Tag Archives: 1990

Alpine GTA V6 Turbo

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1990 Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo

Offered by Brightwells | Online | February 13-18, 2020

Photo – Brightwells

The GTA was the first “Alpine” that was technically branded as a Renault product. Alpine become the model, as this was the first new Alpine model launched after Renault acquired Jean Rédélé’s company in 1973. The GTA went on sale in 1985 and was built through 1991.

There were a number of different sub-models offered, including a base, naturally aspirated version. There was also a Le Mans model, an example of which we have featured before. By 1990, the car had been fitted with power-robbing emissions equipment, and this V6 Turbo model is powered by a, you guessed it, turbocharged 2.5-liter V6 rated 182 horsepower. Sixty arrived in seven seconds, and the car topped out at 151 mph.

This car has aftermarket wheels that make it look like a Venturi, and it is expected to sell for between $10,000-$13,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,931.

Countach 25th Anniversary

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1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 22-23, 2020

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

It’s amazing that the car shown above and this Diablo were sold by the same company in the same year (yeah, that Diablo is a ’91, but they made the same car in ’90 too). What is perhaps even crazier is that this is the final iteration of this Countach. Sure, you can see the similarities, but they are vastly different cars, styling-wise.

The original Countach was a streamlined Italian masterpiece. By the late 1970s, things started to get a little boxy. And by the 1980s, things were certainly box-ified, with side strakes, rear wings, and other add-ons that really made them hot in their day.

In 1988, Lambo debuted the 25th Anniversary Countach, which would be produced until the end of Countach production in 1990 (27th Anniversary?). The styling was updated by Horacio Pagani. It was popular – the most popular Countach, in fact, with 657 examples produced. This one doesn’t have a rear wing and is finished in a Miura Orange, which was specially-ordered for this car.

Power is from a 5.2-liter V12 capable of 449 horsepower. It made for the quickest Countach: able to hit 60 in 4.5 seconds on the way to a 185-mph top end. This one-owner example would be a great addition to any supercar collection. And it’s the only one in this color. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Pantera Si

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1990 De Tomaso Pantera Si

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Pantera was in production by De Tomaso for what seemed like a lifetime. Introduced in 1971, the cars carried wedge-shaped styling by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia. Ford powerplants were standard, and the styling was updated in the 1980s to make it boxier and, well, more “80s.”

By the time 1990 rolled around, the car was extremely long in the tooth. Marcello Gandini was brought in to freshen the design up, and here is what he came up with. The car also received a partial chassis redesign and a new suspension setup. The old Ford 351 was replaced by a 302ci, 5.0-liter V8.

Only 41 were built – 38 of which were sold to the public – before De Tomaso shifted gears and moved on to the Guara after 1992. I’ve never seen one of these offered for public sale – not in the last 10 years anyway. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $240,800.

BMW Z1

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1990 BMW Z1

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | June 17, 2019

Photo – Artcurial

By the late-1980s, BMW wasn’t producing a two-door sports car. Sure, they had the M3 but that was an extension of the 3-Series lineup, and not its own thing. Then in 1989, the Z1 was introduced. It featured vertically-sliding doors that disappear into the door sills – a kind of bizarre feature that you aren’t really likely to find on any other cars.

Power is from a 2.5-liter inline-six making 168 horsepower. Although designed in the 1980s, the car appears more modern, like something to come out of the wild 90s. And since then, the design has held up well. While production only lasted through 1991, the Z1 was eventually succeeded by the Z3 in 1996.

Only 8,000 of these were made, and they were not sold new in the US. In fact, they didn’t really start appearing over here until the 25-year rule ran its course. This car, selling at no reserve, is expected to fetch between $45,000-$67,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $41,626.

XJS Monaco

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1990 Jaguar XJS Monaco

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 6, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

The Jaguar XJ-S debuted in 1976. It was built in three series through 1996, and while that is only 20 years, it was light years in terms of car design based on what the common car looked like in the mid-1970s versus the mid-1990s. And the Jag evolved in its styling, but you can totally tell the first car was closely related to the last.

This car, however, is completely different. It looks from certain angles like a TVR Cerbera or an Aston Martin DB7 and has some hints of a modern version of those 7.0-liter Lister Jaguar monsters from the 1980s. What it actually is is a body kit from Paul Bailey Design and was, I think, built in some kind of conjunction with Jaguar.

Rumor has it that the Sultan of Brunei ordered the first one and ended up owning two. Only 11 were built between 1989 and 2001. This car is powered by a 3.6-liter straight-six that was originally rated at 221 horsepower. There were a few mechanical tweaks, but nothing major that should make it into the tire-shredding monster it certainly looks to be. I remember these from the 90s and think they’re pretty cool. This one should bring between $27,000-$30,000. Click here for more from Brightwells.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, Brightwells Leominster, May 2019.

