Here are 10 used performance cars for the price of the new ZR1’s ‘ZTK’ package

The new C8 Corvette ZR1’s ‘ZTK’ package alone costs the equivalent of £8,173, but chuck in another 350 quid, and you could land yourself this 450bhp Audi S5 convertible. It’s not even been run on a budget either: there’s a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and new brakes, as per the ad.

You may struggle to find a range-topper with the 3.4-litre flat-six for this amount, but a 3.2 is more than doable. The performance is still spritely, mind: 0-60mph in 5.5s and a top speed of 167, courtesy of around 280bhp channelled through a six-speed manual ‘box. This one’s superb.

If you want something a bit less weekend and a bit more weekday, here’s a turbo four-pot Scooby hatchback with closer to 300bhp. Would you look at the size of the exhausts out back? If they got any bigger you’d need to impose a tunnel toll.

People sometimes pay millions of pounds for paintings, but why do that when you can nab an XK for just over eight grand? Not only does it remain a lesson on how to style a car, but Jag’s sultry V8-powered coupe cracks 62 in under five seconds - and sounds ungodly on the way there.

You can do two things with a second-generation MR2: turn it into a definitely-not-shady replica of a Ferrari F355 or… not do that. Why not just enjoy it for what it is as a two-seat, rear-drive, mid-engined Japanese sports car from one of the greatest periods of car culture ever? Here’s a very white and very turbocharged example to consider.

An offer of just under six grand will land you this 20-year-old Smart Roadster modified by Brabus, meaning it gets more aggressive styling traits like a centrally-mounted twin exhaust and tiny canards at the front. Power may be provided by a puny turbocharged three-pot, but given it weighs as much as yer average toaster and kettle set, the 100bhp-ish output should be plenty.

Finished in a head-turning shade of ‘Vivid Blue’ is this Nissan 370Z GT. It’s not the prettiest car on this list, but the 324bhp 3.7-litre six-cylinder is easily tunable, making it the perfect canvas to apply some Need for Speed methodology. And it’s covered less than 100,000 miles to date. Barely run in!

Or, if you’d prefer a car that’s already prepped to go full-send on a track, here’s a second-generation Megane RS Cup. The modifications list is lengthy and includes an engine remap to 315bhp, racing coilovers and a roll cage. This is a very serious machine for £6,500.

The R230-generation SL has aged well. It’s strange to think you can get a 5.5-litre V8-powered example finished in a classy double serving of silver paint for under eight grand. And speaking of being served, the mammoth 5.5-litre V8 sends all of 382bhp (and even more torque) to the rear axle in one fabulous pantomime act.

Not quite a full-bore GT-R, but what this R33 represents, much like the 370Z earlier, is a clean sheet: the ideal base to sculpt your dream Nineties hero. It’ll require time, money and elbow grease, but put in the effort and you could one day be the owner of a proper R33 build to cherish forevermore.