Best British cars of the 1990's...
Author
Discussion

Stick Legs

Original Poster:

8,917 posts

194 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
I reckon the 1990's will be viewed as a golden era for fast cars. Electronics got sorted, rust problems were pretty banished and some great stuff got built.

My top three...


Aston martin DB7
TVR Cerbera
Lotus V8 Esprit

Anyone got any other views / votes / opinions?

donteatpeople

879 posts

303 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
McLaren F1 would probably take the top spot for me.

Alfa numeric

3,167 posts

208 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
The Elise would have to figure pretty highly, as would the Ferrari F355 and Imprezza Turbo.

Elderly

3,735 posts

267 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Alfa numeric said:
.......... as would the Ferrari F355 and Imprezza Turbo.
British rolleyes

IROC-Z

540 posts

220 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Lotus Carlton paperbag

Or is that technically an Opel?

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Alfa numeric said:
The Elise would have to figure pretty highly, as would the Ferrari F355 and Imprezza Turbo.
Ferrari were a UK manufacturer in the 90s? Did they swap Maranello for Margate? Subaru swap Tokyo for Tonbridge?

biggrin

I'll annoy everyone and say Rover 75.

Hackney

7,423 posts

237 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Define "British"

You could just be looking at Caterham.

Lotus - Korean
AM - Ford owned and then recently.....well, the figurehead may be British but the cash isn't
TVR - British owned in the period you're talking about, but currently Russian


vixen1700

28,938 posts

299 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all


Instant classic.

harryowl

1,114 posts

210 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Lotus Elise
Mclaren F1
TVR Cerbera

stewy68

1,826 posts

272 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
donteatpeople said:
McLaren F1 would probably take the top spot for me.
+1
The definitive '90's car.

Alfa numeric

3,167 posts

208 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Elderly said:
Alfa numeric said:
.......... as would the Ferrari F355 and Imprezza Turbo.
British rolleyes
Sorry folks, reading fail. I'll take my place on the PH naughty step immediately.

Can I nominate the Lotus Carlton in their place? Still the only car to be mentioned by name in a Commons debate.

IROC-Z

540 posts

220 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Alfa numeric said:
Elderly said:
Alfa numeric said:
.......... as would the Ferrari F355 and Imprezza Turbo.
British rolleyes
Sorry folks, reading fail. I'll take my place on the PH naughty step immediately.

Can I nominate the Lotus Carlton in their place? Still the only car to be mentioned by name in a Commons debate.
Already beaten you to it.

Stick Legs

Original Poster:

8,917 posts

194 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Okay, to clarify it has to be built here, buy a loosely British manufacturer.

Ford owned stuff is okay (Jaguar and Cosworth) as is GM stuff (Lotus Carlton).

Even if the Sierra Cosworth was made in Belgium, and the Lotus Carlton was probably more Musselheim than Norfolk they are essentially British cars, with lots of UK input in the design and development stage with Ford AVO in Essex and Lotus in Norfolk.


Ferg

15,242 posts

286 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
GTM Libra

DJC

23,563 posts

265 months

Thursday 20th January 2011
quotequote all
Griffith
F1
Elise

make it Top 5 and add
Lotus Carlton
Aston Martin Vantage

a8hex

5,832 posts

252 months

Friday 21st January 2011
quotequote all
Jaguar X300/X308 & XK (obviously the X300 was the best one)

Aston Martin V600 (be the centre of your own personal earthquake)

Elise

The V12 TVR

but the F1 just has to be number 1.

PS, Ferrari were a British manufacturer, they used to make their cars in Woking. They might have moved out by 1990 though as Harvey Postlethwaite had left in 1987. Subaru were made famous when Prodrive made there cars on the outskirts of Banbury.

macar

378 posts

199 months

Friday 21st January 2011
quotequote all
Rated with regard to cost,
No 1-Jag XJ220, designed and built in the UK, with a British engine.
No 2-TVR Griffith, ditto
No 3-Caterham,
And best not forget the best range of 4x4s in the world-Landrover

williamp

20,380 posts

302 months

Friday 21st January 2011
quotequote all
caterham started going bonkers around then, too. Discovered motorbike engines..

Also, the US opwn-wheelers (indy and champ) were all made in the UK in the 90s

And in F1, every year the world championship was won by a British built chassis. With 2 british drivers- thinking about it, 2 ritish drivers won in the noughties, and the 70s in fact...

Roberty

1,180 posts

201 months

Friday 21st January 2011
quotequote all
Hackney said:
Define "British"

You could just be looking at Caterham.

Lotus - Korean
AM - Ford owned and then recently.....well, the figurehead may be British but the cash isn't
TVR - British owned in the period you're talking about, but currently Russian
Lotus - Korean! Malaysian actually.

lowdrag

13,181 posts

242 months

Friday 21st January 2011
quotequote all
No one seems to have mentioned a Morgan yetgetmecoat