10 Cars From the ’90s That Defined a New Era of SpeedFollowing the Malaise era of the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990s saw a renaissance for performance cars. Power and speed numbers increased, and during these ten years, we saw some of the finest automobiles ever made. This list contains ten of the fastest and most powerful cars of the 1990s. Cars like the Honda NSX and Ferrari F50 make up this list, showcasing how far the segment had come after the difficult two decades before it.McLaren F1With a top speed of 240 mph, the McLaren F1 easily sits at the top of the 1990s tree. At the time, the F1 was the fastest production car in the world, and it remains the fastest naturally-aspirated production car in 2024, with anything faster benefitting from supercharging or turbocharging. The F1’s power comes from a 6.1-liter BMW S70/2 V12 engine, which produces 618 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. Its transmission is a six-speed manual, making it a dream for enthusiasts. Its most innovative feature, though, is the central driving position, with the two passenger seats on the left and right.Ferrari F50While it didnt reach the same level of success as its predecessor, the F40, the Ferrari F50, was undeniably one of the fastest supercars of the 1990s. The F50 took its power from a 4.7-liter naturally-aspirated Tipo V12 engine, developed from the one used in the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car. That engine was good enough to produce 512 horsepower and propel the F50 to a top speed of 202 mph with a 0-60 mph time of just 3.8 seconds. The F50 is actually rarer than the F40, with only 349 produced from 1995 to 1997.First Generation Honda NSXThe incredible first-generation Honda NSX proved to be a real giant killer in the 1990s. The NSX benefitted from Honda’s F1 engine program and testing by McLaren-Honda F1 driver and three-time world champion Ayrton Senna. Under the hood, the NSX had Honda V6 power, with the top 3.2-liter engine making 290 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque. Even in its final years, the NSX was still crazy fast. Test driver Motoharu Kurosawa was able to take a 2002 NSX-R around the Nurburgring in 7 minutes, 56 seconds. A time on par with the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale that had over 100 horsepower more.Bugatti EB110The Bugatti EB110 is the sole production car made by the company under Romano Artiolio’s ownership. Conceived in the 1980s, it entered production in 1991, bringing the Bugatti name back to the automobile market after nearly 40 years of absence. Under the hood, the EB110 had a 3.5-liter Bugatti quad-turbocharged V12 engine producing 553 horsepower. That figure went up to 603 horsepower in the EB110 Super Sport, which could read a top speed of 221 mph, showcasing how fast the EB110 was. Bugatti folded in 1996, ending production of the EB110.1992 Pontiac Firebird Trans AmThe third-generation Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was on the way out in the 1990s after several years as one of the world’s most excellent muscle cars. Pontiac wanted the third-gen Trans Am to go out with a bang, and the 1992 model ensured that it did just that. The power came from a 5.7-liter V8, producing 232 horsepower and 285 lb-ft of torque. With all this power, the Trans Am had an impressive 0-60 mph time of just 6.6 seconds, and the top speed was 154 mph.Lotus Elise GT1In the late 1990s, British sports car manufacturer Lotus considered entering the FIA GT1 racing category with its Elise. To do this, it extensively modified Elise to create the Elise GT1, a fordable racer that sadly failed to live up to Lotus’s hopes for it. The GT1 took its power from a 5.7-liter Chevrolet V8, while a singular road-legal example had a 3.5-liter Lotus Type 918 engine under the hood. The sole road-legal example is incredibly mysterious, with the car last seen around ten years ago. Rumors abound that it either belongs to Lotus still or is in the hands of a collector in the Netherlands.Jaguar XJ220To many, the fact the Jaguar XJ220 didn’t have a 6.2-liter V12 under the hood during its production run let the car down. Yet, in fact, the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged Jaguar V6 produced more power, at 542 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. The XJ220 was far better than some would have you believe. For one, it looked incredible, with a sleek, aerodynamic body that simply cut through the air. Then there was its performance. The fabled supercar could reach a top speed of 217 mph and had a 0-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds. XJ220s are now worth at least a few million dollars.Lamborghini DiabloThe Lamborghini Diablo was the last Lamborghini produced before the company was sold to Audi. Some later versions of the Diablo were made under Audi ownership, but the first production of 1990 was 100 percent Raging Bull. The Diablo had a lot to live up to, given it was the successor to the iconic Countach. The first version of the Diablo launched with a 5.7-liter V12 under the hood, making 485 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque. This allowed the new supercar to reach a top speed of 202 mph and an impressive 0-62 mph time of just 4.5 seconds. Later versions of the Diablo were even more powerful, with the Diablo SE30 Jota peaking at 595 horsepower.GMC SycloneThe Syclone showed the rest of the world how fast trucks could be. Under the hood was a 4.3-liter LB4 turbocharged V6 engine, making 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. A 0-60 mph time of just 5.3 seconds was utterly insane for a pickup truck. Just 2,998 were made, with 2,995 coming in 1991 and a further 3 in 1992.