is certainly not today with the electric cars :(
Early NCAP transformed safety in the early 2000s so even cheaper cars were safe and substantial, and aircon became normal, yet selling prices were still keen.
60's. E Type, Aston's DB's, the unusual supercars like the Monteverdi, De Tomaso, Gordon Keeble, the Jensens, American muscle like the Mustang and Dodge Charger and the GT40, the Lambo's like the Muira. At the lower end the Lotus Cortina's and the development of the family car from the 50's bringing unibody tech. 60's was a great mix of the eccentric and the advancement of tech and build techniques.
The difference for me is that normal cars from the 90's and 2000's are still very usable, normal cars from the 60's are practically non-existent, and even if they were still around, they aren't much good.
@@AmosDohms The change in everyday family motoring from 50's to 60's was massive and 60's diversity was also massive from the small niche companies to the internationals. The 90's cars remain due to rustproofing advances and not necessarily their quality.
I have agree with you 90s and ealry 00s was an automotive peak. I've driven a fair few high end new cars recently and a couple of months back I borrowed a 97 Rover 214Si you forget how good even simple cheap cars were. The steering was full of feel and feedback it small but usefully big inside a nippy and rev happy twin can 4 cylinder it that such a palette cleanser. Not long after I drove a e36 I was smiling and giggling the whole time not much from the present time can achieve that.
@courier955 lol...the flash backs were so terrible I wrote the wrong date...but while caught up in traffic every day it felt like over a hundred years worth of driving.
Love 90's cars! Born in the early 80's I grew up with 90's cars of course. My daily is a '99 A6 C5 Avant and I have a '99 Y Elefantino Rosso for fun. Great steps were made in car design during the 90's. If you for instance compare an Alfa 75 (outgoing in the early 90's) and 156 they are worlds apart in design, safety, particality and loads of other things. Not that I prefer one over the other (love them both), but I'd gladly still use a 156 as a daily with a small family. Certainly not a 75.
You make a good case for the 90’s and as an all round good car decade, things were getting more reliable, safer and faster, but without a lot of the electronic driver aids. I think the 60s and 70s had some really ‘out there’ designs which slaughtered the 90s, but were far more fragile. The 80’s was largely about rubber bumpers on rehashed 70s designs, but a few really amazing cars also came out of the woodwork too.
As pointed out by James, I believe that the late 80's spawned what was to be honed and improved upon in the 90's (affordable performance from hot-hatchery, for example), but I certainly cut my petrolhead teeth throughout the 90's. Great car magazines pre-internet back then!
Late 90s/Early 2000s was peak cars. The safety, design, comfort and technology balance was best.
Agreed it's the peak of mechanically engineered analogue cars supplemented and not dominated by digital technology.
I’m currently sat in one 👌
Also some cars in the Mid 2000’s too, but not nearly as many compared to before then though.
Driving a 1995 Peugeot 405 Quasar as my daily driver 55 mpg
Wet belt? DPF? Catalyst? Engine Management Problems? Er no actually
For me by 2000 design had started to get a little less sharp by this point. Sure an E46 is a beautiful car, but the E36 is just that little bit sharper. Or the Alfa GTV vs the Brera. 90s TVR vs 2000s etc etc. Each to their own, but pre-2000ish designs tended to be more on point. Maybe a fight to the death over the exact year car design went downhill would resolve this.
Another thing that was peak in the 90s was that speed regulations where not only softer but the plague of automated cameras still had to make their way across the roads. Now they are almost everywhere.
Not to forget there was far less traffic compared to nowadays.
Certainly true, the autoroute in France used to be like the wild west!
@@JayEmmOnCars The back roads in France and in Switzerland still are, the locals know where they can speed and they do, massively
There is a 12 mile trip from my home where I grew up to where I went to collage in 1983. I could do it in 12 minutes in my mini pickup. It included a stretch of road where I could reach the mini's maximum 93 mph. I have a Jaguar XJ6 that can do 110 mph down that bit but the rest of the journey is plagued by 30 mph zones. Probably 20 minutes now. We've lost so much!
Far fewer people. Where did all these people come from, over seas?
I won't lie, I went to Czechia last year with some mates and driving there was actually a lot of fun.
I think the more fun areas to drive might be left towards Central or Eastern Europe.
And trust me, I know what it's like to not have fun driving as I'm from the Netherlands, we're notorious for making not only driving less fun, but also owning a car because everything is extremely expensive here.
If I may be the first non OF comment.... I got my driving licence in the late 90s. It was peak technology for diesel, probably the point where computers had taken over the fuel system but not everything else, and safety was suddenly a priority but not to the point of annoying constant beeps. Car designers and engineers were equally empowered but the accountants hadnt taken over. VW were a powerhouse driving quality and innovation across all sectors. The emphasis of transport ministers was still on road rather than piblic transport. It was the peak of the automotive age.
I’d agree it was peak VW, they have gone down hill slowly, then diesel gate hit and been pumping out some very mediocre cars. I think back in the day, all the major manufacturers had a city car, super mini, hatch, saloon / estate and the odd SUV / sports cars, now they have dozens of platforms, models and the quality gets diluted
Non- only fans comment?
@@S1E2SportQuattro Yeah they are all deleted now but the first load of comments were spam.
To be fair to transport ministers: the better public transport is, the emptier the roads will be for enthusiasts to enjoy. At least, that's how I always hope that would work. We'll never know though since public transport will likely always be shit.
