The '90s were a turning point for automobiles. This was an era when the world saw the first-ever hypercar, and sedans suddenly started acting like supercars. American models seemed to be in a transition phase too. For muscle cars, the '80s were a hangover from the '70s, when fuel prices and emissions regulations all but killed off the genre, with manufacturers trying out some new ideas. By the 2000s, muscle cars had made a strong comeback, marking the beginning of a second golden era.So what about the '90s for US cars? This was a wild time, when V10 sports cars with no windows or door handles mixed it up with lightly modified army trucks on the road, as well as Japanese-developed supercar-chasers with American badges. The '90s seemed like a free-for-all, with old wafty Caddy models singing their last Sinatra song, only to be replaced by fire-breathing models to take on BMW's M-Division. So the '90s were a mixed bag of an era, but that doesn't mean there wasn't some iconic US metal – here are some of the best. GMC Typhoon GMC The '90s were a time when, believe it or not, you wouldn't see a 180-mph SUV parked outside a grocery store every day. It was a simple time when people drove things called 'cars', which tended to be boxes on four wheels with gray plastic interiors. GMC shook up this land of humdrum transportation by introducing the Typhoon (and its pick-up cousin, the Syclone). The Typhoon is a hot SUV before they were even invented – and man, is it fast. Utilizing a 4.3-liter turbocharged V6, which packs 280 horsepower, the Typhoon can hit 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. This was 1992, when a Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Tiptronic needed 6.1 seconds to reach the same speed. Throw in a leather-lined interior, boxy, old-school looks, and wheels that look like shurikens, and the Typhoon is irresistible. 1993 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe Bring A TrailerWhile the world was going mad for turbocharged pocket rockets in the '90s, it's important to remember that there was still a place for cruisy, V8-powered sedans and coupes that had put the USA on the motoring map decades before. The Cadillac Eldorado had been doing its thing since the '50s, and after 1992, the twelfth generation took over.At 17 feet long and weighing more than 3800 pounds, this chunky coupe bought back the Eldorado's road presence that had been lost in the '80s. It's certainly an oddity – how many cars come with a 300-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 and front-wheel-drive? But there is something undeniably cool (with a hint of mafia) about the giant Caddy. After all, it was chosen to be Paulie Gaultieri's car in The Sopranos. The Eldorado is also packed with luxury features and a bargain to buy in 2025. Chevrolet Corvette C4 ZR-1 Via: Mecum Auction By the early '90s, the Corvette C4 was showing its age a bit. The car had been around since 1983 and was showing its age. The ZR-1 arrived in 1990 as the top-tier C4. It may have looked the same as a standard 'Vette, save for some huge wheels and a set of squircle rear lights, but this car was drastically different.At the heart is a hand-built all-aluminum 5.7-liter V-8, which had been designed with Lotus in Hethel, England and built by a boat company, and there were a raft of changes, including adjustable Delco/Bilstein gas-filled shock absorbers, to keep it on the road. The ZR-1, which can hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, showed that Chevy is serious about the car being a world-beater. It also opened the gates for a raft of high-performance Corvettes, including the latest ZR1X. Hummer H1 Bring A Trailer Uh oh, the Hummer. The Hummer is perhaps the icon of the '90s for the wrong reasons. This is a car that came to embody both excess and a nonchalance to things like the climate, which is a bit more important to most people these days, but also a war bravado that has an iffy image problem. But let's wind it back a bit. The 6766 lb Humvee was originally designed as a four-wheel-drive military vehicle, and was often seen during the Gulf War conflict of the early '90s. The Humvee then became the Hummer H1, an excessively masculine SUV that took up five lanes of the freeway and was enjoyed by the ultimate action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger.The problem, in a way, for Hummer is that it expanded quickly into a brand. The Hummer H3 was based on the Chevy Colorado and, aside from the slightly hammy look, had little to do with the original utilitarian Hummer. People grew tired of the gas-guzzling, brutish image and the company disappeared. Which takes us back to the H1. These cars are very much of their time, and there is no denying the authenticity of the Hummer's single-minded approach. It's kind of like a Le Mans car converted for the road - totally bonkers, but an instant classic. Chevrolet Impala SS Via: Bring a TrailerThe Chevrolet Impala SS is the red plastic cup of cars. The Impala of the '90s came about because of a flop: the new Caprice wasn't selling well, and GM needed a quick fix. The engineers sorted out the low-slung wheel arches and added a BMW-style Hofmeister-Kink, before giving it the name Impala, which was one of the biggest monikers in the company's back catalog. Fitted with a 5.7-liter V8 and enough power (260 hp and 330 lb-ft) to get it to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, the Impala SS had the credentials to be a four-door muscle car. What made it cool – and an icon of hip-hop culture – is its low-key presence that is both laid-back and menacing all at the same time. It's both an underrated sleeper, and adored by those in the know. There are many celebrity fans, including Killer Mike from Run the Jewels. Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R Barrett-JacksonThe classic Fox body Ford Mustang was coming to an end in 1993, following a decade and a half. Ford’s Special Vehicles Team (SVT) wanted to go out with a bang, so the engineers rustled up the Cobra. This hot 'Stang is fitted with a 5.0-liter V8 engine tweaked with parts from Ford Racing and pushing out 235 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Then there was the halo Cobra-R model, with a lot of the useful stuff thrown out such as rear seats, radio, and A/C. Then SVT added Koni shocks and struts and larger brakes. Just 107 Cobra-Rs were constructed, making it infinitely cool and collectible among Mustang aficionados. Dodge Stealth R/T MecumThis makes the Stealth a budget supercar-killer, with 300 horsepower and 307 lb-ft of torque was rated at 307 lb-ft on tap, all channeled through a Getrag close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox. The Stealth R/T Twin Turbo could hit 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds, which was quicker than a 1992 E36 M3 (0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds). Dodge Viper RT/10 Bring A TrailerThe Dodge Viper arrived in 1992 and was a modern interpretation of the sixties AC Cobra. However, if anyone thought that 'modern interpretation' meant that it would be a watered-down pastiche of the hardcore '60s Cobra, they were in for a surprise. The Viper was very much in the spirit of sports cars of yesteryear, even down to the fact that it made do without modern essentials such as exterior door handles, air conditioning, or even windows. At the heart of the Viper RT/10 is an 8-liter V10 that was part-developed by Lamborghini and delivers a mighty 400 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. It may be just too over-the-top for some in recent years, but these days, that original Viper has an almost Mad Max appeal with its raw road-warrior approach.