30 RENAULT CLIO WILLIAMS
Great to drive for at least two important reasons: one, it has a 2-litre engine that’s lusty, revvy and sounds good; two, the chassis is the fully-rounded product and gives the driver just about every option save full-blooded oversteer when pressing on. Not only does the Clio Willy make gold wheels and decals look good (no mean achievement), it delivers a steer crammed with memorable moments – from a lusty thump in the back to considerable on-the-limit finesse.

Layout: Front-engine, front-drive Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 1988cc Power: 150bhp Top speed: 121mph 0-60: 7.6sec Years: 1993-96

29 HONDA NSX TYPE R
Lighter, harder, faster and hornier than the standard item, the NSX-R could have been the perfect riposte to the 911 GT3 and Ferrari 360 CS. Alas it never made it to the UK. Traction off the line is stunning, the rifle-bolt action of the six-speed ’box amazingly fast and accurate. Gun it – letting the green and red shift-lights set into the rev-counter alert you to the proximity of the 8000rpm red line – and you’re pressed towards the bulkhead by one sustained surge after another.  

It’s hard to recall steering that resolves information about the road surface more organically than that of the NSX-R. It plays out like a relief map, just the right amount of weight and damping smoothing off the rough edges. The confidence it gives you is astonishing. Much like the car itself.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: V6, 3179cc Power: 276bhp Top speed: 168mph 0-60: 4.4sec Years: 2002-03

28 PORSCHE 911 2.7 RS
The original and in many ways still the best. Just 210 horsepower but just 980 kilos. The light engine and light five-speed gearbox means the rearward weight bias is similar as a percentage, but a much lower overall figure. That allows lower spring rates which means the balance can be exploited via unassisted steering which is sooo sensitive. Still the most involving of the rear-engine Porsches for all these reasons.  

Layout: Rear-engine, rear-drive Engine: Flat-6, 2687cc Power: 210bhp Top speed: 150mph 0-60: 5.6sec Years: 1972-73

27 BMW M3 CSL
The ultimate E46-generation M3. Thumb the CSL’s M Track button and, as with all the best sorted rear-drive chassis, its balance moves to the point where it rests on a broad line drawn between helm and throttle inputs. Then the CSL starts to flow at speed in a way you simply wouldn’t believe. And so immediate and so abundant is the CSL’s response to the throttle between 2000 and 7000rpm, so scalp-prickling its yowl and so scarce the time it takes the fully wound-up SMG to shift through the engine’s workload, it makes your regular M3 feel comparatively tame.

Layout: Front-engine, rear-drive Engine: In-line 6-cyl, 3246cc Power: 355bhp Top speed: 155mph 0-60: 5.3sec Years: 2003-04

26 BMW E30 M3
This is, quite simply, one of the best cars BMW has ever made. And that’s largely because it was genuinely a product of the Motorsport division, with a run of road cars produced to satisfy homologation requirements. Its terrific, raspy twin-cam engine revved enough to be exciting. It was also lighter than any of the models that followed and better for it – as always.

You’ll have little appreciation of how good a saloon’s steering can be – or how adjustable its cornering balance – unless you’ve driven a well-cared- for E30 M3. It’s a talented track car made good for the road, pure and simple: incisive, involving and deeply rewarding. Few cars feel as supple and naturally fluent, while balance on the limit is extraordinary. Respect.

Layout: Front-engine, rear-drive Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 2302cc Power: 220bhp Top speed: 144mph 0-60: 6.7sec Years: 1986-90

25 RENAULT CLIO V6
The impossibly squat Clio rewards long-term relationships with real charisma and great entertainment. Handling that can bite (especially the mk1) only adds to the character. Maybe it isn’t quick enough, it aquaplanes something rotten, the gearchange is mediocre and it has only two seats. But just look and listen. It’s a miniature exotic. And once you learn to relax with the car, don’t try to over-drive it and let the engine’s fine flexibility do the work, the rewards come in torrents.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: V6, 2946cc Power: 255bhp Top speed: 153mph 0-60: 5.8sec Years: 1999-2005

24 FERRARI 288 GTO
Right up there with the Lamborghini Miura in the all-time drool parade, the 288 GTO is a serious piece of kit, too, with a composite body and longitudinally slung proto-F40 engine. Saddled up with a brace of IHI turbos, the 2.8-litre ‘quattrovalvole’ V8 develops a tidy 400bhp (or 140bhp/litre) – enough, before the Porsche 959 came along, to make the 189mph GTO the fastest production car in the world in the mid-80s. On a really difficult stretch of road, its lithe chassis and feelful steering make it a match for any subsequent Ferrari supercar, F40, F50 and Enzo included.

Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive Engine: V8, 2855cc, twin-turbo Power: 400bhp Top speed: 189mph 0-60: 4.9sec Years: 1984-85

23 Peugeot 205 GTI
If you appreciate the niceties of lift-off oversteer, this is the hot hatch that keeps on giving. Just one word of warning – the wheelbase is very short, so better not let the situation develop unless you’re ready for it! When you are, the steering and engine are so quick to respond that you can indulge with confidence. Lightning gearchange and meaty steering feel add to the already high involvement factor. Extraordinarily agile, too. Not for the faint-hearted in the wet but little else from this era can claim to be a more challenging/rewarding steer, though the more composed Clio Williams runs it close. The little Pug is an all-time great and fabulous fun.

Layout: Front-engine, front-drive Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 1905cc Power: 130bhp Top speed: 124mph 0-60: 7.9sec Years: 1988-91

22 HONDA INTEGRA
What an engine: 187bhp at 8000rpm, 8400rpm red line, scalp-prickling noise. And what a chassis. The Integra R is one of those rare cars that doesn’t have to sacrifice control for comfort. Its firmness keeps its sticky Bridgestone Potenzas planted to the tarmac but doesn’t allow sharp inputs to upset the body’s composure. And when you do breach the limit (intentionally or otherwise) the chassis stays with you rather than hanging you out to dry. Throw in steering with a surprising amount of weight and feel, and a deliciously short and precise gearshift, and it all adds up to something very special indeed. In a word: sensational.

Layout: Front-engine, front-drive Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 1797cc Power: 187bhp Top speed: 145mph 0-60: 6.2sec Years: 1996-2000

21 NISSAN GT-R
It’s the automotive Terminator, ruthless in its pursuit of speed, a brutal taker-aparter of supercar reputations (just ask the Veyron, which couldn’t catch it on testing Welsh roads, evo 134). But this is car and driver in harmony: each aware of exactly what the other is up to and able to respond accordingly. Driving it is a partnership and that’s what makes the GT-R a truly great drivers’ car. 

Layout: Front-engine, 4wd Engine: V6, 3799cc, twin-turbo Power: 478bhp Top speed: 193mph 0-60: 3.9sec Years: 2008-

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