James makes an excellent pitch for the 90's, but for a long time now I've said that, for me, car design peaked in the 00's. The technology could still be considered modern, safety and economy improved massively, performance made several jumps, as did reliability (although not universally) and there are some truly iconic cars and designs, of all types.
You have the Rolls Royce Phantom, the L322 Range Rover, Aston Martin DB9, 1st Gen BMW Z4, Mk V Golf GTi (Still regarded as the best Golf GTi by many), the Mk II Focus and the RS and ST models, the Smart Roadster, the Renault Avantime, C6 Corvette, 5th Gen Ford Mustang and the Ford GT the Ferrari Enzo and 599, the E90 M3, the 1st gen BMW MINI Cooper S with that screaming supercharger.
And let's not forget that seminal moment in motoring history; the Bugatti Veyron.
And did I mention the V10s? Because I would like to talk to you about our lord and saviour; the V10 Engine... M6 V10, R8 V10 and Carrara GT V10 are all cars launched or produced in the 00's, and even the LFA (THE best sounding engine ever) had the 1st production model debuted in 2009.
In fact, the 00's saw most manufacturers produce at least one iconic car for the brand.
Agreed the 90s was awesome it was the advancements from the 80s dialled up a notch styling was at its peak and then the 00s came and it was like the 90s cars we’re the fuel to one up everything. Interiors became massively better better performance and economy and some of the greatest cars ever made. My one and only gripe with 00s cars is the lectronic throttle 😢 I still daily a 98 e46 328i manual cable throttle and I love the crisp feel of it
If I had to pick a ten year period, it would be 1995-2005, most all of the cars you mentioned came out by 05. Personally, 1990 to around 2010 is perfection.
@@AmosDohms Agreed! I have a 2005 Volvo S80 powered by an inline 6 cylinder 3.0 litre naturally aspirated ICE with no rust underneath and a lovely long distance tourer. Perfect for me on my longer drives and runs on LPG to help with the cost of running a car that does 30mpg on longer drives. 😅
@@AmosDohms I agree, 100%
The 90s had the Ferrari F50 and the MCLAREN F1 none of the ones you mentioned sound better than these or were more capable on track.
90’s 100% for me, 993 turbo, 968cs, E36 M3, E39 M5, delta Integrale, Subaru WRX, the list just goes on and on
you are limited to 'the syndrome of teenager's room' in your car perception....
The decade also gave us the MK1 Focus, the Mondeo, Audi A4, E36/E46 - so many brilliant regular cars
@@TheKenjoje it was my era, I could of easily named 15 more
@@ianmitchell9102 the Delta was an 80s car, and the 993 and 968 were just reskins of much older cars.
@@richardharrold9736ok 🤔
60s and 90s were truly revolutionary.
Nice
I do agree with that statement.
Car development did really start to move in the 1960-ies, with some interesting development, but the 1990-ies was the same on steroids
Agreed
You're not wrong James. Was saying exactly this to a friend the other week - early 90s to say mid 2000s was peak. Modern enough but still simple. Loads of variety. Sensible sizing including wheels. Minimal beeps and nagging.
Agreed. It all went to pot after the credit crunch.
Performance cars, in my book, peaked on early 2010s. The likes of 430 Scuderia and later the 458 Speciale, 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and later the 991 R, Murcielagos and Aventadors, they walked that fine line between analog and digital in perfect harmony.
Though every once in a while I looked at EK9 Civic Type R, R34 GT-R V Spec (must be in Midnight Purple III), FD3S RX-7 Spirit R, Delta Integrale EVO and all the Group A rally homologations and I thought 'Yeah, 1990s was just right...'
EDIT: Oh. Crap. Rosso Corsa Judas really did it again. I fear your 550 might one day throw you to the Pharisees, then regret it and commit seppuku. Hope things got better for red Judas.
I think crucially 2000’s cars are significantly more reliable than 90’s cars while still not being too complex, making them more useable overall and hence my winner decade.
A follow up video for 2000’s cars should be on the cards!
1995 to 2005 is probably the best 10 year period.
@@AmosDohms love it but cutting out 90-95 is a big loss. Cars were getting alot heavier by 2005 with safety features and the bloating affected the styling
@@1greenMitsi For me, the best 90's cars were still in production in the back half of the decade. More importantly, how can you exclude the Carrera GT, Enzo, Ford GT, and of course the Veyron? Also the Murcie, Gallardo, and F430, and on a more common level, the C6 Corvette, 5th gen Mustang, 987 Cayman/Boxster, and 997 911.
@@AmosDohms think about what youre cutting out
McLaren F1
Lambo Diablo
XJ220
EB110
Porsche 964 968
BMW E30 M3
NSX
R33
Cars +05 lose points in weight tech style vs 90s. Its close but no, id happily extend it to 2 decades with 05-to 10 being the fade from peak
@@1greenMitsi F1, Diablo, NSX, and R33 were all produced in 1996. Losing the EB110 and the 220 suck, but I don't think it's hard to say that the Veyron and either of the GT's make up for it.
I still love driving my 1990 Audi 90 20v.
Solid, characterful, designed by engineers with integrity, built to last decades.
Simple, non-invasive electronic systems where it matters; ecu/sensors for mpi fuel injection, abs controller and a functional 'autocheck' computer system (that compliments dials) for fluid levels/temps/bulbs.
Love the 2.3L NA straight 5. 170hp, 1200kg, 140mph so still brisk enough but sounds glorious, loves revving out to 7k rpm and it's good for high mileage. A fundamentally mechanical car with traditional tuning from the factory that is easy to work on / designed for owner self maintenance.
