The 1990s was full of outrageous performance cars. Some were turbo, and some had big V8s; some were all-wheel drive, while others could barely get enough traction for one wheel. They were also painfully easy to spot. For those who didn’t want to be seen speeding around at over 100 mph, there were some sleeper cars as perfectly viable options. While the rest of the world was staring at Mustangs and Camaros, these cars drove under the radar. 

1994-1996 Chevrolet Caprice was related to the Corvette

Chevrolet’s Caprice had been around for a few decades by the time the 1990s came around. By then, it had mutated from a classic into a dreadful, heavy sedan weighing more than 5,000 pounds. For a couple of years, though, the fourth-generation Caprice was in a position to gain some respect. Chevrolet was merciful and gave it the LT1, the same 5.7-liter V8 in the Corvette at the time. It only had 260 horsepower but could hit 60 mph in 7.6 seconds. Not bad for a 90s performance car over two-and-a-half tons.

1991-1993 Oldsmobile Achieva SCX was a pioneer

SCX was the performance variant of the Oldsmobile Achieva. It made 190 horsepower from a 2.3-liter inline-four, with the help of GM’s first-ever dual overhead camshafts and a 7,200 RPM. Mated to a mighty 5-speed Getrag manual transmission, the SCX could hit 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. It wasn’t the quickest in a straight line. However, the SCX and its performance suspension elevated it as a corner-carving track-ready monster even with front-wheel drive.

1991-1992 Dodge Spirit R/T is the weapon of choice

Chrysler got its hands into the mix of 90s performance cars with the Dodge Spirit R/T. The Spirit got 100 horsepower in base trim from its 2.5-liter inline-four, which wasn’t good but wasn’t bad either. Dodge took the next step and made the Spirit a driving force. Equipping it with a five-speed manual transmission, a 2.2-liter inline-four with dual overhead camshafts, and a Garrett turbocharger, gave the Spirit R/T 224 horsepower. Thanks to its lightweight chassis at 2,900 pounds, the Spirit R/T could sprint to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. In other words, it was just barely faster than a Mustang GT.

1988 Dodge Daytona IROC Decepzione: what could have been

Chrysler’s Dodge Daytona looked like several more popular performance cars from the 1980s, including the Mitsubishi Starion and a few aspects of the Mazda RX-7. Though Dodge never released it to the public, the Decepzione would have been a rip-roaring performance car of the 1990s. Dodge was in cahoots with Lamborghini to shove a Jalpa V8 under the hood, mated to an all-wheel drive platform designed by Lotus, according to MotorTrend. The project never took off, as the big V8 left only 1.5-inches of ground clearance for the oil pan.

Go with the Dodge Spirit R/T if you can find one

Of all these sleeper cars from the 1990s, the Dodge Spirit R/T is the best. It has a ton of horsepower, has a light chassis, and looks meek enough to sneak past a police cruiser. It’s a bit more evident as a performance car than even a mid-90s Chevrolet Impala, but you probably won’t be around long enough for anyone to figure it out.