Vauxhall Insignia 2.8 V6 Elite, 2012, 59k, £8,490
That's right - a first-generation Vauxhall Insignia. We're talking deep cuts here, people. An Elite-spec car in goldy-silver blancmange, which of course means it looks like a cab. The only clue to anyone of any performance potential is a tiny ‘V6 X’ badge in the boot - perfect. Of course, most 2.8-litre, turbo V6 Insignias were VXR models, but they were about as Q-like as a police helmet in a peace parade; the civilian models still made 260hp, enough for 155mph. Sluggish acceleration can surely be blamed on an old-school auto. In gear, this old Vauxhall hatch retains the ability to surprise a fair few, which is exactly what we’re here for. This one-owner car has less than 60k on it, too, so it’s fit for a whole lot more motorway mile munching yet.
BMW 335i Luxury, 2012, 61k, £13,999
The Germans are good at this - or they certainly used to be. The internet has evidently ruined their preference for understatedness, but look just a few years back and you’ll find plenty from BMW, Audi and Mercedes that combined a superb powertrain with discreet styling. And even that’s probably overdoing it - innocuous might be more appropriate. Most 3 Series like this, with the most powerful 3.0-litre engine, would have been M Sport specced, with just a bit more visual attitude to hint at the 306hp potential of a 335i. Not here - this is a 335i Luxury, with more chrome, more wood, and seemingly no pretensions at all of going fast. Only the pipes and the badge show it’s anything more than a 320d - Q car job jobbed. Especially with the ability to reach 62mph in little more than five seconds, thanks to a great BMW straight six.
VW Passat R36, 2009, 75k, £13,495
All of the VW R models for 20 years now have been subtle - Volkswagen has never really been one for OTT performance - but the R36 really was unassuming. Add to that incredible rarity and the uber Passat could very easily pass plenty by, even with 300hp. Of course, it wasn’t the perfect sports saloon, hailing from a time before VW really got a grip on making 4WD seem like fun, but what an engine. The fabulous VR6, here in 3.6-litre form and paired exclusively with a DSG, was almost worth the price of admission alone. So much so the values are climbing, probably hoisted up by Golf R32 appreciation. That the Passat is another handsome, rare performance VW must do its appeal no harm at all. This 75k miler is £13,495, so there’s enough left in the budget for at least the fuel home…
Mercedes-Benz S600L, 2003, 71k, £14,990
In the good old days of big boy Benzes, there would be the loud and lairy V8 AMG flagship as well as a more subdued - yet equally powerful - V12 model that went without the sporting attitude. When new, they were for those buyers who had to have the ultimate of the ultimate. There were SLs, CLs and, of course, S-Classes that offered both variants - this S600 is exactly the kind of 12-cylinder Q car we’re talking about. Bar some jazzy wheels and the teeny-tiny V12 badges, this could be any 20-year-old S-Class; there are still so many of these W220s around that it would get a second look from most. Yet it boasts more than 500hp and almost 600lb ft from a turbo V12; if the stats are to be believed, this is the fastest of the group. With just two former keepers and 70,000 miles, this should have plenty of ‘bahnstorming life left to run.
Jaguar XJR, 2000, 60k, £14,750
If not quite full old man spec, the X308 era XJ was certainly a traditional Jaguar saloon. Big bonnet, big boot, lots of leather and swathes of wood. Even with XJRs prior to this model, the 1998 car raised the bar - nobody ever expected a Jaguar this seemingly old school to be so fast. That performance came courtesy of a 4.0-litre supercharged V8; the aspiration was familiar for fast XJs, but only with a straight six. Upping the cylinder count to eight meant more power and torque, for effortless and emphatic speed in the best Jaguar tradition. The supercharged V8 was such a perfect fit for the XJR that the engine layout was retained, with ever-increasing potency, for 20 years after this car, until the end of the line. As the first of the breed, the X308 XJR is now a desirable classic Jag - this 60k-mile minter is just £250 under budget.
Lexus LS600h, 2008, 117k, £10,900
Hybridised V8s are big business in the supersaloon market nowadays: the next BMW M5 will use a version of the XM’s plug-in V8, and AMG is already there with the E-Performance GT. Lexus realised what a smart solution it was 15 years ago. Alright, so an LS is quite some way from a true sports saloon, but adding a hybrid element means keeping the emotional and practical appeal of a 5.0-lite V8, while noticeably upping the efficiency. The new breed is definitely attempting something similar. Here’s a car with almost 450hp and more torque than the XJR yet an official rating of 35mpg and 219g/km - on the numbers, nothing gets close to the Lexus. Both GS F and IS F prove what a charmer that V8 can be, too. For fast without fuss - and for just £10k - there can’t be much better.
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