Driving Down Memory Lane: Timeless Car Designs From the 90s

Cars of the 1990s were made to make the world forget about the doldrums of the 1980s and it’s design flaws. Some of these ‘90s cars still look modern today.

Although we’re seeing a shift in parts of the auto market to cars that look the same, for example, many electric vehicles, some cars from 20 years ago could be exactly what you want to see and enjoy. Some automakers got cars right and brought timeless designs to the market.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane to find some cars of the 1990s with incredible designs that would look amazing rolling off the assembly line today.

Nissan 300ZX

The 1990s version of the Nissan Z-car was the 300ZX. This impressive two-seater sports car brought the look and qualities we admired during the decade. Some of the design elements are part of the modern Nissan Z, our current Z-car. The 300ZX was a realistic vision of the future and gave us a fun and active car to enjoy. This Nissan made it possible for the Z-car to continue onward as an excellent sports car bringing the 350Z and 370Z, which gave us increasingly impressive performance figures.

Oldsmobile Aurora

Sleek, curved, and long sedans weren’t part of the 1980s but became a huge part of the following decade. After unimaginative, boxy sedans were part of the market for a full decade the Oldsmobile Aurora gave us a stylish, sleek, and near-luxury level sedan that looked great. The stylishness of this car could easily make its way to the electric car world of today. Just looking at the Aurora gives us the idea that this car could cut through the wind and offer an extremely low drag coefficient.

Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 might not be a fair entry on this list. This amazing sports car wears styling that’s been around for more than fifty years, with only minor styling changes during that time. This was one of the best cars of the 1990s, with the 993 generation being the perfect mix of style, performance, sportiness, and elegance on the road. The current 991-generation looks eerily similar to the model from the 1990s, making it easy to see how this car continues to look modern today.

Toyota Supra Turbo

Although the modern Supra is pretty impressive and stylish, the original version could easily be tossed into the Toyota lineup as an amazing sports car that we’d love to buy today. The Supra is one of the cars of the 1990s we wanted to see return and longed for from the time it left the market until it returned. This fun and active Toyota is ready to take on the world and leave other sports cars in the dust while wearing timeless styling that could easily be attractive in today’s market.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

Although the Corvette from the 1990s doesn’t have the mid-engine build of today’s ‘Vette, we still see this classic wedge-shaped sports car and instantly feel an attraction to it. The Corvette is one of those cars that has a timeless style, much like the Porsche 911. Unlike the Porsche, the Corvette has been offered in several different styles over the years, making it easy to admire each generation that was unique and interesting. We could easily see the 1990s ‘Vette produced today.

Lotus Elise

It’s easy to see the Elise as one of the cars of the 1990s that could be produced and driven today. Of course, it helps that the current version of the Elise is still built on the same platform and still looks nearly the same as the original. Lotus makes these cars to be as minimalist as possible, and the original was more minimal than the current version, but that quality helps make this car look and feel more modern than many of the other ‘90s cars.

Mazda RX7

If you want to talk about a car with a timeless design that never grows old, it’s the Mazda RX7. The only part of this car’s design that makes it dated is the set of flip-up headlights at the front of the car. Swap those out for a set of LEDs, and you’ve got a sports car that would look great as the big brother to the current version of the Miata. The RX7 continues to be a highly desirable car in today’s market, with many that are considered collectible.

These seven cars of the 1990s were ahead of their time in style and design. The were well-loved when new and could easily be driven right off the assembly line today.