Want a manual performance car for under £20k? Check these options out

No used manual performance car list is complete without one of BMW’s greatest engines: the S65 V8. It’s a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated unit which, in this guise, is paired with a punchy six-speed stick. Better still, this particular E92 is one of only three manual Competition Pack versions to hit these shores with an Alpine White exterior and Fox Red Novillo interior. Nice.

But while the E92 is a naturally-aspirated jackhammer, the Evo 7 looks to offer a slightly different experience with a turbocharged four-cylinder. This one’s uprated to 350bhp, mind, with the ad specifically mentioning the intake noise when it hits boost. Yours now for a fiver under budget - or even less if your negotiation skills are sufficient.

Arguably all the car you’d ever need since it’s a Ford and does the whole ‘practicality’ thing about as well as any other hot hatch out there. But that’s not the main reason for showing an interest in this Focus RS: it’s because you’ve got a 346bhp four-pot to work up using three pedals. And a Scorpion exhaust so people know you’re coming.

The current-generation Type R is a fabulous car, no doubt. But is it really worth twice as much as a slightly used FK8? We’ll leave you to answer that question after checking out this 66,000-mile example of the latter which, since it's finished in a triple layer of black, does well to hide the hideous looks. Mega car to drive, though.

Right, we’ll stop shoving excessive amounts of power and front-wheel drive down your neck for a moment so we can present you with a proper, back-to-basics, two-door British sports car that’ll likely only grow in value: a second-generation Lotus Elise 111R. It’s yellow, it weighs as much as the average French Bulldog and it’s got 189bhp to play with. What’s not to like?

Let's follow up the Elise with its in-period rival, and perhaps the greatest Vauxhall ever built: the VX220. It only seems to get better looking with age, and beneath that wonderfully shaped body sits a turbocharged 2.0-litre 16-valve unit that’s good for… not much power. Though considering it doesn’t have much weight to haul around either, the driving experience will likely feel the same as getting a piggyback ride from Lionel Messi.

Not your average (and relatively bland) entry-level 911 from the Noughties; this one’s a 997 Carrera S with a mild suite of skirts and bumpers to go with the black exterior theme and yellow accents. Looks good. And that’s before you consider its flat-six motor sends nearly 400bhp to the rear wheels and has a top speed of 188mph. Bloomin’ brilliant.

When TVRs work, they really work. Hailing back to a time when charismatic mechanical performance was king is this 5.0-litre, V8-powered, manually-driven Griffith 500. It’ll get you to 62mph in just over four seconds flat and keep going to a top speed of 167 - numbers which still threaten a fair share of today’s sports car armada. Have a sense of adventure, will you?

So often claimed to be one of the greatest engines ever built, this stage 2 tuned RS4’s 4.2-litre V8 will likely be a handful. A good sort of handful though, since all that power is neutralised by Audi’s brilliant Quattro system. It likely results in a genuine race car for the road experience. Just stick a pin in any tailgating impulses you may have, yeah?

Why would Top Gear enlist a well-behaved, cheap-as-chips Toyota hatchback for its wildcard option? Well, this isn’t any old Starlet: it’s known - arguably - as the most famous example ever. Rebuilt by Jam Racing, it’s had years of competition under its belt and even lapped Tsukuba quicker than a Ferrari F40, supposedly. Quite a thing if that’s true.