The 1990s were a Golden Age for sports cars and supercars. The cars were not only fast and stylish but also pushed the boundaries of automobile engineering. During this time period, we saw the likes of the Ferrari F50, McLaren F1, and the Bugatti EB110 – some of the most timeless classics of that era.
The Lamborghini Diablo was the successor of the infamous Countach – and was revealed in Monte Carlo, at the Hotel de Paris. Quite an apt introduction to this devil in disguise. The Lamborghini Diablo was powered by a 6.0-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine, mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
While this car was in production, the Lamborghini Aventador was the first to see the VT viscous-traction system which sent 25% of the power to the front wheels. This gave rise to the AWD Murcielago, Aventador, and Revuelto. However, Diablo’s production stopped in 2001 after building 2,903 units.
The Bugatti EB 110 got its name after the founder, Ettore Bugatti, and his 110th Birthday. The EB110 was showcased at the Grande Arche de la Defense at Versailles in September 1991. This Bugatti had a 3.5-litre, quad-turbo, V12 engine, which was paired to a manual gearbox.
Surprisingly, as Bugatti is a French brand, this one, in particular, was Italian. Romano Artioli, an Italian Businessman, commissioned a new factory in Compogalliano for this specific car. But, in 1995, he became bankrupt – this is when Jochen Dauer bought everything that was left over and continued manufacturing the EB110 at Dauer Sportwagen’s facility in Nuremberg, Germany.
Gordon Murray, a Formula One icon, was the mind behind the McLaren F1. Additionally, some big names in the industry came associated with the production of the F1 – Peter Stevens, the designer of the Jaguar XJR-15 and the Impreza 555, helped with the sleek finish; and Paul Rosche from BMW M designed the engine of a title that is still held today: The fastest naturally-aspirated production car built.
The McLaren F1’s engine is powered by a 6.1-litre, V12 engine that pumps out 618bhp and 650Nm of Torque. Also, the F1 has a central driving position, unlike the more commonly seen left-hand drives or right-hand drives – and this is a stand-out feature of the car to this day. The most recent McLaren F1 was sold at $20.5 Million (Rs. 169.08 Crore) which shows how priceless this car is.
The Ferrari F50 used the powertrain of the Ferrari 641 (their Formula One Car at the time), and had similar characteristics of the 333 SP IMSA WSC Sports Prototype Racer.
The F50 was powered by a 4.7-litre, V12 engine that pumped out 512bhp and 471Nm of Torque. This engine had the highest output compared to any other naturally-aspirated car in 1995, making it available only for a select number of people until they stopped production. Only 349 units of this car were produced before the Enzo took over in 2002.
Porsche created a road-going vehicle, with bits taken from the 959 and the Carrera GT, the 911 GT1 Strassenversion. The German-based automaker was made to create 25 road-going examples of the 911 GT1 by GT1 regulations, but which isn’t a 911 under the body. Porsche, after this, made 22 cars, with 20 of them featuring 996-style lights, and 2 with 993-style lights.
Also, 9 customer cars and 6 factory racing cars were also made. Both, the road and race cars have a 3.2-litre engine, but had to reduce the power figures to keep with the emission norms. With detuning it, the 911 GT1 Strassenversion pushes out 356bhp and 600Nm of Torque.
The supercars of the 1990s were a sight to behold. They were made to impress with their raw power delivery and cutting-edge technology of that time. These cars helped to define the supercar era, and they continue to be admired by enthusiasts today.