Jaguar XJR-11

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1990 Jaguar XJR-11 Group C

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 8, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

Jaguar was pretty heavily invested in Group C Prototype Sports Car racing in the late 1980s. They dominated in 1988 and had successes prior to that as well. But by the end of the decade, turbocharged cars were beginning to rule, so Jaguar worked with TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the team running their factory effort) to get in on the turbo action.

The XJR-11 was introduced in July 1989 and would be replaced by the XJR-14 for the 1991 season. The engine that they came up with was a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 (for the Group C car, IMSA cars had a 3.0-liter version) capable of 750 horsepower. A slightly more reliable and de-tuned version of this engine would also power the XJ220 road car.

This particular chassis (490) competed in the 1990 World Sportscar Championship (WSC) with drivers Martin Brundle, Jan Lammers, and Alain Ferté. Turbochargers were outlawed in WSC for 1991, so this car went to Japan and competed in the 1991 All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship. Following that, it returned to TWR where it was restored and sold to a private owner.

The car competed in historic racing until 2010 when it was restored again to its WSC Silk Cut livery. This represents a pretty awesome opportunity to acquire a really good-looking, late Group C car in one of the best liveries of the era. It should bring between $1,500,000-$1,900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $1,542,582.

Nissan NPT-90

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1990 Nissan NPT-90 IMSA GTP

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 25, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The IMSA GT Championship was an American racing car series that lasted from 1971 through 1998. Its shining moment was from 1981 through 1992, when a category called GTP existed. It featured prototype sports cars from some big name manufacturers like Porsche, Jaguar, Toyota, and Nissan.

Nissan won the championship in 1989 and this was the follow-up car to the series winning GTP ZX-Turbo. It debuted in the middle of the 1990 season and the competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1992 IMSA Grand Prix of Mami – 1st (with Geoff Brabham)
  • 1992 12 Hours of Sebring – 2nd (with Brabham, Derek Daly, Gary Brabham, and Arie Luyendyk)
  • 1992 IMSA Road Atlanta – DNF (with Geoff Brabham)

Brabham crashed it at Road Atlanta and that was sort of it for this chassis. It was later comprehensively restored and is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 capable of 750 horsepower. It’s eligible for historic racing in the U.S. and in Europe (against Group C racers from the same era). Works GTP cars don’t change hands publicly all that often, so this is an interesting opportunity to get one of the big ones. You can read more here and see more from Mecum here.

190 Evo II

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1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 28, 2016

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

We’ve recently featured a Mercedes-Benz 190 Evolution I. That car was the 1989 homologation model for DTM. This, the Evolution II, came a year later and looks more or less the same other than a larger rear wing. It has all the looks of a road-going DTM machine. It’s a pretty extreme body kit for what was supposed to be a sensible sedan.

The engine here is a 2.5-liter straight-four making 235 horsepower – a substantial enough increase over the Evo I. Top speed is 155 mph. Only 502 of these were built and all sold out immediately upon going on sale.

This is car 262 and it only has 1,723 miles on it, making it essentially brand new. It should bring between $200,000-$225,000. That’s a lot of money for a 26-year-old car that originally sold new for $80,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $407,500.

Marlin Roadster

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1990 Marlin 1800 Roadster

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | July 15, 2015

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Marlin Sportscars Ltd has been around since 1979 when it was founded in the U.K. by Paul Moorhouse. All six models that the company has produced have been based around other cars. They’re kit cars (even though you can technically buy one already built).

The Roadster was Marlin”s first model, first introduced in 1979. Kits were sold up through about 1990 when a new model took its place. Original cars were based on the Triumph Herald while later cars (like this one) were based on the Morris Marina. The engine is a 1.8-liter straight-four.

Marlin is still in business, building sports cars as they have been for decades. It you want a throwback roadster with pre-war or immediate post-war looks, and you’re on a budget: look no further. This is expected to bring between $2,300-$3,100. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,635.

1990 Williams F1 Car

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1990 Williams-Renault FW13B

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, England | June 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Can you believe the Williams F1 team has been around since 1978? Considering they do not have huge funding dollars from a road-car division and were founded by a travelling grocery salesman and an engineer, they’ve done pretty well.

The FW13 was used in the final four races of the 1989 season and for 1990 it was updated to the spec you see here, and dubbed FW13B. It is powered by a naturally-aspirated Renault 3.5-liter RS2 V-10 and the car was used for the entire 1990 season.

The racing resume for this car includes:

  • 1990 United States Grand Prix – 3rd (with Thierry Boutsen)
  • 1990 Brazilian Grand Prix – 5th (with Boutsen)
  • 1990 Japanese Grand Prix – 4th (with Boutsen)
  • 1990 Australian Grand Prix – 6th (with Boutsen)

This car may never have won a race, but its sister cars did in the hands of both Boutsen and teammate Riccardo Patrese. The Canon Williams livery is a great 1990s F1 paint scheme. If you want to take this to track days, you’ll need to put in a little work as the Renault V-10 is currently inoperable (although it is correct). It should sell for between $140,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $160,748.