Also a rare model and underappreciated!
How's parts availability for the 90? I've got a B5 A4, and have been beating my head against the fact that Audi have discontinued most of the parts, and the aftermarket is completely worthless.
@@mrflippant somewhat precarious! I've been managing ok with spares like bushes, bearings and brakes from Autodoc but certain parts are unavailable such as headlamp units & trim. In those cases, I have to rely on the Audi community for used items and they're getting expensive. I know my father is struggling to get a washer reservoir bottle for his B5 A4. Audi don't seem to want to know about their legacy customers.
90s was the best time, period.
civilization peak. Then came 9/11 social media and HR departments
I don't remember much of it as I was off my tits most of the time.
@@1greenMitsi You are wrong on every level
I have to agree, IMO almost every manufacturer had a truly iconic vehicle at the time i.e. McLaren F1, Lamborghini Diablo, Porsche 911 GT1, Dodge Viper GTS, Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, Ferrari F355, Honda NSX, Nissan R32 GTR, and so many more.
Jaguar xj220
@@suad01 XJ220 was such a cool car.
+Toyota GT-one
All high end cars mentioned by you. I would take a 2nd gen affordable Toyota MR2 turbo, a mid engine pocket rocket with great road holding especially on twisting roads.
@@doommonger7784 I grew up with a father who owned a 1st gen Viper from 95-2015. So my perspective growing up was the big boys were all that mattered, though my first car I bought myself was a 94 Z-28 which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also think 1st and 2nd gen MR-2's are very cool cars.
I would say late 90s to the late 2000s was the peak era for cars (99-09). They were fun to drive whilst being easy to work on, styling was clean and nice on the eye. No silly tech, no stuck on screens and no complicated systems. A car to be determined as a 90s car needs to be released in the 90s regardless if it ran into the 00s for sometime. As an owner of an Honda S2000 myself, cars like these were peak motoring and hence why you won’t see one like this again, they are brilliant even today. Cars of this era was made with no limits or budgets, they were made by drivers for drivers. Great video.
It was. I think you could say that it spills in to the early 2000s too, probably started to go downhill at around 2004 when cars started to get bigger, electric steering came in etc
I'm dying on the hill that the mk1 focus from the late 90s is the best car ever made.
I still own a mk1 focus ghia, brilliant car! Will be a modern classic soon
mk2 golf
It's hard to argue
Absolutely. It annihilated the Golf in space, suspension and arguably engines too.
Totally agree that each manufacturer had distinctive look not only from others but from within. Nowdays one cannot tell between a C E and a S class Mercedez at a glance without checking the badge.
To be honest, I have a hard time telling most of the Sacco sedans apart, and the generations before that as well. Mercedes generally does hold a very homogenous styling department across their line historically. Probably too much, in my book.
yeah you picked a bad example given that Mercedes back in the 80s and 90s had very similar looking cars. a W140 S class and a 90s W124 merc look way too similar, while the 500SEL and a W123 have too many similarities
@@yeshwantdasari2075 There was no mistaking between an E and S class even in that generation. No longer the case.
@@tcat0211 I doubt that. Likewise if you can't recognise the size difference between a C, E and modern S class
That's all on you
@@yeshwantdasari2075 Like I said, the look of it no longer distinguishes the different classes of Benzes I grew up with in 70s & 80s.
Outside of the performance domain, there were some great sedans. Sacco's iconic W140. LS 400 which altered expectations of build quality and had then unheard of durability. The 5-series from the 90s is to me one of the best looking sedans ever. In pickups, the F-150 was a handsome and capable rig and people still love the style. There's one with 257K miles listed near me now for 19 grand (US). Totally agree with James on the XK - showstopper in comparison to what we had thought of as "Jag" here in the US. It was a car that people really noticed and people didn't think you were an 800,000 year old retiree. Chrysler and its stable twins got a new lease on life following an abysmal 80s lineup, although the talking Chryslers with digital dashes in the 80s will always be nostalgic for me. While the cars are not problem free in terms of, well, engineering, the cab forward design is now copied in things like the ES Lexus and CLS, although in some applications the interior is still small unlike the inspiration. The CLS front end was a dead copy of the Chrysler LHS. I remember thinking Chrysler had updated their sedans the first time I glimpsed a picture of the 06 CLS in a magazine. Then one day I parked my end of the line LHS next to a brand new 2006 CLS and saw just how much they cribbed. Car seats often were comfort oriented. I miss some of the softer suspensions from US cars in the 90s and early 2000s especially living in a city where the roads can be like the third world in places. I still don't think a giant, heavy quasi-off-roader should be set up to ride and accelerate like a sports car. Great trip down memory lane.
2010s, cars were approaching the ability to do everything but not to the point that they lost personality
Completely agree! Power steering was still hydraulic, downsizing was still just a bad dream, and many brands still had their character. Much nicer than today's ugh offerings.... Those really don't get me excited- at all. Also, rust had ceased to be the number one cause of death for cars, as it still was in the 80s.
60s, art on wheels even for regular cars. Plus i love carbs and distributors
why?
Because I understand them and can fix ‘em without a laptop
@@cammyd7514I agree ,it is 60s the cars are sexy to look at , no computers or tech, in 60s America street racing was huge and card were built for Drag and Street Racing aimed at young men, and also The Supercar was born.
