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the guy who wanted Corvette-like performance but not a Cor-
vette. The 1994 version — part of the third-generation FD Se-
ries than ran from 1993-2002 — packed a wallop in the form
of a twin-turbo 1.3-liter two-rotor Wankel rotary engine with a
scintillating 255 ponies in a 2,850-lb. bantamweight car.
Like the Corvette, the RX-7 was a two-seater with very
little cargo space, but who needs room for suitcases when you
can go straight from the offi ce to the track and burn around S
curves like Jackie Stewart? The RX-7 was pretty much a rally
car right out of the box.
Automotive magazine scribes 25 years ago were almost
unanimous in their belief the RX-7 was the raciest car avail-
able in ’94 on this side of the Atlantic. You might not fi t in one
if you were a tall guy, and if you were poor you were likely go-
ing to struggle with $35,000 price tag. Pristine examples are
going for a lot more than that these days, and these awesome
rascals seem like a lead pipe cinch to keep climbing in value
and popularity.
1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT
This was the Rodney Dangerfi eld of the Japanese sport
coupes the 1990s. The 3000GT never seemed to get the
same marketing push or have the same visibility as its Nis-
san, Mazda and Toyota rivals, but the Mitsubishi was a terrifi c
street machine with an abundance of giddyup and a famously
comfortable ride. The 3.0-liter DOHC V-6 featured twin tur-
bochargers and intercoolers to produce an impressive 320 hp
and 315 lbs.-ft. of torque. That translated to 13.5-second times
in the quarter-mile and 0-to-60 in just 4.9 seconds. The VR4
model also featured full-time four-wheel drive and four-wheel
steering!
This was a car you could really live with as a daily driver,
then get your thrills heading home from the offi ce when the
twin turbos kicked you in the pants heading down the on-
ramp. Unfortunately, the 3000GT got lost in the sports car
shuffl e and never became a household name. There are still
plenty of fans of these cars, and there will probably be more
in the future.1994 Nissan 300ZX
The 300ZX doesn’t get the same love among collectors
— or near the prices — as its main rival, the Mazda RX-7,
but it was a worthy successor to the famed 240, 260 and 280z
cars that came before it. In 1994, it was pretty hard to top the
300 hp and 155-mph-plus top speed of the Turbo model. Even
for the not-so-adventurous, the 222-hp base 3.0-liter V-6 was
more than enough motor to scare yourself and your friends.
One of the best things about the 300ZX was that, unlike
the Corvette and RX-7, you had some cargo space in either the
convertible, T-top coupe or 2+2 T-top coupe. In any confi gura-
tion, this was a fast, sexy car that didn’t disappoint those who
could plunk down the $36,000-$42,000 it cost new.
With nice examples still trading in the $6,000-$8,000
range, the 300ZXs from the early to mid 1990s are some of
the best collector bargains around.Cars of 19941994 Mitsubishi 3000GT