Anysaloon with a Cosworth engine is ripe for a price rise – and many have already shot up, particularly the hom*ologation specials – but it’s still possible to pick up a MkII Escort in nippy 2-litreRS2000 guise for less than £20k. Not entry-level money, sure, but still accessible.
A punchy two-door saloon with plenty of performance, some 10,000 RS2000s were made – which explains why you can still bag a decent one for £18k today. In contrast, just 109 of the less-powerful RS1800 models made it into being and they’ll set you back £50k or more.
Not the rarest, then, but the RS2000 is still a rally-bred legend in its own right and one that’s almost certain to follow the fast Ford trend – provided you pick one that’s original and carries proper RS parts.
Alfa Romeo Spider Series 2
Target price:£18,000 – £25,000
A stunning successor to the Giulia and Giulietta before it, Alfa Romeo’s drop-top Spider launched in 1966 and, like Game of Thrones, would enjoy a long and complex life over the course of several series.
Regardless of the model, all Spiders offer an addictive mix of sharp-but-subtle Italian style (the first three iterations were penned by Pininfarina), zippy performance from the all-alloy twin-cam motor and a cracking chassis that handles like a dream.
Cost varies across the models, but our pick of the mix would be a Series 2 Spider in 2000Veloce guise. It pairs the classic looks of the earlier models with accessible 132bhp performance from the 2-litre motor – all without breaking the bank.
Being Italian, they can be a little capricious, though: rust is a major issue and the engine needs regular servicing, whileany repairs can soon become expensive.
All the same, buy smart, drop the top and you've an investment classic that you can enjoy all summer long.
Fiat 124 Spider
Target price: £8000 – 15,000
Another Italian Spider, this one is still resolutely inbargain territory: never officially available in the UK, the two-door Fiat 124 packs a small-but-sweet 1.4-litre motor that deliverszing to match the sparky drop-top body.
Launched in 1966, the sporty, Pininfarina-bodied 2+2 hasn’t yet enjoyed its moment in the spotlight – which means it’s both an affordable entry point into Mediterranean classics and one that’s arguably undervalued.
With understated style and zest to the engine, any standard 124 Spider should deliver good bang for buck.
Only ever sold as left-hand drive, it’ll have to be an import – but trickier is tracking down a 124 that’s been well maintained since the ’60s. Check the engine thoroughly and do your best to locate a rust-free example (which might have to come from the USA, where most were exported to) – but don’t shy away from a mild restoration, either.
Good ones are out there– and if you find one,you’ll have a reliable roadster that’ll serve you welland might just bring a healthy return.
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Target price: £15,000 – 25,000
We said that fastFords were the way to go – and, if we hadanother nest egg going spare, we’d opt for a speedy Sierra RS Cosworth.
Launched in 1985, the punchy performance saloonwas equal parts affordable, practical and rapid, thanks to a Cosworth motor good for 204bhp and a 1200kg kerbweight. Built to qualify the model for competition, it proved an instant success for the American marque – and with good reason.
Less expensive than the limited-run RS500 (the rarest and therefore yours for £55k or more),the ‘standard’ Sierra RS Cosworth is also on the rise.
You can still pick up a good RS Cosworth for around £16k if you look hard enough – although if you’d bought one five years ago you really would be quids-in now.Just make sure it's not a fake…
MGB GT V8
Target price: £12,000 – 18,000
Built by British Leyland at its lowest ebb, this muscular ’70s coupé saw a beefy American V8 bolted into the previously underpowered sports car – and the result was something little short of spectacular.
As balanced as the standard MGB, the combination of a low kerbweight and bags of torque from the thrumming 3.5-litre motor saw the GT transformed into the proper sports car BL should have been building for years. Think 0-60 in 8.6secs and 125mph at the top end.
Alas, despite the blistering thrills offered by that uprated power plant, the V8 iteration was blighted by the torrid reputation of the badge on its nose and the upgrade simply came too late in the day to make it a runaway success.
Which is great news for buyers today: just on the cusp of appreciation after decades in the wilderness, the GT remains affordable despite its relative rarity (fewer than 2600 were built).
Decent examples can be found for just north of £10k, with excellent chrome bumper numbers asking closer to £20k. Prices are unlikely to rocket, but a 0.4% rise in value according to Hagerty last year suggests the numbers are creeping up.
Bentley Turbo R
Target price: £10,000 – 15,000
Refined luxury, stately understatement and astonishing pace: Bentley’s V8 cruiser is a picture of ’80s motorway muscle and iconic to boot.