The 60s were such a decade of rapid advancement. Comparing a car from 1960 in 1969 is already worlds apart. Performance, driving dynamics, styling and all sorts of other things made these cars so much better than their predecessors. Also introduced some of the most iconic cars of all time such as the 911, Miura, E type, all the muscle cars, 240z and whatnot.
nah 60s technology was still in its infancy, reliability, safety severely lacking. Styling probably peaked 10/10 but 90s would still score a 8/10
The MR2 SW20 would also be a good example: simple, beautiful and fun.
Here in the U.S. my opinion is that the Late 80s through late 90s is peak. The Japanese manufacturers earned a reputation for solid reliability through the 80s that forced the big 3 to follow suit. We went from 100k miles being a death sentence to being just another point of scheduled maintenance. Fuel injection had reached a point of having the least amount of components and it just works for years and is easy to repair when needed. As for “features” we got most of what we needed standard without all of the screens and integrated modules. The intersection of technology, emissions standards and crash standards were at a place where cars were relatively safe, somewhat lightweight and things like low tension rings, and cylinder deactivation, that lead to oil consumption, were not required to eek out every drop of mpg. Paint and prep were to a point where most cars weren’t rusting out within a few years. We personally daily drive 2 99 Hondas, both coming up on 300k. This is 100% by choice. Not necessity. I also have an S13 that I love for its simplicity, looks, and perfect size for me.
Other 90s classics include the Aston Martin DB7 and the Alfa Romeo 156 and GTV & Spider! The DB9 is one of my all-time favourite fantasy cars and Clarkson himself said it was one of the most gorgeous things mankind has ever made. The 156 was European Car of the Year in 1998 with clean stylish crisp Italian lines which also consigned the charming but boxy 164 to the sidelines. Clarkson himself made a piece for TopGear about how the GTV was, despite being flawed in so many ways, the coupe of the time that always made him turn back and look at it…
Fiat coupe for me over the gtv, beautiful car!
90s is where it’s at for me. Not just with cars, but, with movies, music, everything. It really was the best decade for me. Back to the cars though. I drive a2000 Lexus LX470 which made its debut in 1998. I love that car. It’s properly 90s luxury at its finest. Old enough to be easy to maintain but new enough to somewhat efficient. As it’s based on a Land Cruiser and I live in a rural part of Australia, it really is just the best of everything for us. Great video. Need to see more like this
I'm with you James. 1990s for me owning 2 x 90s cars including Max Power Project 2000. I remember watching Goldeneye at the Cinema in 1995 🎦😍
Xj220 stunning car
My 2000 Lexus LS400 was the best and quietest car I have ever owned . I sold it on a while back when I moved abroad. It was a wonderful to drive V8 and totally reliable and quick too for its day with 290 bhp.. I kept in touch with the new owner; it's still on the road (2024) and it passed its last M.O.T. test without any advisories. Its at 220,000 miles now and still has original autobox. Got to hand it to Lexus. Topped the reliabilty ratings in those days for a reason.
You’ve hit it right on the head!
No vehicles have made me feel WOW for years, everything is similar or copied by everybody else.
The 90’s set the stage of excellence in design and desirability but at some point they lost it and all that’s left are manufacturers copying everybody else.
I'm 28 and I've gotta say I'm recently finding myself getting stuck around the 2000s and 2010s for my preferences. Just like you said, I think a lot of it's because they're my formative car years. But there is also some actual reasoning to it, because I do like cool, modern stuff, cars included. Especially the 2010s were still modern and sleek and techy, but hadn't gotten toooo lost in the sauce of modernity like we're starting to do in the 2020s. 2010s/some 2000s cars are what I see as 'Just modern *enough*' (Favourite cars being the original 4.2 R8 and the prefacelift (and preparticulate filter...) v8 F Types)
90s - they got emission controls sorted so power levels started to shoot up.
This was matched with major improvements in affordable tyres.
Most manufacturers seemed to get the knack of making cars that had a modicum of handling.
I think it depends a lot on your age, when you first become interested in cars, so for me it's 70s cars, Aston Vantage, Countach, Ferrari BB, Stratos, Pantera, Esprit etc. Plus the more mundane Allegro, Dolomite, SD1 etc which always bring a smile to my face when I see them now, not least coz I can't believe they're still going!!! 😂
I changed the exhaust on my MR2 to a huge 3.5 inch dual exit exhaust and also fitted a sportscat that allowed greater airflow.
I also fitted a K+N cone air filter which was a much less restrictive air filter.
The ecu was pretty rudimentary so it would feed as much fuel as the oxygen sensor said could be burnt.
As a result after a hard drive and once the exhaust was hot on the overrun my MR2 would spit fire out the exhaust.
I used to get about 19mpg average.
I eventually had to take off the K+N because the only way to pass the MOT at the garage the mechanic said was to take off the K+N and stuff towels into it to limit airflow.
I had noticed low end torque had been affected so I relented and put the original airbox back on.
The sound from the K+N 54i was epic and I missed it the entire rest of the time I owned the car.
It made it have such a throaty roar from 5000rpm to redline at 7250.
SW20 MR2 MK2 rev3 == Best car.
Luv and Peace.
Styling is in the eye of the beholder, but your points about the variety of cars and the sweet spot between reliability improving and regulations not yet being too restrictive are strong.
On the variety point, manufacturers at the time still had the confidence to differentiate themselves, now they ape each other so much.
Yeah, sorry James but as someone nearing 60 year of age who used to think the 80’s were boss wrt car design, I have changed my mind and now believe that there isn’t a definite decade which takes the crown.
For the simple fact that they all have some absolute gems but also some real munters.
Far too many of either end of the range to mention but you know what I mean.
