These Are the 13 Craziest Sleepers From the 1990s

There’s a thrill in playing the underdog in a world where the spotlight is coveted, and everyone wants to be seen. There’s immense satisfaction in appearing weak or feeble — intentionally downplaying your strengths, only revealing your true power when it matters most.

Legendary Chinese military general and philosopher Sun Tzu discussed this in books. This strategy is occasionally used in performance car circles. The term for a car that gives this kind of delayed gratification is called a ‘Sleeper.’

Sleepers are designed to look ordinary, measly, and feeble – but when the lights turn green after a traffic stop, all hell breaks loose, and you are left in the wind. If you have been dying to get such a car, these are the craziest 90s sleepers ever built.

Volvo 850 T-5R

I love wagons for one special reason — they always look incapable of anything performance, and the 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R fits that bill. Its unassuming soccer mum design is perfect for grocery and school runs.

But under the hood, it packs a sweet surprise. It is powered by a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-five engine good for 243 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. It gets better — it’ll do 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. Add that to Swedish safety and practicality, and you’ll be untouchable on the track.

Toyota Chaser JZX100

I won’t fault anyone for overlooking the Toyota Chaser JZX100. At first glance, it’s just another boring Japanese family sedan from the ’90s. But underneath the long, narrow front end is the world-famous Toyota Supra’s half-sibling, the 1JZ-GTE — a twin-turbo 2.5-liter inline-six engine.

Automotive YouTuber TJ Hunt has one of these rare Japanese sleepers. With 276 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque powering the rear wheels, the Toyota Chaser JZX100 is the ultimate sleeper drift car.

Buick Regal GS

Forgive me for being callous, but the early 2000s Buick Regal GS looked like a cheaper version of the Toyota Camry of the same era. It was the kind of car government agents would station out on the street to spy on criminals — it just blended in.

But underneath that bland executive styling, the Buick Regal GS hid a monster of an engine. A supercharged 3.8-liter V6, capable of 240 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a 4-speed automatic, this sleeper car could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds.

Mazda Millenia S

In the 1990s and 2000s, Mazda made a name for itself among performance car lovers with the Miata, a no–frills driver’s car. In the 90s, the RX-series was also still at its best. In that same era, the Japanese automaker also released a peculiar car that never caught anyone’s eye — the Mazda Millenia S.

You’d never pick this over the RX series or Miata unless you were looking for a family car. But under the hood, it ran a Miller-cycle engine ahead of its time — a 2.3-liter V6 is good for 210 hp and could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds.

Mercedes-Benz E500 W124

The 90s Mercedes-Benz releases featured a boxy design and were mostly bent on offering luxury — even though a few releases had monster powerplants that dominated the track. The Benz E500 W124 was no different. It looked like a luxury sedan but packed lightning-fast performance.

The Benz E500 W124 was developed with Porsche and featured a 5-liter V8 capable of making 322 hp. It could do 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds — impressive for a luxury sedan from the 1990s.

Ford Taurus SHO

The Ford Taurus SHO has a lot of respect among classic performance collectors, even though it didn’t look the part. To be honest, it resembles a knock-off six-gen Toyota Celica (T200) with four doors. However, this was no ordinary Ford Taurus. This beast was developed in collaboration with Yamaha and featured a 3.5-liter V8.

Yamaha is known for its high-revving yet durable engines, and the one in the Ford Taurus SHO produces 235 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque. It has a top speed of 143 mph and can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds.

Saab 9000 Aero

Saab has built a reputation in the car industry for overlooking design for functionality. The Saab 9000 Aero was no different. Its understated styling made it appear modest, making it the ultimate sleeper.

Under the hood, it featured a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-4 engine good for 225 hp — we are talking about a 1993 car here, folks! Thanks to what was hidden under the bonnet, the Saab 9000 Aero outperformed many sports cars of its era.

Mitsubishi Galant VR-4

The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 is undeniably the best example of a sleeper car. It looked like the base model Galant, a family sedan, but underneath, it shared the same DNA as the legendary rally sibling, the Lancer Evolution.

The early VR-4s featured the same engine as the Lancer Evolution, a turbocharged 2-liter 4G63T engine good for 237 hp. Later variants of the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 featured a twin-turbo 2.5-liter V6 generating 280 hp.

Nissan Maxima SE

When the Nissan Maxima SE came out in 1995, it was marketed as a ‘four-door sports car,’ much like the Subaru WRX is today. While it did get a little buzz, its design was nothing like the sports cars of the 1990s. It was more of a family sedan, making it the perfect sleeper.

Under the hood, the Nissan Maxima SE packed Nissan’s iconic 3-liter VQ30DE V6 engine that produced 190 hp and 205 lb-ft of torque. It featured either a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual. Those who got this car loved it for its torquey V6 engine and strong performance that did not compromise on its practicality.

Audi S4 B5

Unless you knew what it was, you wouldn’t think much about the 1997 Audi S4 B5 today. It looked like a regular ’90s European sedan. Its understated design makes it a great sleeper because it masks immense capabilities underneath.

The S4 B5 featured Audi’s revolutionary Quattro AWD system. That’s not all. It also packed a twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 good for 261 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It could bolt from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds.

Honda Accord Type R

Back in the 90s, performance car aficionados never played around with a Honda with a red badge — currently, it’s a Honda with a passenger holding a laptop. Here’s the truth: Except for the rear spoiler and badge, the Honda Accord Type R didn’t look racy at all.

However, under the hood, it has an iconic high-revving Honda engine — the 2.2-liter H22A, capable of 217 hp and 164 lb-ft of torque. Its superior handling capabilities also made it a maestro in attacking corners.

Chevrolet Impala SS

Hollywood has done a lot to make cop cars look weak. That’s exactly what the Chevrolet Impala SS looks like. However, it hid a big secret, making it the perfect sleeper. It was built on a Caprice chassis and packed a Corvette powerplant.

Yes! The Chevrolet Impala SS featured a 5.7-liter V8 (LT1) capable of 260 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. It could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Once this bad boy showed up in the rearview mirror, drivers should be prepared to get passed.

Volkswagen Passat B5 W8

Like the Audi S4 B5, the 1998 Volkswagen Passat B5 W8 looked like your regular European mid-sized family sedan. The only thing that made it different was that you couldn’t beat it on a quarter-mile with a regular sports car.

The Volkswagen Passat B5 featured the legendary 4-liter Volkswagen W8 engine, which produced 271 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. Its rare configuration gave unsuspecting performance, making it capable of sprinting from a standstill to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. You could get this sleeper as a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic.