1990s European Coupés: Part 1

Having already looked at the small coupés of the 1990s, we remain in that glorious decade but move up a level in both market positioning and performance, revisiting the “older siblings” of many of those models.

For this Razão Automóvel Special on 1990s Coupés, we gathered so many cars that we split it into two instalments: European coupés and Japanese coupés. Yes, the automotive world seemed far more colourful in the final decade of the 20th century. Unlike today, when our choice often amounts to selecting an SUV size, there were many more body styles to choose from.

Even among coupés, variety was abundant. There were options for every taste, ranging from the most elegant and refined to the boldest and sportiest.

In this first instalment, we focus exclusively on 1990s coupés made in Europe - with one North American exception. The Japanese offerings, just as interesting as, or even more interesting than, their European counterparts - such as the example in the image below - will follow on a forthcoming occasion, and not too far away.

So, travel back in time with us and remember the 1990s Coupés that defined the final decade of the 20th century.

Distinctive outside, “humble” underneath

Although their bodywork and more sophisticated lines set them apart, the vast majority of the coupés gathered here were derived from more ordinary cars, generally with a more family-oriented role. Economies of scale in the motor industry are nothing new.

That did not stop manufacturers from producing some of the most interesting, desirable and even exciting machines of the 1990s. They were also a reasonably attainable dream, within reach of far more people than sports cars or GTs of another level - equally desirable, certainly, but occupying the higher reaches of the automotive world.

That “philosophy” is perfectly illustrated by the next trio, each of which has already received special attention on Razão Automóvel: FIAT COUPÉ (1993-2000), OPEL CALIBRA (1989-1997) and VOLKSWAGEN CORRADO (1988-1995).

While the Calibra and Coupé marked the endpoint of a rich coupé history for their respective brands - there was also an Astra Coupé, but the Calibra’s shadow eclipsed it - the Corrado did receive a “sort of” successor in “our” Scirocco, albeit more than a decade later.

The Fiat Coupé left us in 2000, yet 20 years later the 2.0 20v Turbo version still carries the title of the “fastest production Fiat ever made”.

The Opel Calibra, meanwhile, made its mark not only for being “sculpted by the wind”, but also on the race tracks during the DTM’s golden era.

As for the Volkswagen Corrado - OK... technically it is not a coupé, but it fits neatly into this group - enthusiasts remember features such as its automatic rear spoiler and the highly coveted version powered by the 2.9 VR6 with around 190 hp.

These were three very different cars in their design, mechanical make-up and character, yet all were memorable. That is especially true when one considers the “humble” foundations hidden beneath their distinctive bodies, with the potential of those platforms extracted to the full in these coupés.

Beneath the Fiat Coupé’s radical styling lay an original Tipo; under the Opel Calibra’s aerodynamic body was a Vectra A; and the evocative shape of the Volkswagen Corrado concealed an ordinary Golf II.

Design Masters

The next pair of 1990s coupés on this list followed the same formula: ALFA ROMEO GTV (1993-2004) and AUDI TT (1998-2006). The Italian had close “family ties” to the Fiat Coupé, and therefore to the Tipo, while the German model hid a modified Golf IV platform. Yet what truly made this pair stand out was their design.

That is something we have historically come to expect from Alfa Romeo, but in this case the greater impact belonged to Audi with the TT, which arrived near the end of the decade. The Audi TT took its name from competition - Tourist Trophy - and from the small NSU TT, a marque absorbed by Audi decades earlier.

Its styling, however, would become perhaps the most memorable of the 1990s. The impact of the Audi TT’s geometric, precise lines was such that it became one of the key elements in raising the visibility and perceived status of the four-ring brand to the level of its now arch-rivals, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

It encountered a few setbacks along the way, including its initial dynamic instability and its association with... hairdressers - a hairdresser car - but the TT was never short of muscle.

Its 1.8 Turbo engine, with five valves per cylinder, saw to that, and was later joined by the more powerful 3.2 VR6. It was also the first production model, by a narrow margin, to receive a dual-clutch gearbox: the familiar DSG, combining the same engine and gearbox as the Golf R32.

The Alfa Romeo GTV also revived a historic name - Gran Turismo Veloce - and, despite the boldness and originality of its design, Italian styling heritage was clearer in the GTV than in the radical lines of its Fiat Coupé “cousin”. It was never universally agreed upon, but nobody was ever indifferent to it.

Despite the Alfa Romeo GTV’s closeness to the Fiat Coupé, there was far more separating them than styling alone. The GTV benefited from a dedicated independent rear suspension with a more sophisticated multi-link layout. Beneath its bonnet, buyers could find the legendary Busso V6. Several Busso versions powered it, from the 2.0 V6 Turbo to the naturally aspirated 3.2 V6 also fitted to the 156 GTA.

The familiar, almost-German trio

While the cars above distanced themselves as much as possible from their ordinary origins, other 1990s coupés made no attempt to conceal their closeness to the saloons from which they were derived. Most were even integrated into their respective model ranges.

Even so, they offered a more flowing, elegant and distinctive profile, while remaining almost as easy to live with every day as the four-door models on which they were based.

We begin with the familiar German trio, before they had become the... familiar German trio: AUDI COUPÉ (1988-1995), BMW 3 SERIES COUPÉ E36 (1992-1998) and MERCEDES-BENZ CLK (1997-2003).

Today, the three German premium marques are the only ones still maintaining this type of model. These cars are the predecessors of the current Audi A5, BMW 4 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class/E-Class Coupé.

