Class of ’96: The new Dream Cruise classics

Posted by Talbot Payne on August 22, 2022

Like a high school class reunion on wheels, the Woodward Dream Cruise celebrates not just our adolescent car fantasies, but decades of auto design.

Each year we honor the 26th reunion class in particular as new classics that can wear historic plates (in Michigan 26, not 25, is antique). For aging gracefully, the state rewards you with plates costing just $30 every decade provided you — class, listen closely — only exercise the vehicles sparingly. August excepted, of course, so that you can cruise your pride and joy anywhere you want and reminisce about 1996’s highlights: Braveheart’s Oscar, the Atlanta Olympics, the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup (boo, hiss).

Here are the highlights from the Class of ’96.

1996 Dodge Viper RT/10

Dodge Viper SR II

Raw and rowdy, the 1992 Dodge Viper roadster was a sensation. The second-generation 1996 car refined the formula. Moving the leg-scalding exhaust pipes from the rocker panels to the rear of the car, SR II also gained a stiffer chassis and a GTS coupe model (to die for in blue with double-white stripes). Oh, and the earth-shaking, Lamborghini-tuned 8.0-liter V-10 RAM engine got a horsepower bump to 450 ponies.

GTS also has a more civilized interior that won’t bake you to a crisp, power windows, air bags and door handles to access it. Car and Driver clocked sub-4 second 0-60 sprints, making Viper one of the decade’s quickest cars.

1996 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo

Dodge Stealth

While Viper Part 2 was winning accolades, Dodge ended Stealth production the same year. Made in Japan alongside the similar, more popular Mitsubishi 3000GT, the fun sports cars shared a V-6 mill with a high-output, twin-turbocharged version pumping out 320 horses. Stealth came in multiple trims — and even optioned all-wheel drive. The Dodge got off on the wrong foot back in ’91 when it was scheduled as the Indy 500 pace car — then boycotted by the UAW because of its Japanese origin (a Viper prototype took its place). Rick Mears received a Stealth for winning the race anyway.

1996 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport

Chevy Corvette C4 Grand Sport

Chevy’s fourth-generation sports car ended its 1983-96 production run with a $43K performance Grand Sport — the first GS since the legendary ’63 race car piloted by Roger Penske (among others). Just 1,000 Grands were produced (810 coupes, 190 convertibles) dressed in Admiral Blue with a white stripe down the middle, 330 horsepower and signature twin red hash marks over the left front fender.

1996 Chevy Camaro Z28 SS

Chevy Camaro Z28 SS

This was the era of the sloped-nose, scalloped-headlight F-body Camaro (the chassis shared with sibling Firebird, though the Pontiac had retractable lights). The base ‘Maro offered two V-6 engines and a V-8 upgrade making 275 horsepower. For ’96, Chevy partnered with Street Legal Performance in New Jersey to produce the model line’s Alpha Dog: a ferocious, V8-powered Z28 SS that, for one year, united the legendary Z28 and SS badges.

It’s a rare bird for a lot of reasons (though it should be noted that its 305 ponies is, um, less than a 2023 Chevy Blazer RS). Just 2,263 Z28 SS models were built (264 of them convertibles) loaded with toys like Torsen differential and Hurst six-speed.

“When SLP received approval from Chevrolet in 1996 to offer the … Camaro Z28 model, it marked the re-introduction of the SS nameplate after a 24-year absence,” wrote SLP President Ed Hamburger in a press release. “The Camaro SS instantly became the new benchmark in affordable performance.”

1996 Ford Mustang GT

Ford Mustang GT

After the 4th-gen ‘Stang debuted in 1994 with major chassis and styling revisions, the ’96 GT showcased a new 215-horse, single-overhead-cam 4.6-liter V-8, replacing the old nail, 30-year-old 5.0-liter pushrod V-8.

The 1996 BMW Z3 Roadster.

BMW Z3

Assembled in Greer, South Carolina, the Z3 roadster was the first BMW manufactured outside of Germany. First models were powered by a 1.9-liter 4-banger producing 130 horsepower, or about the same as a more affordable Mazda Miata.

Nevertheless, Z3 was hailed for its athletic handling and later models (including the inevitable Z3 M performance beast) would be available with more powerful inline-6 cylinder engines. It’s a topless sports car that can be enjoyed on Woodward or twisty M-32 Up North.

The Lotus Elise Series 1.

Lotus Elise

This legendary Brit was introduced in ’96, but didn’t wash up on our shores until 2005. Thanks to the sunset of federal safety regs 25 years after production, the original Elise is now legal here. What a treat it is.

You thought the Z3’s engine was small? Elise’s 1.8-liter 4-cylinder packs just 118 horsepower — but at just 1,600 pounds, the aluminum-frame Elise weighs the same as an IndyCar. With fiberglass body, sultry looks and no-frills interior, it became the best-selling Lotus ever.

The third-generation Taurus debuted for the 1996 model year.

Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable

America’s best-selling car at the time, the third-gen $18,000 Taurus (and sibling Sable) was introduced in ’96 in sedan and station wagon trims with different styling than its predecessors. Still aerodynamic, Taurus looked to stand apart by taking the company’s Blue Oval logo and making it a theme across the car — oval headlights, oval grille, even an oval rear window.

The interior was also reimagined with (naturally) an oval-shaped console with front bucket seats standard. The Payne family enjoyed their wagon (despite rust issues), but the design proved polarizing, and in 1997 Taurus lost its sales crown to the Toyota Camry.

1996 Honda Civic LX Sedan.

Honda Civic

Though my favorite trim, the sporty manual Si, wouldn’t debut until 1999, the sixth-generation, 1996 Civic offered good bones to build on. It featured a sippy, 106-horse, 4-banger engine mated to a CVT transmission as well as an intuitive manual box.

Inside, Civic was roomy for its class, though its amenities pale to today’s electronics. Standard adaptive cruise control? Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? Backup camera? Fuhgeddaboudit. The base CX three-door hatchback not only lacked those basic features found on today’s compact, but it had no radio, no power steering, and came with with 13-inch wheels. Price? Just under 11 grand.

1995-96 Nissan 370Z Twin Turbo

Nissan 300ZX

Maybe the best-looking Z outside of the original 1970 240Z — and the current, 2023 inspired by the same — the ’96 300ZX would be the last Z sold in the U.S. until 2002 as Nissan corporate struggled to find itself.

Powerful and athletic, 300ZX offered a 222-horse V-6 and a 300-horse, twin-turbo option with an adjustable suspension, depending on your mood. “It will be a black day when the last Nissan 300ZX is shipped to America,” wrote enthusiast publication Car and Driver when it named Z to its 10 Best Cars list.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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