It may surprise you to learn that various cars once considered cheap runabouts are now sensible investments. We choose five rock solid vehicles set to be the pick of the 1995/1996 trading year.
While half of the Royal Family and Take That were busy splitting up, allowing the likes of the Spice Girls to break through and plans for the Millennium Dome to be finalised, several special vehicles were slipping under the radar. Perhaps not the best selling vehicles in comparison to the likes of Ford’s Mondeo or Vauxhall’s Astra, but these five technological powerhouses not only pushed the game forward, they are sound investments for the years to come.
5. 1995 Volvo 850 T5-R
Usually more sensible than a 55 year old, privately educated, tweed wearing head master, Volvo can sometimes lose the plot after an Abba-indulgent cocaine fest – and the results are spectacular. The 850 T5-R is one such example of the wide-eyed engineers at Volvo splicing a heavy dollop of passionate desirability into the traditional Swedish family tank. Available in either black, blood red or heroin-flavoured banana yellow, the Volvo 850 T5-R can hit 60mph from a standstill in under six seconds and continue all the way to an electronically limited 155mph. Not forgetting the safety aspect, the 850 T5-R is credited as being the first production car to provide an integrated child booster seat. This is Zlatan Ibrahimovic in car form - and seriously cool. That’s one spicy Swedish meatball.
4. 1996 Peugeot 406 Coupe
Although Peugeot suffered a rough time throughout the 1990s that left Bearings Bank on easy street in comparison, the company’s designers managed to craft one of the best modern affordable coupes of all time in their frantic anguish. Providing a cut-price slice of European splendour, with a wide array of punchy engines – including a rudimentary if not sensible diesel option – alongside Pininfarina styled lines, the 406 Coupe is now a popular choice for those seeking cheap thrills without the burden of living with an Alfa Romeo. Having survived the downwards trough all French cars suffer in the second-hand market, the coupe version of Peugeot’s bog standard yet solid 406 saloon is a worthy investment for the years to come. They aren't up for grabs very often, but you can find 406s for sale on CCFS.
3. 1995 Porsche 911 (993)
Boxter-bashing purists call this the final ‘real’ 911 when donning their anorak. Porsche’s last air-cooled flat-six, high performance variants such as the Turbo and light-as-a-feather RS have become some of the most collectable examples of Stuttgart’s finest in the world. Any well-heeled 993 is worth far more than the 996 that replaced it, but if we had to honestly choose a Porsche from this time period it would be the 911 GT1. The only reason 25 examples of this Le Mans rocket were constructed was the necessity to meet homologation rules for the FIA GT Championship. Zero to 60mph took only four seconds and top whack was just shy of 200mph – but as these were £500,000 each when brand new and certainly a lot more now, we advise you stick with the 993. Even though it’s slower – and nowhere near as radical.
2. 1996 TVR Cerbera
At one point, the TVR Cerbera was the fastest production car in the world. The first of Blackpool’s offerings to use TVR’s own V8 engine, this thing knocks you for six in any gear – even reverse. A complete cretin to keep in a straight line and plagued with more reliability issues than a Westmister politician, TVR’s wild child became the base for various hair-brained TVR ideas well into the new millennium. Unassisted controls, a murderous obsession with your wellbeing, a reputation for bullying and injuring the inexperienced or the naïve, as frightening to look at as the driving experience felt, less comfortable than an evening at Charles Manson’s house and more phallic looking than Phil Mitchell – The Cerbera had all the hallmarks of a true TVR. It made Alistair Campbell’s temper look half-hearted.
1. 1996 Lotus Elise Mk1
Yes, it really has been twenty years since Lotus’s fortune changer hit the road. With an aluminium tub, simplistic fiberglass construction and a 1.8-lire, Rover-sourced K-Series engine, the little Elise was a game changer for less than a decent Mercedes saloon. Mind you, it had to be cheap – for it offered less in the way of creature comforts than a dentist’s waiting room. However, comfort is not the Elise’s forte, for this is a true driver’s car. It grips like a demented cat on expensive curtains, offering near perfect balance and handling with a stance and looks to grab your attention and not let go. Mid-engined, fast, attractive and offering the perfect ratio of contemporary usability and weekend fantasy – this is everything the MGF should have been. Setting the tone for rivals to follow, the first generation Elise is not only a collector’s item in the making, it’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on.