60 LAMBORGHINI DIABLO 6.0 VT
How can something so big, powerful and difficult to see out of be so generous, forgiving and easy to drive? The gearchange is almost laughably cooperative, the chassis balance peachy. But such is the torque of the V12, you can leave it in sixth all the time and still have more performance than you would ever need. And if the noise doesn’t stop people in their tracks, the shape surely will.

Layout: Mid-engine, 4wd Engine: V12, 5992cc Power: 550bhp Top speed: 200mph 0-60: 3.8sec Years: 2000-02

59 GUMPERT APOLLO
The unstickable supercar? Well, you’ll be going some when you find out. Faster round the West Circuit than everything bar the Caparo, the Apollo is blessed with incredible traction and absolute body control. So secure does it feel that dizzying speeds and the ease with which they’re achieved can become routine. Want a wake-up call? Drive it on a bumpy B-road. Basically it’s a roadgoing race-car.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: V8, 4163cc, twin-turbo Power: 690bhp Top speed: 220mph 0-60: 3.0sec Years: 2005-

58 FERRARI ENZO
The Enzo’s naturally-aspirated, 650bhp V12 screams with the nape-tingling intensity of the single seater’s. It’s enough to convince you that it’s an even more serious attempt to recreate a fleeting ‘taste of F1’ than the Enzo’s predecessor, the F50, was. Everything appears to be designed to give the driver maximum input and gratification. Still one of the most exciting cars on the planet.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: V12, 5998cc Power: 650bhp Top speed: 217mph 0-60: 3.5sec Years: 2002-05

57 ALFA ROMEO ALFASUD
A sea-change for Alfa, the ’Sud made a splash for being front-wheel drive, styled by Giugiaro and powered by a small boxer engine. Not especially quick in a straight line, it’s nevertheless mesmerising to drive with a smooth, free-spinning sewing machine of an engine, exquisite steering and miraculous levels of grip for something with such skinny tyres. Raised the bar for all subsequent front-drivers.

Layout: Front-engine, front-drive Engine: Flat-4, 1286cc Power: 75bhp Top speed: 105mph 0-60: 13sec Years: 1971-89

56 JAGUAR E-TYPE
The abiding impression left by the E-type is of the straight-six’s deep lungs and mechanical purity (the 4.2 S1 is best), unassisted steering that’s heavy but dripping with feel and a chassis that’s as eager to forgive as it is to drift. It’s all very driver-centric. Palm the stubby, leather-frocked gearlever forward into first, ease out the meaty, progressive clutch and the Jag trickles off at idle without a murmur of dissent. Not a car you want to take by the scruff and hurl at a corner, but its effortless pace and good manners are beguiling.

Layout: Front-engine, rear-drive Engine: In-line 6-cyl, 4235cc Power: 265bhp Top speed: 145mph 0-60: 7.0sec Years: 1964-68
 
55 RENAULT APLINE A610
France’s plastic-bodied answer to the Porsche 911 is simply too quirky for most tastes. The tacky interior and velour trim didn’t do much for sporting ambience when it was new and seem naffer still today. The striking styling and beefcake performance have aged more gracefully, though, but the heavy rear engine means fairly raw 911-esque handling traits and either a big dose of skill or caution in the wet. Get it right, though, and it’s a characterful and utterly absorbing drive.

Layout: Rear-engine, rear-drive Engine: V6, 2975cc, turbo Power: 250bhp Top speed: 160mph 0-60: 5.4sec Years: 1992-96

54 LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
A decent straight and a couple of fast sweepers is enough. After that, resistance is futile. The Lambo’s speed across the ground and feel-good repertoire are all consuming, the full-on supercar experience. Thumb the ‘Corsa’ button on the centre console to open up the throats of the exhaust pipes, crack the windows down a few inches and indulge: supercar heaven is but a few throttle-blips away.

Layout: Mid-engine, 4wd Engine: V10, 5204cc Power: 552bhp (LP560) Top speed: 202mph 0-60: 3.7sec (LP560) Years: 2003-

53 LOTUS 2-ELEVEN
The supercharged Elise-based track- day special has a power/weight ratio of 338bhp/ton. The upshot is that it feels almost hilariously rapid in a straight line, but it’s the way it corners and stops that takes your breath away. As in an Elise, the front of the car feels light and readable – only more so. It allows you lean on a phenomenally grippy, poised chassis without fear of any unexpected nasties.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 1796cc, s/c Power: 252bhp Top speed: 150mph 0-60: 3.8sec Years: 2007-

52 PORSCHE BOXSTER S
Porsche’s biggest thrills may be 911-shaped, but the sweeter moves belong to the Boxster. Its chassis responses feel amazingly pure and accurate, its damping beautifully judged. This makes it easier to get a feel for its point of balance, that narrow band of neutrality just after understeer stops and before oversteer begins. The Boxster tells you precisely how hard you can go.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: Flat-6, 3436cc Power: 306bhp Top speed: 170mph 0-60: 5.3sec Years: 1999-

51 SUBARU IMPREZA STI
Because you can use nearly all of the STI’s more than generous performance most of the time without scaring yourself silly, the effectiveness quotient is off the scale. There’s an immediacy and urgency that draws you in. Blistering mid-range pace, shedloads of all-drive grip, even a decent helping of on-the-limit adjustability. Even more so if it’s a hardcore Scooby like a Spec C.

Layout: Front-engine, 4wd Engine: Flat-6, 2457cc, turbo Power: 276bhp Top speed: 158mph 0-60: 5.3sec Years: 2005-07

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