{"id":27812,"date":"2021-08-21T12:20:27","date_gmt":"2021-08-21T16:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27812"},"modified":"2021-08-21T12:20:27","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T16:20:27","slug":"these-cars-bowed-in-95-like-the-dream-cruise-now-theyre-antiques","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/08\/these-cars-bowed-in-95-like-the-dream-cruise-now-theyre-antiques","title":{"rendered":"These cars bowed in ’95, like the Dream Cruise. Now they’re antiques."},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Woodward Dream Cruise is a giant class reunion \u2014 a celebration of decades of autos that have defined America. Each\u00a0year Michigan honors the 26th reunion class\u00a0as classics deserving antique plates (most folks mark\u00a0quarter-century as antique, but we\u2019re a little different here in the Mitten State).<\/p>\n

This year we honor the great Class of 1995, which bowed the same year as the Cruise itself.<\/p>\n

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For aging gracefully, Michigan awards you with antique license plates that cost just $30 every 10 years (not to mention the insurance savings) provided you exercise the vehicles lightly in car shows, swap meets, and so on. August excepted, of course, when you can drive it anyplace you want.<\/p>\n

Places like Woodward Avenue, where we\u2019ll all gather to ogle your collector’s item and reminisce about, well, 1995. That was also the year Michael Jordan\u00a0returned from his baseball detour to win more NBA titles for the Chicago Bulls (boo, hiss). Steve Fossett was the Lindbergh of hot air balloons with a solo flight across the Pacific. A little higher up, the first American Space Shuttle docked with Russia\u2019s Mir Space Station. The 55 mph speed limit finally bit the dust, Jeff Gordon dominated NASCAR, Toy Story ruled the box office, and Billary ruled the White House.<\/p>\n

And here are the new classics from 1995:<\/p>\n

\"1995<\/p>\n
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Chevy Corvette ZR1.<\/strong>\u00a0Improbably, the 1995 C4 \u2019Vette ZR1 would be the last for the storied nameplate for another 14\u00a0years (when it reappeared\u00a0on the ferocious\u00a0638-horse C6 ZR1). The 1990-1995 ZR1 made a huge mark. It came at a time when Corvette sales were slumping. ZR1’s\u00a0technical prowess \u2014 a track-focused \u2019Vette! \u2014 gave new life to \u201cAmerica\u2019s sports car.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ZR1 was visually distinguished by its fatter rear fenders and rounded, square taillights. But what made it special was a unique Lotus-engineered, high-revving dual overhead-cam V-8 married to a 6-speed transmission.<\/p>\n

“What we’ve got here is the Corvette from hell,\u201d raved enthusiast magazine Car and Driver. “It lets out the power with the speed and strength of water through a fire hose.\u201d<\/p>\n

By \u201995, the power had increased from 375 to 405 horsepower \u2014 but so had the price. The uber-Vette stickered for\u00a0$72,209 \u2014 nearly double that of the standard sports car, which had learned many of the performance variant’s technical tricks.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0the sticker soared and the base car improved, sales plummeted from\u00a03,049 ZR1s in its debut year to under 500 in 1995. But the halo badge had done its job, upping Corvette\u2019s sales game and keeping competitive pace with\u00a0market entries like the Dodge Viper, Toyota Supra Turbo\u00a0and Acura NSX.<\/p>\n

\"1995<\/p>\n
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Chevy Camaro.\u00a0<\/strong>The bow-tie brand\u2019s other muscle car got a more modest update for \u201995 \u2014 gaining, for the first time,\u00a0a second V-6 engine in addition to the base\u00a03.4-liter six-holer. The so-called 3800 Series II engine upped the power to 200 ponies\u00a0and eventually became the car\u2019s standard mill. Customers could also option a V-8 with 275 horses.<\/p>\n

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Ford Mustang GTS.\u00a0<\/strong>Camaro\u2019s cross-town pony car rival introduced a purist-focused\u00a0one-year special, the GTS. This stripper model offered all the performance of the V8-powered GT, but without frills like fog lights and rear-deck spoiler. What’s more, it was the last year of the 5.0 pushrod engine. Only\u00a06,370 were made \u2014 a rare pony indeed.<\/p>\n

BMW 5-series.\u00a0<\/strong>The third-generation 5 capped its run in \u201995 as one of the most handsome \u2014 and diverse \u2014 luxury sedans in the U.S. Today, it is a throwback to a time before SUVs dominated the earth.<\/p>\n

The so-called E34 chassis was offed in wagon as well as sedan form with a manual transmission, V-8 engine option\u00a0and AM\/FM cassette player. All those features have gone the way of the dinosaurs 26 years later.<\/p>\n

Dodge Viper SR\u00a0I.\u00a0<\/strong>Anyone who has ever been at a stoplight next to the original Viper will never forget it. Armed with an 8.0-liter V-10 engine, the snake literally shook the earth before disappearing into the distance.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the legendary 427 Cobra, Viper was a raw, gloriously visceral experience. The beast had no exterior-mounted door handles or key locks \u2014 entry was\u00a0negotiated by unzipping a vinyl window to reach the interior door release handle. Exit was more fraught, as you had to step over the red-hot exhaust. Buyers of the final, 1995-model year snake would at least get an air\u00a0conditioning upgrade before a\u00a0more refined\u00a0SR II model arrived in 1996.<\/p>\n

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Toyota Tacoma.\u00a0<\/strong>The midsize pickup that launched a legend. Actually, when Taco entered the market in \u201995, it paled next to Detroit entries from Ford, Chevy\u00a0and Dodge. The \u201995 was considered underpowered and overpriced.<\/p>\n

But Toyota’s patience\u00a0paid\u00a0off as Motown\u00a0players exited the segment, leaving the Toyota as sales king \u2014 a title it still owns today. The original leaves a lot to be desired\u00a0in the styling department,\u00a0but its signature\u00a0off-road toughness is apparent.<\/p>\n

Ferrari F50.<\/strong>\u00a0This is one of the Prancing Horse’s greats. The first production Ferrari built on a carbon-fiber tub architecture, the sleek F50 incorporated Formula One-inspired elements. Chief among them was the screaming\u00a0mid-mounted, 512-horse\u00a04.7-liter V-12 engine derived from the 1990 F1 race car.<\/p>\n

It hit 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and continued\u00a0all the way to 202 mph (if you had the space). Priced at $475,000 in 1995, only 349 were produced. By 2017, Mike Tyson\u2019s F50 sold for $2.64\u00a0million at auction and today the supercar fetches north of $3 million.<\/p>\n

\"1995<\/p>\n
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Chrysler Cirrus.<\/strong>\u00a0The 1995 Cirrus was the first Chrysler built (the Dodge Stratus and Plymouth Breeze would follow) on the\u00a0new\u00a0innovative JA\u00a0platform \u2014\u00a0a cab-forward architecture that opened up interior space.<\/p>\n

The front-wheel-drive Cirrus was powered by a V-6\u00a0and standard stick shift \u2014 elements that have all but disappeared from mid-size cars today (heck, midsize cars are disappearing).<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite its efficient design, the Cirrus is far from a boxy crate. Its metal skin is sleek and stylish \u2014 the prettiest in the class,\u201d raved Car and Driver at the time, naming the $9,600 Cirrus one of its Top 10 vehicles of the year. \u201cUnderneath, the Cirrus has a sophisticated control-arm suspension to provide a winning combination of precise handling and a smooth ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

The charm wouldn\u2019t last long, however. Cirrus was discontinued after 2000.<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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