Sub £50k used car classics: here’s this week’s best finds

This week’s once-in-a-lifetime classics round-up will feature a few quirkier options, beginning with this: a competition-grade SD1 Vitesse. Not only is it one of the first original examples of Rover’s spin-off to the Ferrari Daytona, but its track record is quite incredible, including several wins in Scotland’s 1984 rally season. Brilliant.

Arguably the coolest iteration of the Camaro badge ever. This one’s in ‘SS’ guise and packs a fuel-injected LS engine and 4L60 automatic transmission pairing, which means it’ll be… slow. By modern standards, at least. But what it lacks in pace it’ll more than make up for with sheer noise. 

No standard 1750 either, mind: this is a recreation of the fabulous GTAm racer, playing host to a rebuilt engine, gearbox and plenty of internals from aftermarket suppliers like Alfaholics. It’s also currently sat in track-spec, so there’s a lot of scaffolding perched behind both headrests. Might not be ideal for a Tesco run, then.

Right, it’s only fair to break up the unconventional with the very conventional. Following BMW’s reveal of the new M5 at Goodwood, perhaps now is the ideal time to purchase something much lighter and much more mechanical: the E39. Its ‘S62’ V8 sends 394bhp and 369lb ft to the rear wheels, so it’s no slouch either.

Colin Chapman’s original legacy car… now boosted to 250bhp with a modern Zetec engine. Bigger brakes, an improved differential and a five-speed manual transmission have also been thrown into this Elan S1 to stitch the refreshed internals together. Given it weighs as much as a Yorkshire Terrier, it now likely goes like one too.

It’s not a used car roundup without at least one retro Japanese icon, and this week’s choice is a 35,000-mile R33 GT-R V-Spec. What makes this one special, though, is that it remains completely stock - something that can’t be said of about 98 per cent of Skylines on these shores. It’s also a pretty penny short of this week’s budget too.

For a similar amount to the R33, you could even grab yourself a proper bit of muscle in the form of this custom Pontiac GTO. We’re big fans of the black/white theme, which even continues inside. And while the R33 might be a more refined performance car to drive, you just can’t ignore the 6.6-litre eight-cylinder demon beneath this thing's bonnet.

Yep, the Ferrari 360 Modena really has reached vintage car status now. It’s aged rather well, no? It may also share the same number of cylinders as the Pontiac, but its soundtrack couldn’t be more different in ferocity and melody. One of the great ‘small’ Ferraris now reaching affordable prices; this is depreciation at its very best.

Or for £1,000 more than the Fezza, you could have a much slower option in this Renault 8. It is a Gordini-spec, though, which means a fancier paint scheme, low-slung frame and a much bigger focus on simple mechanical fun. If you enjoy nothing more than a characterful playmate to skip along hill climbs with, this one’s a keeper.

Wild: the first word that comes to mind when you check out this Sierra RS Cosworth, right? It’s not quite the full BTCC-conqueror spec as the livery would suggest, but its former keepers have uprated its engine to put out close to 450bhp. A new steering rack and custom limited-slip diff are among the other changes, so you can be fairly confident it’s got what it takes to raise pulses and induce sweats.