8 Cult Turbo Cars Most Younger Enthusiasts Never Drove

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Wednesday, 24 Jun 2026 00:00 0 6 autotech

8 Cult Turbo Cars Most Younger Enthusiasts Never Drove

In the late ’80s and ’90s, turbocharging meant something different than it does today. It wasn’t to improve fuel economy on a four-cylinder commuter. It was the thing that let a Buick humble a Ferrari, or let a mid-engine Toyota punch above its weight class.

1994 Saab 9000 Aero

Average Used Value: $9,000

1995 Saab 9000 CS Aero Front Three Quarter

Via: Cars And Bids

Read Also 1 week ago Aston Martin Vantage and the Heart of Racing Team claim LMGT3 podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 6 autotech Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4	5-speed manual	222 hp	252 lb-ft

The 1994 Saab 9000 Aero is the cheapest car on this list, and that says a lot. Saab built it to quietly embarrass much pricier metal, not to win drag races at a stoplight. The manual version ran a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 good for 222 hp, fed by a larger turbocharger than the standard 9000 got.

The numbers don’t sound dramatic today, but the in-gear pull is the whole story. Saab actually advertised that the Aero could out-accelerate a Ferrari Testarossa from 50 to 75 mph, and turbo torque made that claim true. Saab built over 174,000 examples of the 9000 body that housed the Aero, so this was never a rare car.

What’s rare now is finding a clean, unmodified manual Aero, since nobody treated these as collectibles back then. At an average of $9,000, this is the easiest on-ramp on the list, and the one veteran drivers will tell you is criminally underpriced for what it does.

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2001 Audi S4 (B5) 2.7T

Average Used Value: $14,691

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
2.7-liter twin-turbo V6	6-speed manual	261 hp	295 lb-ft

If there’s one car on this list that deserves more respect, it’s the 2001 Audi S4 B5. Most American enthusiasts have never heard of it, let alone driven one. That’s wild, because under the hood sits a twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 making 261 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque at just 1,850 rpm.

It came standard with quattro all-wheel drive, a six-speed manual, and a chassis that borrowed braking know-how from Porsche. Audi only sold this generation stateside from 2000 to 2002, a short window that makes clean manual examples genuinely hard to find today. The tuning scene around this engine is massive, since the stock forged crank can reportedly handle up to 800 hp.

But it’s the untouched, stock examples that are vanishing fastest. At an average of $14,691, this is the pick for most undervalued car on the list, hands down.

1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

Average Used Value: $20,260

1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Front Three Quarter

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
3.0-liter twin-turbo V6	6-speed manual	320 hp	315 lb-ft

The 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 spent decades as the forgotten Japanese brother to the Supra and the Skyline GT-R. Under the hood is a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 that made 320 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque in its final form. It came with full-time all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, and active aerodynamics — tech that even a Porsche 911 didn’t offer at the time.

Real scarcity shows up at the top of the range. Just 231 VR-4s were built for the US in 1998, and only 287 more in 1999, out of a total run of over 16,000 cars. That’s genuinely rare for a car most people barely remember.

The market is catching on fast. Hagerty data shows mint, post-1994 examples up more than 31 percent in the last 12 months. At an average of $20,260, this one isn’t sleeping anymore.

Eagle Talon TSi AWD

Average Used Value: $20,892

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4	5-speed manual	195 hp	203 lb-ft

The 1992 Eagle Talon TSi AWD is the DSM platform’s forgotten cousin, living in the shadow of the more famous Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. The AWD turbo model used a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine making 195 hp, thanks to an intercooled turbo running 11 psi of boost, while the front-wheel-drive TSi was detuned slightly to 190 hp.

This wasn’t just a tuner toy, either. The Talon TSi AWD won real SCCA World Challenge titles in the period, as well as several other awards. That’s a serious resume for a car most younger enthusiasts have never heard of.