Fab video. 👍
if you give each category weighted scores (styling, safety, tech, weight etc) the 90s decade objectively comes out on top
Fully agree. The 90s ruled. I had quite a few of the cars mentioned during the '90s (Mk.3 Supra, Mk.4 Supra, Boxster, E36 325i, E34 M5, E39 535i, Nissan 300ZX (z32), Subaru, E32 730i, 735i, 750i, Celica GT4, Senator 24v, W210 E-class). I really lost my damn mind and loved every minute of it.
I feel the same way. I have a 1999 Ferrari 355 F1, a 1998 Ferrari 456 GTA, a 1995 Jaguar XJ12. I love the 90's.
Not bad at all
I learned my job as a mechanic in the 90s at an Opel dealer. It was a great time! We had Omega Evolution, Irmscher Senator 4.0 24V, Kadett/Astra GSi 16V and of course the Calibra Turbo and V6! You also have to consider the relatively cheap petrol/gas prices back then. Fuel economy wasn't as important as today and so i drove a BMW 325i E30, which did about 20mpg (UK), and it was fine.
Totally agree. Always thought it is because I was in my 20s then. But I think the point is, that cars in these days had enough power but weighed much less then todays. I mean my Opel Kadett 16V had 150 PS at 1030 kg, the Calibra turbo was 204 PS at 1350 kg (awd included). I own a 2004 996.2 GT3 Clubsport which is so much fun to drive, even when you are only cruising around. The lightness of cars is totally lost and so is the connection to the driver. My daily car is from 2011 and I have no intention in switching to something new.
What liked about the 90s was the Venturi 400GT and 300, Lotus, esprit v8, Lister Storm, Marcos Mantis GT, TVR Cerbera and Griffin 500, Helem V6 Renault spider, Maserati Shamal and ghibli,
,Mazfa RX7, Honda NSX, Mishubishi Lancer evo, Bentley continental T and R, Tommy Kairi ZZII, Aston Martin Vantage and DB7, Jaguar XKR, Caterham 21 Nissan 300ZX and skyline R33, Ferrari F355, Porsche 911 GT2, Gillet Vertigo, Ford Mustang Saleen SR widebody
Wonderful video. Thank you so much for including the C5 Corvette. Not many people consider it. I would have included the Miata (rejuvenated the sports car and went on to put a smile on a million faces). And yes, I know the Miata was introduced in 1989. Haha.
1999-2009, perfect balance of tech, design, performance, complexity
While I was born in the early 90's, I "grew up" in the 2000's. So, as far as cars go, as a whole, that's the decade I sit best with, but I can't deny for a second that the 90's were a brilliant time for enthusiasts.
JDM alone was never before, nor since been as desired as it was in the 90's, and I'm firmly in that camp, as well.
As a child of the 90s, (ok born late 80s) I would definitely agree. 90s cars are generally modern enough to be comfortable, quick, easy to drive and live with but came before cars started ballooning in size, weight and complexity. Although I also love the 2000s for its engine arms race with ever more crazy V8s and V10s appearing in otherwise very everyday cars. Both great eras.
One of your best videos ever Jay .
I couldn’t agree more.
But your language left a lot to be desired I’m afraid, you forgot to mention the C word
Cosworth ❤
Honorable mention to a great 90s car that you've driven but missed out. The bonkers, twin supercharged Aston Martin Vantage V550 😊
Agreed, was quite a good time for motorcycles as well!
My favourite affordable car was first released in 1993 and discontinued in 2000 - the Fiat Coupe, so I totally agree this was the best decade.
I own a 20vt fiat coupe, beautiful amazing car! Mines sprayed lime green, 5 cylinder engine, insane performance and beautiful unique looks
Mine's a broom yellow Plus. Love it to bits.
This bloke has literally 10s of 000s times more car knowledge than I do so I'm sure he has a point. Definitely some very pretty and underrated models from the 90s. I'm a bit of a sucker for earlier cars looks-wise at least, I think 30s or 50s would be my favourite decade for looks. But in terms of balancing authenticity, looks, performance, accessibility, all-round class, he could well be right about the 90s.
Well Jay, there must be something in this! I've my perfect 90s 2 car garage, and I love them, '99 E36 Touring in Meer Green and a 996 C2! You're welcome to drive them anytime to keep the nostalgia going
Great video James! As a somewhat biased Chimaera 450 owner, I couldn't agree more. I grew-up with 70s and 80s hot hatches as the aspirational set of cars (I'm 46) and loved my mk1 and mk2 GTIs but the VR6 Corrado absolutely rocked my world and led me down a path of big engined 90s coupes I've struggled to move on from. Keep up the great work
I passed my test as a wide-eyed seventeen-year-old in 1991. What a decade it was to be a young driver!
Me too. My first love was a '91 vauxhall cavalier 1.4i. Base model in red with a black rubber spoiler across the bootlid, 😂😂, have a few photos of it.
@@2amSpeedMerchant A Rolls Royce compared to mine; a 1982 1.3 Talbot Alpine. 🤣
I think honorable mention should include the Mitsubishi Evo.👌
To me it's late 70's to the mid 80's for me and no I wasn't raised in that Era I was born in 2000. My family has cars like the Z31 preludes crx's and even a pinto. To me that Era of cars has the perfect blend of simplicity, build quality, and easy mantinance that later cars lost with all the electronics and tech that got added. The car I use everyday has really sealed the deal for me my 1981 Toyota Celica with over 500k miles on the original from 81 internals I've owned the car since 2014 and have been using it as a daily since 2018 yes its slow but it starts everyday gets 40 mpg and is more fun to drive then a miata not mention 400lbs lighter then one as well.
