Why The Sports Coupe Is Back, And Better Than Ever

If there's one, car-related reason to love the 1990s, it's the high-performance coupe.

The decade was basically littered with the things. You could barely leave the house without tripping over a Toyota Supra, bashing your head off an E36 M3 and getting run over by a Mitsubishi 3000GT.

Then, as quickly as the hot hatchback rose back to prominence following its 1990s lull, the sports coupe disappeared. There's probably a correlation in there somewhere, given the average 1990s coupe would barely see which way an Astra VXR or Renaultsport Megane went.

But just think of all the cars we've lost from that time. In addition to the ones above, there's been no NSX replacement, no new Celica GT-Four, and little attempt to replace the Nissan Silvia or Mazda RX-7.

A few high-performers still linger - Lotus offers the Evora, Porsche the Cayman and Nissan still soldiers on with the 370Z, but the market still feels a bit... well, weak.

That is all about to change.

The next few years will see some of the most exciting sports cars ever hit the scene, more advanced, exotic and wilder than ever.

Where do we even start? How about with one of the highest-profile cars of the next year or so - the new Honda/Acura NSX. Yes, it's a hybrid. Get over it already - Japanese sports cars have always been about technology, and the new NSX will be right at the forefront of that. It's still got a V6 sitting behind your head too, so that familiar high-revs Honda scream is sure to return.

It won't be the only hot hybrid though. Possibly even more exciting is BMW's latest attempt.

Where Honda is playing it slightly safe with the NSX's styling (not that the original was ever an out-and-out stunner - flame suit: engage!), BMW has clearly been on the Bavarian beer, the i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe featuring more cuts and slashes than a Saw movie box set. It's even more advanced too, using a compact but hugely powerful 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine - mid-mounted - and a set of electric motors for its 4.6-second 0-60 sprint. If you're not excited yet, just have a look at Evo's excellent vid - and listen to that cracking exhaust note.

There's a trio of non-hybrids on the way too, though they all keep the exotic mid-engine layout.

Caterham's next sports car and the newly-revived Alpine brand should be hugely exciting.

Each is claimed to be feather-light, each will use a four-cylinder, turbocharged engine with a dual-clutch 'box (with the vaguest likelihood of a proper manual) and each is likely to be mid-engined. Renault and Alpine's offering could be the real one to wait for, as all indications show they'll be going to town with the styling - expect a modern-day homage to the brand's famous A110 sports car of the 70s.

Next up is Alfa Romeo's 4C. The looks are an acquired taste, particularly those spider-eye headlights. But the rest of it is hard to fault - helium balloon kerb weight, supercar-wide stance, 237 bhp four-pot turbo and super-fast dual-clutch gearbox.

Nope, it doesn't stop there. A new Supra and even a new RX-7 is said to be in development, while rumors persist that a car to slot below the Toyota GT86 is also on the way. Talking of the GT86 - Toyota's partner Subaru is still threatening an STi version of its BRZ, likely to be turbocharged even if Toyota won't introduce an equivalent.

Then there's Volkswagen, which has teased us several times with a lightweight, sports car offering the twin benefits of 911-style performance and Prius-beating performance. No, seriously. And fellow German brand BMW hasn't forgotten what we love about it - a new M4 concept, based on the 4-Series coupe, was unveiled just the other day.

If all that wasn't enough, there's the stuff that's already on sale. GT86 and BRZ. Nissan's 370Z. The Audi TTS and TTRS. The Cayman. That Evora. If you're American, you can add all the current pony cars and hotties like the Corvette to that fast and not-too-insanely-priced list.

Not all of these will be affordable to average Joe of course - the BMW i8 is expected to cost close to £100,000. But then £60,000 for a Honda NSX back in the early 1990s was hardly cheap either, and a Supra was still two thirds of that. Cars like the Alpine and Alfa 4C are expected to come in between £40k-£50k - pretty much where you'd expect them to.

The point here is, the high-performance coupe isn't dead. In fact, it's more alive than ever.

Which car are you most looking forward to?