10 of the best used track cars to get you racing

Track days are a sure-fire way of getting your adrenaline shot while staying within the confines of the law, and a Porsche GT3 RS is often regarded as the perfect tool for the job. Coaxing every nth of aerodynamic tricky currently available to science and unleashing it in one ICE-powered bottle of fury, the 992-generation was fittingly crowned our Track Car of the Year for 2023.

So in celebration of this wonderful division of hardcore cars, we’ve put together a list of used track-honed alternatives to the new GT3 RS that we believe would make the perfect foundation for newbies that are looking to get into racing. Strap in tight.

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Ditching the classy black dress for a battle-ready suit of armour is the Jaguar XKR-S and its supercharged 5.0-litre V8. This isn’t as methodically engineered as a GT3 RS, but that’s precisely why it’s a delight: it has the mechanical ingredients to help you thrive and a thunderous noise to make sure you’re heard doing it.

But if it’s properly old-school, back-to-basics pantomime you’re after, you’d be hard-pressed to pass by an E92 M3 in ‘GTS’ form. A Fire Orange-coloured, tail-happy European muscle car for the ages, the GTS combines brute force with deft finesse. And a massive wing. Mustn't forget the massive wing.

It’s nigh impossible to put together a track special list and not have at least one entry that’s focused squarely on lightweight simplicity and slightly awkward ingress/egress procedures. And the first of these to make an entrance is the Lotus Exige Series 3. Lighter, faster and harder than what is an already-spirited car, Hethel’s boffins have used every rule in the book to create an all-action acrobat that Colin Chapman himself would be proud of.

Of the rarified track specials bred for duty in the stables of Maranello, the F430 Scuderia stands proud. Drivers have 503bhp and 347lb ft of torque to keep them company, but its greatest party trick is the window-smashing symphony it produces through the dual-exhaust system. Addictive isn't even the word.

But the Scuderia’s fellow native is just as pleasing to the ears. The Gallardo was the first production Lamborghini to feature a V10, and it’s a screamer. In Superleggera guise, the baby Lambo morphs into an exceptional track car able to deliver just the right balance of handling smarts and 'oh god this is terrifying'.

Built to take on the giants of the industry including the Epson WorkForce WF-2750DWF and Samsung M2885FW, the McLaren MP4-12C went about the business of faxing in an entirely novel way. No, wait.

Built with the lofty aim of launching McLaren Automotive as a supercar powerhouse, the MP4-12C - later renamed to 12C - took the fight right to Ferrari on its first swing. Also, it's probably the most comfortable car here, which is a pretty significant point.

The safest option on this list, though not because it’s boring - quite the opposite, in fact: the GT-R is a freak when it comes to sticking to tarmac. And once the Nismo badge is applied, its ability to recalibrate your senses is taken to scary new heights. Plus, you get to call it 'Godzilla', which is always cool.

Remember the days when big, V8-powered American muscle cars would struggle to get around corners and generally make a nuisance of themselves? Oh, how times change. The Shelby GT350R is a fine case in point. Super easy to drive on a day-to-day basis, but brutally tactile when you decide to stretch its legs.

In essence, the Ariel Atom 350R is a toned down Formula 1 car with number plates. It’s the most hardcore entrant on this list, and for good reason: it weighs just 550kg. Even more intimidating Atoms do exist, but this relatively modest 350bhp version is the sweet spot for those looking to test the waters.

Something of an arch-rival to the Ariel Atom - at least in terms of philosophy. The Caterham 620R is just as freakishly fast and offers the open-top, engineering-comes-first methodology that sees it tip the scales at just 610kg. As a result it has a power-to-weight ratio of 508bhp-per-tonne. Eat light, is all the advice we can offer.