Forgotten super sports cars of the nineties
Super sports cars were and are the favorite children of many magazines and car TV shows. Almost every child knows the Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari Testarossa or the Porsche 959, but there is a whole guard of super sports cars from the nineties that have almost been forgotten. We would like to briefly recall a few of them here.
Jaguar XJ 220 - the British high-flyer of the nineties
The Jaguar XJ 220 was actually presented back in 1988 and naturally a car with a top speed of over 320 km/h aroused a lot of interest, but it was another four years before production started and just 275 cars were built by 1994.
With a measured 343 km/h and 7:45.36 for a Nürburgring lap, the almost five-meter-long and over two-meter-wide British flounder was one of the fastest. A six-cylinder engine with two turbochargers produced well over 500 hp. And in terms of design, the Jaguar was definitely special enough to stand out wherever it went. But it was also expensive enough, because few car buyers were prepared to invest seven-figure sums for the car.
Vector W8 - the American answer to Lambo and co
A mixture of fighter jet and super sports car, a movie prop from a science fiction film. The Vector W8 can be described in many ways, but it is definitely something special. It was the American answer to the super sports cars from Italy and England. But it was not successful, despite 600 hp and a top speed well in excess of 300 km/h.
The predecessor of the Vector W8 first appeared in the local press back in 1977.
Then in 1990, 13 years later, the "production model" of the Vector was unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The price was quoted at around CHF 265,000.
Just three cars were built in 1990 and 1991, followed by a further nine cars in 1992 and a handful more in component form in 1993. Finished. Compared to other super sports cars, it was comfortable to drive, not least thanks to the standard automatic transmission. And its cockpit with parts from the jets that were popular at the time ensured that young fans flattened their noses against the side windows.
Cizeta V 16 T - 16 cylinders and quite transverse
Only a few manage to see their dreams and visions come true (and drive). Claudio Zampolli is one of them. The Italian-born car fanatic dreamed up the ultimate super sports car and built it in line with his ideas and visions.
The Cizeta V16T anticipated superlatives long before the Bugatti Veyron and is still unique in its kind today, as no one before or since has ever installed a V16 engine in a mid-engined sports car. The wedge-shaped two-seater was designed by Marcello Gandini, who also designed the famous Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo.
It was too expensive for many sports car drivers of the time, and only 11 cars were delivered over several years. Most of them are still on the road. And Claudio Zampolli continues to dream ...
Seeing a Vector W8, a Jaguar XJ 220 or a Cizeta V16T on the road today is probably as rare as hitting the lottery jackpot. Getting them all together in one picture would be almost impossible.
From time to time, individual examples appear at auction, such as a Vector W8 at RM Auctions or a Jaguar XJ 220 at Artcurial in Le Mans. They are usually still available for considerably less than the original price at the time.