That does not mean they were all success stories. Consider the Audi Coupé B3, another “false” coupé like the Corrado. It followed the highly... successful Coupé B2 - yes, the one that provided the basis for the ur-Quattro and its legendary WRC achievements.

Unfortunately, the second-generation Coupé never managed to capture either the aura or the success of its predecessor. Not even when Audi added spice with the S2, the brand’s first S model, fitted with a turbocharged five-cylinder engine producing 220-230 hp.

Audi would find coupé success with the more specialised TT, and performance success with... estates. A year before the Audi Coupé’s career ended, the legendary RS2 Avant was born. It took time for Audi to return to this type of coupé: the first A5, the true successor to the Coupé B3, did not arrive until 2007.

The BMW 3 Series Coupé (E36) and the Mercedes-Benz CLK (C208), by contrast, enjoyed a far better reception and greater success.

For the first time, BMW more clearly separated the 3 Series Coupé from the saloon, although many may not have noticed. Despite sharing no body panels, and despite the elegant and attractive final result, the styling relationship between the saloon and coupé was perhaps too close.

But who cared when one of the segment’s finest, if not the finest, chassis was available - it also stood out as one of the few coupés with rear-wheel drive - along with delightful straight-six engines? At the top of the range, there was also an... M3.

Unlike the 3 Series Coupé, the Mercedes-Benz CLK never lacked visual distinction. The major transformation undergone by the three-pointed-star marque during the 1990s extended to its coupés as well. First, the conservative Mercedes shocked half the world with the 1993 Coupe Studie concept - the first time we saw those twin headlamps at the front.

This solution reached the market in 1995 with the W210 E-Class. Unlike its predecessor, the W124 E-Class, the W210 would have neither a coupé nor a convertible. Rather than create two coupés, one for the C-Class and another for the E-Class, Mercedes chose to position a range roughly between them, consisting of a coupé and a cabriolet with their own name. Thus, in 1997, the first CLK was born: the production version of the 1993 Coupe Studie.

The BMW 3 Series Coupé - especially the E46, successor to the E36 - remained its main rival, but it never truly matched it dynamically. The CLK seemed more suited to long, comfortable journeys on the Autobahn, even in the increasingly outrageous AMG versions.

The CLK would go on to a second generation, but Mercedes eventually “split” it into two models: the C-Class Coupé and E-Class Coupé, which remain to this day.

Alternatives to the German coupés

Fortunately, 1990s coupés derived from medium-sized saloons were not limited to German cars. As the decade was rapidly drawing to a close, three distinctive coupés answered the German challenge: PEUGEOT 406 COUPÉ (1997-2004), VOLVO C70 (1997-2005) and FORD COUGAR (1998-2002).

It quickly became clear that these “responses” worked better for some than for others. The Ford Cougar met an early end. Technically, it is a North American model and succeeded the Probe - which will be mentioned in the second instalment on Japanese coupés... and you will quickly understand why - but the Cougar was even less successful than its unsuccessful predecessor.

Derived from the Ford Mondeo, the Cougar was conceptually closer to what we saw in the Opel Calibra. Was its controversial, daring styling - one of the most expressive examples of Ford’s New Edge Design - among the reasons for its failure? Perhaps...

There was no reason to complain about its chassis, one of the best in the segment, but the engines were... “relaxed”. Not even the 170 hp 2.5 V6 offered enough “firepower” to enliven the large coupé. It disappeared without a replacement, and perhaps without leaving many people missing it. Ford only returned to coupés in 2015, after making the Ford Mustang a global model - and that one has indeed been successful.

The Peugeot 406 Coupé and Volvo C70 enjoyed a better fate. Unlike the Cougar, the lines of the 406 Coupé and C70 attracted no controversy; they were two elegant coupés, among the most beautiful to emerge during the decade.

The long-standing relationship between Peugeot and Italy’s Pininfarina once again produced graceful results, and the 406 Coupé is still considered one of the most beautiful Peugeots ever. Curiously, its elegant lines began as a Pininfarina proposal for the design of the... Fiat Coupé, years earlier.

At the time, a connection was soon drawn between the flowing shape of the 406 Coupé and several Pininfarina-designed Ferraris from the same period - the 550 Maranello comes to mind.

While its exterior styling was widely praised, the same could not be said of its interior, lifted from the 406 saloon, or its dynamics and performance. The 406 Coupé prioritised comfort over sharp handling, and not even the presence of V6 engines in the range gave the French model a sportier character.

It was nonetheless a major success for the marque and secured a successor: the far-from-elegant 407 Coupé, which came nowhere near matching the 406 Coupé’s success.

The Volvo C70 was also a breath of fresh air when it arrived. Far removed from the typically boxy appearance of the Swedish brand’s models - an image Volvo was trying to move away from - the C70 is one of the most elegant Volvos ever made, perhaps surpassed only by the P1800.

Based on the 850, the C70 paired its elegant lines with genuine muscle, which its chassis could not always keep up with. Volvo’s turbocharged five-cylinder engines - some of which also found their way into Fords - are now almost legendary. They could easily propel the C70 to 180 km/h... and beyond. Its successor adopted the same name but was a different creature: a coupé-convertible.

1990s Coupés, part 2

This brings the first part of our 1990s Coupés Special to an end. The second instalment will focus on Japanese coupés, some of which have now become genuine cult models. In fact, Japan deserves credit for the renewed European interest in coupés during the 1990s, and for helping drive the decision for so many of these European coupés to be created.

Keep watching, because part 2 is on its way.