They’re toys. Let’s face it – trackday machines are by definition cars you don’t need. Unless you have a masochistic streak you won’t be using one for the daily commute, they have no real practical purpose, and yet on the right day, at the right moment, they can deliver raw, gut-wrenching, intoxicating thrills on a level that exceeds supercars, and at a fraction of the cost. Want to kick the butt of a 458 owner on a trackday? Over half the cars here will lap faster – and none has resorted to the shady tactic of running slick tyres.

All the cars here this year are road- legal, and while for this test we’ll only be examining their on-track capabilities, all could have been (and some were) driven to the Bedford Autodrome.