From analogue icons to era-defining supercars, these are the machines that capture one of motoring’s most celebrated decades.

The nineties are having a real resurgence. Podcasts have sprung up dedicated to the decade. Oasis are back together. Baggy jeans are now practically the norm.

And this love for the nineties permeates to cars. Many believe this was the peak era for the automobile because it embodied the sweet spot of technology. The cars on this list are started with a key, not a button. The combustion is handled electronically, rather than by a tricky-to-maintain carburettor. And yet, they don’t have nannying driver monitoring systems tracking eye-blink rates and head positioning.

Feeling nostalgic? We’ve edited the choices down to five must-have nineties cars, at five very different price points—all to be offered at RM Sotheby’s hotly anticipated Monterey auction.

1996 McLaren F1 GTR

Estimate: In Excess of $35,000,000

In some respects, the epitome of nineties excess, the McLaren F1 is widely regarded as the defining supercar of the 20th century. A car penned by a Formula 1 car designer, featuring a custom 6.1-liter engine (complete with gold-plated engine bay) and three seats—with the driven sitting centralized.

And this ‘Pop Art F1’—the only McLaren F1 GTR racecar with factory livery—is perhaps the most excessive of them all. Crafted with its 1990s pop art-influenced design in scarlet and yellow, it is easily the most recognizable of all McLaren F1s.

It is a one private owner from new car, with rock and roll legend Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, acquiring the car in 1999 directly from McLaren.

An unrepeatable opportunity to acquire one of the most iconic McLaren F1s ever built, and a true artifact of 1990s British pop and automotive culture.

1995 Ferrari F50 

Estimate: $7,000,000 - $9,000,000 | Offered Without Reserve

Built to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary, the Ferrari F50 was an audaciously engineered halo car, capable of more than 200 mph thanks to a Formula 1-derived V-12 engine.

It became an instant classic of the nineties and was adored by the well-heeled, including heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who first owned this car.

Just 349 were produced, making them notoriously hard to find today.

1993 Bugatti EB110 GT

Estimate: $1,750,000 - $2,250,000

Turbos were dropped into cars in the sixties. By the seventies and eighties, they had become so well-known for delivering more power that using the word as an alternative to cool became common parlance. Then in the nineties Bugatti took things to a whole new level by giving its new supercar four turbos.

Dormant since 1952, Bugatti was revived when Italian entrepreneur and Ferrari distributor Romano Artioli secured the rights to the marque in 1987.  Determined to restore Bugatti to prominence, he did so with this Marcello Gandini–designed supercar, capable of comfortably breaking the 200-mph barrier.

This example is thought to be one of only 139 Bugatti EB110s manufactured and one of only 84 built in GT specification.

1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

Estimate: $425,000 - $500,000

The Carrera RS is essentially a road-legal version of the contemporary Porsche racecar that had its own race series. Compared with the regular 911, it is some 287 pounds lighter, more powerful, and features tauter suspension.

And it also had a run of pure nineties colors dripping throughout its curves; the most famous and polarizing of which is Rubystone Red, as seen on this example.

This color debuted on the 964-generation 911 Carrera RS and has gone on to become synonymous with this era of Porsche. Only 235 cars were finished in this sublime magenta.

1995 BMW M3 Lightweight

Estimate: $225,000 - $300,000 | Offered Without Reserve

BMW needed a homologation special M3 in order to take part in European racing. This isn’t it. That car was sold only in Germany, and proved so popular, engineers in Munich devised a celebratory M3 Lightweight aimed at the North American market.

This car ditched embellishments such as air conditioning, a radio, sound-deadening material, and a sunroof to save 200 pounds, and in turn, offer an extremely pure driving experience.

All 126 cars were finished in Alpine White III featuring tri-color BMW Motorsport flag graphics over a black interior, while this model is accompanied by its original window sticker, original title copy, owner’s books, correspondence, and service invoices.

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