5 Of The Most Iconic Chevy Cars From The '90s

There are many cars from the 1990s that have attained iconic status. Sports cars like the R33 and R34 Nissan GT-R as well as the Mk4 Toyota Supra have been lusted after by nearly every car enthusiast for decades. Supercars like the Lamborghini Diablo and the Ferrari F40 lit up our collective imaginations and were popular as bedroom-wall-posters all across America — and they've only continued to rise in popularity over the years. But foreign automakers weren't the only ones making cool cars in the '90s — Chevy made some pretty epic automobiles during that decade too.

With a broad range of available modes, from pickup trucks and SUVs to sedans and sports cars, Chevrolet was able to leave its mark on the car community in the 1990s in several big ways. Some of the cars and trucks that came out of the Chevrolet lineup back then still turn heads today, with impressive style and big power. But which ones stood the test of time? What were the most iconic cars in the 1990s to show up at Chevy dealerships?

The fifth generation was a big leap forward for the Corvette. The fourth-gen Corvette was available for most of the '90s, and it certainly had iconic trims like the ZR-1 and a memorable design all its own, but the C5 Corvette (introduced in 1997) was pretty extraordinary in its own right. Compared to the C4 Corvette, the C5 was a much sleeker design with smooth body panels and rounded edges instead of harsh corners. It felt more grown up, with an impressive ride quality and lots of cargo space. But most importantly, it was fast, just like a Corvette should be.

The C5 Corvette was powered by a 345-horsepower V8 that was capable of rocketing it from 0-60 mph in just 4.9 seconds –making it almost as fast as the previous-generation top-trim ZR-1 Corvette. Hopped-up versions of the C5 Corvette (like the Z06) wouldn't debut until the early 2000s, but the standard version was certainly enough to gain the Corvette a spot on our list of most-iconic '90s Chevy cars and to give it a solid place in Corvette history.

Today's highest-performance trucks like the Ram TRX and the Ford F-150 Raptor offer impressive performance, but they also take up a lot of space. They're built in crew-cab configurations and with off-road capability high on their priority list, a lift kit and big knobby tires are prerequisites. Back in the '90s, though, high-performance trucks had a different vibe. The Chevrolet 454 SS was a short-bed, single-cab version of the Silverado, available from 1990 to 1993. It was the smallest version of Chevy's full-size truck that you could get, but with a massive engine.

The number "454" in Chevy's 454 SS stood for the 454 cubic inches (or 7.4 liters) of displacement from the massive big-block V8 — an engine that was big enough and powerful enough to be used in GM's heavy-duty trucks from the same era. Like modern high-performance trucks, the 454 SS had big power. When it was first released, it pumped out 230 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque, but in 1991 the 454 SS got some upgrades that brought power up to 255 hp and a whopping 405 lb-ft of torque. That meant the 454 SS could go from 0-60 mph in under 8.0 seconds –not bad for a pickup truck of any size, especially in the 1990s. The 454 SS understated styling lent a lot to its cool factor as well — essentially it was just a functional pickup truck on the outside, without much flare, but it packed a big punch.

From 1994 to 1996, the Impala SS was one of a few four-door muscle cars available in the United States. The Impala had a big 5.7-liter V8 up front, a comfortable and quiet interior, and rear-wheel drive came standard, so it had several of the boxes ticked as a muscle car and as a daily driver. The Impala SS doesn't have big power by today's standards — just 260 horsepower at the rear wheels, but it was spicy for its day, providing 340 lb-ft of torque at the relatively-low RPM of just 3,400.

With all that torque, the Impala SS felt powerful low in the rev range, contributing to its muscle car character, and it was capable of trotting from 0-60 mph in just 7.0 seconds. While that might not seem impressive by today's standards, it was pretty impressive back in the '90s — and it qualified the Impala as a bit of a sleeper. The Impala's styling was pretty cool, too. The Impala was sleek and muscular at the same time. Chevy even embraced the dark side of the force, stating "Lord Vader, your car is ready" in print ads. If the Chevy Impala wasn't the coolest sedan from the '90s, it's certainly near the top of the list.

The newest Chevrolet Blazer is electrified – providing emissions-free motoring in a family-friendly package. It doesn't share much in common with the original K5 Chevy Blazer, though — a historically popular truck that was first introduced in the late 1960s. The K5 Blazer was defined by its square-ish shape and its strong stance. It felt like a robust pickup truck, even with the enclosed cabin, and it shared many of its styling cues with the Chevrolet C10. And the K5 Blazer's iconic status carried over for at least a little bit, in the form of the short-lived early '90s Blazer.

The K5 Blazer was discontinued in 1991, but the standard Blazer took its place in 1992, offering similarly strong styling and a 5.7-liter V8 as standard. The V8 wasn't particularly exciting, providing just 210 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, but the third-generation Blazer was still offered with just two doors, connecting it with the most iconic of its Blazer cousins. You could also add a massive 6.5-liter diesel powertrain under the hood if you wanted, increasing fuel economy along the way.

One of Chevy's oldest nameplates, the Camaro has left its iconic stamp on car history in several different decades. It has been a main character in movies several times and many special edition Camaros have graced showroom floors since the 1960s and '70s, with multiple modern models that are worth a closer look too. Known as the "Catfish" generation, the fourth-gen Camaro launched in 1993 with a 275-horsepower V8 under the hood. It looks weren't universally loved, but it was rear-wheel drive (despite a near-brush with the possibility of front-wheel drive), had more power than the Mustang of its era, and had improved weight distribution compared to the previous generation Camaro.

Like the Corvette of the '90s, the Camaro was fast. Early fourth-gen models went from 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds  — more than half a second faster than the Mustang, which was an eternity in muscle car math. Later in the fourth-gen's life cycle, power was increased to 305 hp, shaving a few tenths off the Camaro's acceleration times. It may not be the most popular era of Camaro styling, but Chevy's 1990s-pony-car performed well against its rivals, and it has a prominent place in Chevrolet history.