A stoic yet stylish four-door that can do the 0-60 dash in 7 seconds yet still cruise through Knightsbridge without screaming new money, the Turbo R is arguably the ultimate blend of furious pace and classy comfort. Ideal for those looking to sit in, rather than on, an investment.
Despite its comprehensive package of mod-cons and mighty speed, though, and even with a spike in values over the last decade, the Turbo R is stillan affordable thing – albeitone that’s sure tocontinue climbing.
Maintenance bills can be hefty indeed, especially if you suffer electrical problems or turbo woes, so it pays to give any prospective purchase a thorough twice-over and aim for one with a full service history.
Do your homework and it’s possible to pick up a good one for £12k, which should leave you all set.
Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129)
Target price: £8000 – 15,000
Mercedes revamped the SL class in 1989 with fresh styling and plenty of tech, shipping the R129 in a range of specs over the ensuing 12 years.
Top of the line was the 6-litre V12 cruiser, while the AMG models were naturally the sportiest of the lot –but for the best blend of performance and appreciation potential, we’d opt for an SL500.
Launched in 1989 as the 500 SL with a punchy 326bhp 5-litre V8 engine that could go and go, the autobahn attacker became the SL500 in 1994, retaining the engine, high-spec cabin and attractive shell,with just a few tweaks.
Naturally, the complex electrics can cause havoc if they go haywire, but a well-kept example with a good service history should offer a smooth gearbox and a V8 – whether M119 or later M113 variant – that’s sturdy and relaxed, but lively when it needs to be.
Get a good one for less than £10k and you’ll have plenty to enjoy, as well as a potential nest-egg for the next few decades: values are already a good deal higher than they were five years ago.
BMW E34 M5
Target price: £10,000 – 15,000
A true Q-car, the BMW M5 was the performance saloon to have at the turn of the ’90s.
With sharp yet understated styling, that little ‘M’ badge is pretty much all that marksit out as a sleeper but thatnaturally aspirated 3.5-litre motor under the hood is good for 315bhp and can do 0-60 in a fearsome 6.3 secs.
Add a manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive and upgraded suspension into the mix – not to mention the even more powerful 340bhp engine that arrived for 1992 – and you havea true super saloon to play with.
The question, then, is not why you should buy one of the blistering race-bred Beemers, but why you shouldn’t.
The answer? If there is one, it’s maintenance: get unlucky with engine issues, rust, leaking dampers or something else and you face huge bills to get it back on the road.
So don’t be tempted by cheap deals. Inspect and drive a range of E34s to get a feel for what’s out there. If you find a stellar one with a good service history around the £10k mark, you should be set – then it’s just a case of waiting until it goes the way of the E28 before it.
Toyota Supra Mk4 Turbo
Target price: £12,000 – 18,000
Another two-door offering that does plenty for Toyota’s sporting reputation, the Supra – in twin-turbo, Mk4 guise –remains an impeccable blend of sculpted styling, Japanese reliability and punchy performance.
Built between 1993 and 2002, the slippery sports car still cuts a dash with its aerodynamic lines and one-piece wing, while its sequential turbos mean the 3-litre straight-six can deliver a thumping 326bhp, paired with fantastic balance.
Always wanted one? Now’s the time to buy:as the new Supra hits the streets and nostalgia washes over everyone who had a Mk4 on their bedroom wall, the upward price trajectory is only going to accelerate.
Strangely, just a few hundred were built for – and bought in – Britain, which means original, UK-supplied examples are rarer and more sought-after.But don’t worry: a well-maintained JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) import will offer just as much fun.Naturally, the sporty six-speed manual cars are the most desirable, with prices for the best going above £20k, but you can still find plenty of good turbocharged ones for £15k.
Honda Integra Type R
Target price: £7000 – 13,000
As pure a driver’s machine as they come, the DC2 Integra Type R revs to over 8000rpm, sends 197bhp to its limited-slip-equipped front end, and will leavethat 205 GTI you were thinking of paying £10k for a mere speck in the mirror.
We’re convinced these cult machines will be £25k cars in only a few years, so now is definitely the right time to get in on the action.
But watch for sill and arch rot and unsympathetic Fast & the Furious mods.
Land rover
Target price: £7000 – 40,000
Cheap for years, Land Rover prices rose sharply with all the fuss made aroundthe end of Defender production back in 2016.
