The consumer is always concerned about value for money and affordability. No one wants to spend Mustang money on a PT Cruiser or sell their house, land, and livelihood to drive around in an S-Class. However, automakers have been known to throw affordability into the bin and manufacture cars only a rich chap with 1000 acres of land he has no use for will spend his money on.
That is the case with these ten sports cars. They represented opulence when they were first launched to the public. To buy one of these models, you had to sell your kidney and retirement benefits. Interestingly, the years have been very kind to them. That’s why some of them now sell for more money than an average Joe would save in four generations.
10 Jaguar XJ220 – $515,000
The Jaguar XJ220 embodied nothing about elegant British manufacturing when it was produced. This car was primarily remembered for the myriad issues that plagued its entire development. However, this British supercar was still a groundbreaking machine.
First, it was the fastest production vehicle globally, clocking just shy of 220 mph on the straights. But there were a few disappointments when buyers got their hands on this lighting machine. The V12 had been chopped six cylinders into a V6. It was still punchy with 542 hp coming out of the crank. It now carries a $515,000 price tag.
9 Ferrari F50 – $3,000,000
The Ferrari F50 had a big job ahead of it. It was born to be the replacement for the legendary Ferrari F40. The Maranello powerhouse released the F50 in 1995, borrowing a lot of its engineering from its powerful Formula One relatives.
Behind the driver tucked a 4.7-liter V12 that was the road version of the V12 powerplant hooked behind the 1990 Ferrari Formula One 641 car. That V12 was enough to rocket the Ferrari from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds before maxing shy of 200 mph. Today, you need at least $3,000,000 to own this ‘90s Prancing Horse.
8 Bugatti EB110 – $1,600,000
The 1990s was a time to dream big, fast, and loud. That is the philosophy that made the Bugatti EB110 a hypercar every driver would want to own but extremely few would afford. The highlight of this model was the horseshoe grille Bugatti has proudly carried forward to its modern offerings.
The development of the Bugatti EB110 started in 1987. Four years later, in 1991, the company was ready to show its beastly making. At the rear, the German outfit fitted a quad-turbocharged V12 engine that produced over 600 hp. All this is worth about $1.6 million today.
7 Pagani Zonda C12 – $17,500,000
Horacio Pagani left a clear warning message when he pulled the covers off his first creation, the Pagani Zonda C12, at the 1999 Geneva Auto Show. The Zonda C12 was a masterpiece built with an incredible level of detail.
At the rear, the Pagani Zonda C12 packed a Mercedes-sourced 6.0-liter V12 engine that developed 395 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. That is merely half of what a modern Pagani can produce. Still, the Zonda C12 was a brisk mover. It could sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds before hitting a top speed of 180 mph. Horacio’s first creation now commands a market premium of $17.5 million.
6 1993 Aston Martin V8 Vantage – $250,000
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage of the ‘90s was a mean machine. Aston cut no corners when they were building this model. Under the hood, the British outfit fit a twin-supercharged V8 powerhouse that generated 550 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque.
All that grunt worked in the V8 Vantage’s favor, with the car pulling from 0-60 mph in just over 4 seconds. The 550hp coming out of the V8 engine gave the 1993 Vintage a top speed of 186 mph. Despite its sportiness, Aston Martin somehow managed to keep the GT characteristics of this car in check. You need $250,000 today to get your hands on one.
5 Lamborghini Diablo – $162,399
The Lamborghini Veneno takes the crown as one of the most expensive modern Lamborghinis. However, in the ‘90s, the Diablo was the Italian bull only a man with ten kidneys could afford. The Diablo was named after a ferocious Spanish fighting bull whose name translates to “Devil” in English. Sure enough, the Lamborghini Diablo had a matching personality.
At the back, the Lamborghini Diablo packed a screaming V12 engine mated to a 5-seed manual transmission. The whole car was loose and wild. Its performance had gearheads hooked to it for eleven years, with Lamborghini producing several variations of the car over its production period. A Diablo will cost you around $162,399 today.
4 Mercedes Benz SL73 AMG – $301,909
This is one of the rarest AMG models ever sold. The Mercedes Benz SL73 AMG was made when AMG lived as a standalone company. However, AMG’s formula had long been formulated for fitting massive engines into a proper Benz machine.
Only 100 units of the SL73 AMG were ever made. At the front, the model packed a 7.3-liter V12 power unit, the same one that lived at the rear of the Zonda. It cranked out 525 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, enough to rocket it from 0-60 mph in under five seconds. It’s still impressive to date, with a price tag of $301,909.
3 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S – $373,655
Back in 1997, 424 hp was a great deal of power. That is what the 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S packed at the back while carrying as little weight as Porsche could make the model take. That transformed it into a road rocket.
But Porsche was not done turning this car into a party piece. All that power from the engine was fed to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. If you got the launch right, the 1997 911 Turbo S could rocket to 60 mph in less than four seconds before crushing the quarter in 11.9 seconds. What you have to part with today for this model is $373,655.
2 Ferrari F355 – $98,793
This model was one of Ferrari’s highlights in the ‘90s. The Ferrari F355 first appeared in 1994 as the replacement for the unimpressive Ferrari 348. The power unit running this car was a mid-mounted V8 that ran on Formula One technology. That power unit could rev up to 8,250 rpm and develop 380 hp.
The sprint from 0-60 mph took 4.6 seconds, with the F355 managing to preserve some drivability for great driving on the highway and heavy traffic. More than 10,000 F355s were sold, but one goes for north of $98,793.
1 1997 Nissan GT-R NISMO 400R – $2,200,000
The 1997 Nissan GT-R NISMO 400R was a special build from Nissan. The Japanese maker built this model to commemorate their participation in the 1995 and 1996 LeMans racing series. All cars were hand-built by NISMO, Nissan’s motorsport division, and they were given the complete NISMO treatment.
The 1997 GT-R NISMO 400R had a carbon fiber hood and spoiler. The strut braces were titanium with a straight-six engine powering the model from the front. That power unit was capable of producing 400 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque. Today, they’re very rare and expensively priced at $2.2 million.
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