Could a decade have been any better for us? The ’90s simply gave us some of the best performance cars ever.
Performance was up. Drivability issues were down. You could easily work on things in your own garage. No giant infotainment screens. The market catered to those who preferred shifting their own gears. The average enthusiast could, in short, buy a …
BMW M3
Many cars are good at one thing–and possibly only one thing.
A Corvette is great at going fast, for example, but it might not function as the ultimate year-round urban commuter in a northern climate. (We know someone will prove us wrong there, of course, sending in a wintertime photo of a C4 wearing Blizzaks while navigating Boston rush hour.)
Then there’s the E36-chassis M3, the car that could seemingly do it all. It handled everything–and with ease–upon bursting onto the scene in 1995. It could win autocrosses, local or national. We watched Randy Pobst wheel one to an SCCA road racing title. The factory IMSA cars defined an era.
And an M3 could comfortably travel coast to coast or cart home the groceries with ease. Even more to love: Choose from a two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and then an open-top options. Sadly, though, we didn’t get a Touring model.
The goodness of the M3 comes from its bones: the tried-and-true BMW 3 Series, here fortified with more power, more brakes and more suspension. The flares that helped define the original M3 were gone, but in their place we got that sweet-sounding inline-six backed by a slick five-speed gearbox.
The original M3 was fierce. This was the one that more of us could live with.
Alt. Choice
The day’s other German Q ship would have to be the 1990-’95 Mercedes-Benz 500E: four doors, V8 power and just enough fender flare to tip your hat to fellow enthusiasts.
Honda Civic Si
Once upon a time, the hot hatch defined performance. Perhaps it was the small-bore enthusiast’s version of business up front, party in the back. Or maybe we have that backward.
Either way, hot hatches perfectly blended speed with practicality. Needed something to rely upon during those first years out of school yet also autocross on Sundays? Enter the hot hatch. Bonus: easy to park and easy on consumables.
The hot hatch became a big part of our…
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