As long as you’re happy to play fast and loose with the start dates and include cars launched in the 80’s and still available in the 90’s I’m with you. I could cut from 85-95 if preferred!
Yes. When I think about it, you are totally right. Styling-wise I would go for the 60ties or 70ties, but for the complete package it was the 90ties. Maybe that's why I drive a '98 CLK...
I think the sweetest thing about 90s cars, for me, was that not everything was forced induction to get its power. A lot of companies exterimented with valve train tech and threw gobs of revs at it to make the car a good EXPERIENCE rather than getting super anal about power numbers and efficiency.
Not far into the video, but what I can say about the 90s is that it was the last good decade for many brands before the quality went way down.
Yep got my license in 89 and had motorcycles and cars flat out on roads that allowed it!
Lotus Carlton ❤️❤️
I passed as a 17 year old in 1990 and collected 6 points in my first 6 weeks of driving! 😄
After that I learned to use my mirrors and be more aware of my surroundings! Ironically, despite owning several hot hatches and sports coupé/saloons through the 90’s and 2000’s, I only ever got points on my licence whilst driving either my mum’s car or a works van!
I miss the days before speed cameras every 400 yards….
I agree with you James - (some) cars took a step up in the 90’s. From my car history point of view- the Honda CRX got VTEC, making a great little affordable car even better.
At the other end of the spectrum, Honda made the NSX in aluminium in the 90’s, and made it better in 97 with the C32B engine, and even better in late 99 with better ABS. That’s why my NSX iis a Type S from December 1999.
I've fell in love with 90's cars', I really struggle to shake that obssession to such a point where I struggle to even consider cars outside of this era
I got my license in the mid 90s also I took my drivers test in a 1995 Geo Prizm.. I love the 90s..
Fully agree, I drive a Porsche 993 and 968, although both are continuations of eighties cars, they are peak ninties with all the drawbacks, but also all the (many) positives
I’ve lived in 6 decades and the 90s was best for pretty much everything, not just cars…..music, movies, culture, attitudes, ladies, err, fashions…..take me back please.
I have such a soft spot for anything 90s but especially cars
Everything in the 90s was amazing. Music, film, cars you name it. Must have been something in the drinking water or something coming through the hole in the ozone layer.
I was a teenager in the 80s, so 80’s music is the best genre and there are many 80s cars I lust after, however By the 1990s corrosion resistance had improved significantly whilst heavy use of electronics was mercifully limited. Driver ‘aids’ were limited to, if you were lucky, abs. The driving experience was still an involved and visceral analogue experience. The roads were also mercifully free of cameras and the roads much less congested than today. So I would agree The 90s was a great decade for cars, and for driving.
I absolutely agree that the 1990s was the best decade for cars. You've definitely listed a lot of motoring icons back in the 1990s, but I think there was one glaring omission: the Mercedes-Benz W140 S-class - particularly, the 600SEL, S600 and CL600 - the V12 variants.
I was a teenager in the 1990s. Before my teenage years, my dream car was a W126 S-class, but when the W140 was released, while I still had an affinity for the W126 (and the W116, as I had my first experience in a Benz in a W116), the W140 boasted many more electronic wizardry, double glazed windows, far larger and more spacious interior, and generally also a much more solid feel than even the W126. And then I heard the V12 engine start-up, and I was hooked. To me, the W140 represents Mercedes-Benz at its peak. They were THE luxury car of the 1990s. Meanwhile, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit/Silver Spur was riding on a platform that dates back to the Silver Shadow, and while the E38 was a competent luxury car, it never had the presence, or the brand cachet of a W140 S-class, and from many of the reviews I've read, it didn't have as comfortable a ride as the S-class either.
I have a 1997 Nissan Laurel Club S 25T and yeah, it is crazy how good it is.
Fair statement. My interest in cars is mostly based on desingn so I'm a fan of the 60's. As you mentioned are a lot of the car lines in the 90's based on older fluid forms combined with strait and simple lines. I got a 90's mini so that fits the bill. Interesting video! Sorry to hear the 599 broke down.
Geography plays a part as much as the era we grew up in. Being in America, it took until 2001 for us to get the Subaru WRX, and 2003/2004 for the STi and Evo battle to reach our shores. A bit late to that party, though other aspects were changing on this side of the pond. Our normal midsized cars went into a power war when Nissan threw in the VQ35 engine into the Nissan Altima (240hp was a lot for a normal family sedan, when most everything else in the class was barely tickling 200hp). That battle spawned the 3.5L Toyota V6 for the Evora, after all.
American companies also started to care about something called "handling" around this time, going to the Nurburgring for testing, Chrysler brought us the RWD Hemi platform that has spanned to the modern day, GM tried to tackle the Miata along with reviving the GTO (which flopped and eventually ended up bringing the Camaro back). Indeed, the '90's had a few cool things here in America, but not as much as Europe.
At the most, America in the '90's had the Viper, love/hate Plymouth Prowler (lot of aluminum and a rear transaxle in often overlooked for "not a V8"), the ZR1 Corvette, Shelby Series 1, Ford played with DOHC modular V8's (Mustang Cobra and Lincoln Mark VIII and lesser extent FWD Lincoln Continental), and some oddballs like the Panoz AIV Roadster and Esperante (which also used that V8). But the '90's simply never quite hit the spot for the every-day hero cars as much as "the naughties." There were a few Japanese sport compacts, but never seemingly as interesting or compelling as what followed a generation or two later.
