Six stunning cars from ‘90s Sunday Breakfast Club

Renault Sport Spider

One of the very coolest products of the ‘90s wasn’t a Q car at all. In fact arguably it was the craziest car that Renault has yet made. We of course refer to the Renault Sport Spider. Honestly, it was probably a lesson in “don’t take Lotus on at its own game” but it’s still such a fun thing. Williams power, weight under 930kg. Quite the sportscar recipe.

Volvo 850R 

Right, back on track. No Q car is more Q car arguably than a five-cylinder Volvo. Our love for this 850R is considered extremely dangerous by our accountants. Of course, a Q car should be used and we’ve made sure this one has been. It’s got a clean bill of health, on its way to 160,000 miles on the clock. Perfection.

Lamborghini Diablo

Okay, okay. Not a Q car but it is perhaps the poster car of the 1990s. The Lamborghini Diablo was, after all, the supercar that was on sale for the entirety of the decade, being revealed in 1989 and replaced in 2001. It went on that journey with us and for that it deserves the status of ‘90s poster car even over the likes of the McLaren F1, Jaguar XJ220, Bugatti EB110 and the Ferrari F50. Plus, this shot of it sat next to a rally-spec 306 is just delightful. Two car garage goals?

Honda Integra Type R

The 1990s in addition to being the decade of the Q cars was undeniably the decade of Japanese supremacy. With the profits from effectively becoming the white goods automotive supplier to the world, Japan went crazy on performance. It was all turbos, technology and revs, the latter of which was delivered best in the Integra Type R. Perhaps the greatest front-wheel-drive performance car ever made, even to this day, the Teg R harnessed tactile steering, a race-sharp chassis, a rifle-bolt gearshift and an engine that revs to over 8,500rpm. Outstanding work.

Nissan Skyline GT-R

On the opposite end of the spectrum, from Nissan, the R32 Skyline GT-R. A computerised, sledgehammer, its all-wheel-drive and titanic turbocharged six-cylinder engine left Munich and Affalterbach scratching their heads. The GT-R stretched the laws of physics for the duration of the nineties over three generations, much to the bewilderment of its European contemporaries.

Lotus Carlton

Back to our original theme. The greatest super-saloon of all time and therefore the greatest Q car? The Lotus Carlton might just be it. It gets automatic consideration given that in period, the legality of its excessive performance was debated in Parliament. Lotus squeezed 382PS (281kW) from its twin-turbocharged straight-six engine, making this absolute sledgehammer a 177mph car. In 1990! The car thieves loved, that the cops couldn’t catch and that even journalists thought was too fast. We are not worthy.

Photography by James Lynch and Joe Harding.