According to specialist forum DSMtuners.com, clean, unmodified survivors are getting harder to find after a generation of these cars being drifted and dragged hard. At an average of $20,892, the Talon TSi AWD is quietly becoming the real unicorn of the DSM world.

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Toyota MR2 Turbo (SW20)

Average Used Value: $21,602

1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo 5-Speed Front Three Quarter

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4	5-speed manual	201 hp	203 lb-ft

The 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo, known by its SW20 chassis code, is the mid-engine sports car nobody respected when it was new. Its low-slung shape earned it the nickname “baby Ferrari” for a reason. Under the rear hatch sits a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, rated at 201 hp and 203 lb-ft of torque in US trim.

Later Japanese-market revisions pushed output past 240 hp, though those cars rarely made it to American shores. Hagerty’s own buyer data backs up the entire premise of this list, showing millennials make up 37 percent of SW20 buyer interest, versus just 20 percent of the classic market overall.

The top end of this market is already moving. A documented, all-original 1995 MR2 Turbo with 8,000 miles sold for $71,000 at auction. At an average of $21,602, plenty of clean examples are still within reach for now.

Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo (Z32)

Average Used Value: $29,338

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
3.0-liter twin-turbo V6	5-speed manual	300 hp	283 lb-ft

The 1991 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo sold by the truckload when new, yet finding a clean one today is its own kind of treasure hunt. Under the hood sits a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 making 300 hp and 283 lb-ft of torque. Nissan crossed one million Z-car sales during the 1990 model year alone.

That popularity is exactly why clean survivors are scarce now. Most of these cars got driven hard, modified hard, or both long before anyone thought to preserve one. Car and Driver put the 300ZX on its 10 Best list for seven straight years it was sold in the US, earning that spot with a genuine GT feel rather than a stripped-down racer vibe.

Newly import-eligible JDM variants are adding fresh demand on top of the existing US-market pool. At an average of $29,338, this is a car that rewards patience.

Mazda RX-7 (FD3S)

Average Used Value: $43,350

1994 Mazda RX-7 Touring Front Three Quarter

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
1.3-liter sequential twin-turbo rotary	5-speed manual	252 hp	217 lb-ft

The 1993 Mazda RX-7 had the shortest US sales window of any car here, and that scarcity is exactly why it commands real money today. Power came from a sequential twin-turbo 1.3-liter rotary engine, with US-spec cars rated at 252 hp, while later Japanese-market versions reached as high as 276 hp. Mazda only sold this generation stateside from 1993 to 1995, totaling roughly 13,879 units before pulling it from the American market entirely.

The chassis is a big part of the appeal. It carried a near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution on a curb weight under 2,800 lbs, a balance hard to find even in modern sports cars. That same delicate engineering cuts both ways, though, since the turbo system and rotary internals punish neglect severely.

A well-maintained example is a joy to drive, while a neglected one turns into an expensive lesson fast. At an average of $43,350, this is the priciest Japanese entry on the list.

America’s First Turbocharged AWD Car Nobody Remembers Anymore

Long before the WRX and Evo hit American streets, there was already a turbocharged AWD car — but chances are, you’ve completely forgotten about it.

Buick GNX

Average Used Value: $198,311

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque
3.8-liter turbocharged V6	4-speed automatic	276 hp	360 lb-ft

The 1987 Buick GNX is Detroit’s last great turbo swan song, built right before the muscle car world shifted to front-wheel drive. Under the hood was a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6, officially rated at 276 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque, though independent testing found real output well over 300 hp. Buick built just 547 of these, each converted from a standard Grand National by ASC and McLaren.

That power came from a six-cylinder, not a V8, which made the GNX’s numbers remarkable for the era. It reportedly ran a full second faster than a 1987 Ferrari 328, embarrassing a genuine Italian exotic with American turbo torque.

At an average of $198,311, the GNX is the line in the sand on this list. The gap between missing the window and never owning one isn’t about timing anymore. It’s about net worth.