Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
It costs just over £60,000, so the budget does not evaporate completely, but the Giulia QV is just the car to combine performance and usability every day. Its the best Alfa in years, and that historic badge does come with its own allure. But the 503 bhp Ferrari-derived V6 is the thing that really pushes the deal over the line.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
This US supercar is tough to find in the UK, but you can import one. And with its formidable performance, you'll want to. Especially when you find out that it's possibly the cheapest horsepower you can get. The 650 bhp Z06 costs around £90,000. Not much for something this fast, and with this much all-American character.
Ferrari 488 GTB
You can't write a list like this without including something from the Prancing Horse. We chose the 488 GTB coupe, which comes in at £193,000, but by paying another £24,000 euros you can put the Spider in your garage. Both have 700 horsepower, lightning steering and the famous Ferrari badge on the wheel.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
An SUV might seem out of place alongside sportcars of this calibre, but the Trackhawk's V8 engine produces 700 bhp - nearly as much as McLaren's current supercar. It's relatively cheap, with a £64,000 price tag in the USA. So it could be your everyday wheels, while you spend the rest of your budget on something a bit more lively.
Maserati Quattroporte GTS
At 5.26 metres in length, the Maserati Quattroporte GTS is huge, and it's definitely a little uncomfortable on tight bends, but its 3.9-litre V8 comes straight from Ferrari, who know how to build an engine. The Quattroporte GTS will make you grin from ear to ear with to every prod of the throttle. It costs a lot - almost £109,000. It's no city car, but it's an utterly unrivalled motorway cruiser.
Dallara Stradale
The Dallara Stradale costs just over £130,000, but its four-cylinder 2.3-litre engine produces just under 400 bhp, and the chassis can raise a smile like few others vehicles when the road gets winding. And in faster corners, it allows you to appreciate its finely tuned aerodynamics.
McLaren 720S
British manufacturer McLaren has raised the bar hugely with the 720S, which costs £208,600 and offers a unique style, as well as a decent boot and other-worldly performance. With the 710 bhp 4-litre V8 mounted behind the driver's seat, it's capable of 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 212 mph.
Porsche 911 GT3
The iconic Porsche caused the editors have agreed in a way that few other cars could. That's because the 911 has different nuances and appeals to pretty much everyone: the 533 bhp Turbo (£128,692) is a missile that's also suitable for everyday use, while the 493 bhp GT3 (£111,802) is fabulously extreme and angry.
Tesla Model S
The only electric car on the list is the Tesla Model S, a saloon that goes as fast as a sports car, especially in the guise we have chosen: the P100D. At £128,500, it develops 611 near-silent horsepower and ensures a sprints from 0-62 mph in 2.7 seconds - formidable, considering the 2.1-tonne kerb weight.
Rolls Royce Ghost
The Ghost is the most expensive model here, with a list price of £237,000, but it is a legend that pampers the lucky passengers like no other car on the market today. In the city, it struggles, measuring in at 5.4 metres in length, but on the motorway, it makes you forget that you're in a car.
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