With that said, the mid-90's flowed well into the mid-2000's, as the TT and Golf received the 3.2L, DSG set a new precedent, and airbags started to shrink to be much less of a diaper in the middle of the steering wheel. The 2ZZ-GE of the last generation Celica lived on from 1999 into the later naughties, including the Elise of course. The MR2 Spyder was also a barely 1990's product. While AMG existed in the '90's, it really seemed to proliferate in America into the early 2000's when the supercharged E55 came to be, but that era also brought far more nannies, even if not to todays ridiculous amounts.
What the '90's did was set us up for a new era of greatness, with better turbos, ECU's, and variable valve timing technologies to make our cars much more flexible for the following decade.
I love 90's cars. Have you ever had a Peugeot 406 coupe to drive? I used to have one. Yes it had all the Peugeot problems but it was designed by Pininfarina and I still think to this day, one of the best looking coupes ever made.
1st place : The Nineties
Runner-up :The Sixties
My 1994 JDM MR2 Turbo salutes you👊🥷
Id agree with u on that 90s and 60s, 70s were good for beautiful italian square cut looking cars id say, alfas, fiats etc
I agree with everything you said, but how could you forget TVR? Some of the most raw, aggressive, and pure drivers cars ever made, and some lovely examples came from the 90’s.
Late 80's to early 00's was the best period for cars I think or the very early cars from the 1920's for example up until the 30's.
I agree on late 80s to early 2000 😊
I loved the 90's for cars but owning a decent car was an issue due to sky high insurance. We are blessed with today's technology.
My money no object dream cars are from the 90s, Ferrari F50, Mercedes CLK-GTR and McLaren F1. Been fortunate enough to see the latter two in person.
Then there's the more original stuff like the delta integrale, sierra/escort cosworth, Impreza 22B. All worth a considerable sum now
Would you rather just feel lucky to have seen a few exotics or to actually own a few good and entertaining cars. The hypercars bore me. Sure, they put up impressive numbers, but in the real world where 99.9% of us live they simply don't exist. It's taken me a long time, I'm 77, but my little collection consists of a '16 Mazda MX-5/Miata, a '16 Jaguar F-Type 3.0S 6mt Coupe, and an '06 Jaguar XJ8 VDP LWB. Each appeals to different needs/wants, they are all pretty good to look at, at least for me.
@@3ducs don't get me wrong I've had a few fun cars over the years and two mx5s like yourself, an NB and a ND2 which I currently have now.
But these 90s hypercars (postercars whatever you want to call them) are what excited me as a young petrolhead, and given how heavy and safe new cars are now with all the regulations and emissions they have to comply with, I dont think we'll ever see those kinds of cars again. Like I said originally, it's the fact that they're worth so much money and are extremely rare, it is special to see such a car. Hence the term dream car
@@richboy900 I was forgetting what curled my toes back when I was young. Those were different times back in the early '60s, the cars were simpler but still well out of reach for a kid with a paper route and lawn mowing money. They were inspirational though. My first car, back in 1967, was a 1964 101 Series Alfa Sprint Normale 1600.
I personally think that, the 60s gave us iconic literal pieces of art on wheels, in the form of the Miura, 250 GTO, E-Type, 911, GT40, Mustang, C2 Corvette, 2000GT and so on; the 90s on the other hand, gave us cars that are incredibly close to our hearts (well, close to mine anyway), apart from having the performance to match the beautiful looks. If I had to make a list of my top 20 favourite cars of all time, I'm very confident that close to half would be 90s cars. And while I agree the 00s also gave us equally stunning cars that were even objectively better, they somehow don't have that sense of mystic that makes the 90s cars stand out. It's that layer of extra that you can't count or explain on paper that does it for me.
Absolutely right. The variety of engines, good power but not ridiculous, unusable amounts, no touchscreens, minimal electronics, and best of all, minimal to no electronic nannies. Only traction control which could easily be switched off. So you had to have driving skill to drive the cars properly. Cars were analog and had character. Not just in how they looked but in how they sounded and drove. And the sizes were correct. Not all these huge, overweight cars of today, which you couldn't tell what marque they were if you didn't see their badge, and are nothing more than smartphones on wheels. Those were the days...
To quote Regular Car Reviews, the 90s was the perfect crossroads between technology and tradition. Only electronic aid in the 90s was EFI.
My two cars are Volvo 940 wagons, a NA for daily work car and an inter-cooled turbo model for my fun weekend car. Not exiting but fun, insanely reliable, all the modern technology and drivability you need with none of the overcomplicated unreliable trendy nonsense of todays cars that you don’t need.
My best friend has a car collection, but his two favorite drivers are a 91 Fleetwood Coupe, and a ‘96 Brougham sedan (the last of the big V8 rear drive Cadillacs). Same plus points as my 90s Volvos.
I had a couple of Boxsters for years, brilliant cars…I could go on, but the short version of this statement is: I have to agree with you! 😉
As someone born in the 1960s and therefor rather older than James, the sweet spot for me is the early noughties when Ford owned Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.
I would have to say early 90's, we had moved from the strange to slightly strange and weird, new designs coming out every 6 months. Each manufacturer trying to out-do the other, in terms of how different they could go. Much better than the 00's when cars seemed to just follow the then trend of headlights, tail-lights, bumpers and wheel arches. In the 90's at night you could be driving and know exactly what the car was behind by the headlight shape.
I definitely lean towards the 80's as peak car because of the simplicity and lightness, but I'll admit that 90's is probably the best mix if you want to daily drive and value things like safety, creature comforts and at least reasonable amounts of power.
The Honda Integra DC2 which I picked up in the late 90s and drove for 18 years/195k miles will go down as my all time favourite ... light weight, revvy engine, fantastic steering and chassis. The right amount of go for the road without attracting (too) much attention!
Renault 5 gt turbo
Ford escort cosworth (Clarkson favorite) + focus rs
And BMW e45 + mini R53 at the end. So many great cars,
The whole decade was a great time for cars in South Africa (where I grew up)..
Opel released the Kadett GSi Super Boss, Kadett and Astra 200TS, BMW released the 325is and we got the German Spec E36 M3, Nissan released the Sentra STi and Sabre GXi, Toyota released the Conquest RSi and Corolla RXi...so many great cars that now fetch a heavy price to collectors...
Nothing too exotic, but all working class hero`s...
18:41 Fun fact: wedgier shapes are safer for pedestrians than a wall of a bumper
I'd say the 2000s until 2010 was the best decade for cars, at least in Europe.
You're absolutely correct on this one.
I drive a 2001 SLK 320 the most Modern car I've ever had was TT 1.8T 05 plate, and love the simplicity of late 90's/00's cars, they still feel analogue but every day usable, it's how 80's cars felt in the early 00's.
Tactile & fun not over saturated with tech! Pick up a 00's car now is the next up on the block for being a classic invest.
I'd put the Alfa Romeo SZ (Sprint Zagato) firmly as a 90's car although was launched in 1989, that was a mad machine
There is a lot of good nostalgia here :-D I passed my drivers licence also at the end of 90's, I have started on cars from 60/70's because they were the cheap "classics" i could afford that time, first a Ford Cortina, then MGB GT , i had lot of fun fixing up and driving them. I considered 90's cars too modern that time or i how to put it, too muted, to many nannies, electronic stuff already.. But as time is passing by, i am realizing my dream cars today are somehow the 90's ones. And i feel they are the last era of the very advanced, but still very mechanical drivers cars. So, today i drive a 99 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI and i think it is absolutely one of the best cars of the era from pure handling point of view. Maybe i am lucky, i havent had money to buy one in the year 1999 with my fresh driving license, i am sure i would have killed myself in it back that time :) I used to have a 996 Carrera 2 for nearly 8 years, but sold it as it gave me oportunity to buy a 911 Carrera 3.2 , a pure 80's car with no nannies, no power steering and proper aircooled flat six sound. I thought i keep the 996 forever, but once the old Porsche came home, i never fancied driving the late 90's water cooled Porsche since. And my third car is a Lotus Elan. And thats pure 60's. So, i am kind of thinking that it is not so simple answer to say which period is the best one, where is the peak. Unfortunately the peak is certainly not today with the electric cars :(
Early NCAP transformed safety in the early 2000s so even cheaper cars were safe and substantial, and aircon became normal, yet selling prices were still keen.
Absolutely agree but lets not forget the music of the 90s also.
60's. E Type, Aston's DB's, the unusual supercars like the Monteverdi, De Tomaso, Gordon Keeble, the Jensens, American muscle like the Mustang and Dodge Charger and the GT40, the Lambo's like the Muira. At the lower end the Lotus Cortina's and the development of the family car from the 50's bringing unibody tech. 60's was a great mix of the eccentric and the advancement of tech and build techniques.
I think that you are making a very case for the 60s.
The difference for me is that normal cars from the 90's and 2000's are still very usable, normal cars from the 60's are practically non-existent, and even if they were still around, they aren't much good.
@@AmosDohms The change in everyday family motoring from 50's to 60's was massive and 60's diversity was also massive from the small niche companies to the internationals. The 90's cars remain due to rustproofing advances and not necessarily their quality.
I have agree with you 90s and ealry 00s was an automotive peak. I've driven a fair few high end new cars recently and a couple of months back I borrowed a 97 Rover 214Si you forget how good even simple cheap cars were. The steering was full of feel and feedback it small but usefully big inside a nippy and rev happy twin can 4 cylinder it that such a palette cleanser. Not long after I drove a e36 I was smiling and giggling the whole time not much from the present time can achieve that.
The A14 is the devil's highway...from 2012 to 2016 me and my sprinter van delivered from Birmingham to Ipswich...never again.
Well I guess 1004 years is a long time to trawl up and down the A14.
The roadworks are pretty bad tbf
@courier955 lol...the flash backs were so terrible I wrote the wrong date...but while caught up in traffic every day it felt like over a hundred years worth of driving.
Love 90's cars! Born in the early 80's I grew up with 90's cars of course. My daily is a '99 A6 C5 Avant and I have a '99 Y Elefantino Rosso for fun.
Great steps were made in car design during the 90's. If you for instance compare an Alfa 75 (outgoing in the early 90's) and 156 they are worlds apart in design, safety, particality and loads of other things. Not that I prefer one over the other (love them both), but I'd gladly still use a 156 as a daily with a small family. Certainly not a 75.
You make a good case for the 90’s and as an all round good car decade, things were getting more reliable, safer and faster, but without a lot of the electronic driver aids. I think the 60s and 70s had some really ‘out there’ designs which slaughtered the 90s, but were far more fragile. The 80’s was largely about rubber bumpers on rehashed 70s designs, but a few really amazing cars also came out of the woodwork too.
As pointed out by James, I believe that the late 80's spawned what was to be honed and improved upon in the 90's (affordable performance from hot-hatchery, for example), but I certainly cut my petrolhead teeth throughout the 90's. Great car magazines pre-internet back then!