Road cars not cutting it anymore? These are the best track cars on sale now, from a featherweight Lotus to out-and-out race cars.
Getting bitten by the track bug is something like Dracula himself sinking his fangs into the deepest crevices of your wallet until not a drop remains. First you take your road car on track, then that isn't enough, you need a GT3, a GT3 RS even. Then, the bug has taken over your mind as well as your finances and even the most track-focused of road cars doesn't cut it anymore.
That is where this list comes in. Starting at less than 50 grand, these are the best track cars on sale with our dealer partners right now. Disclaimer, I got a little silly by the end.
2009 | 2,750 Miles | £47,995
For people who think an Exige is just too luxurious, the 2-Eleven is for you. And if that wasn't quite enough either, this one has been upgraded to GT4 specification with an FIA roll cage, just one seat and some other bits to meet FIA safety standards.
This is one of just 37 naturally-aspirated 2-Elevens ever made, although it has since been upgraded with a supercharger and other engine upgrades resulting in 320hp, which combined with a weight of around three quarters of a tonne, sounds like enough to tear your face off. It'll make you feel like a racing driver for less than £50k, and shouldn't cost the Earth to run either.
2016 | 21,970 Miles | £70,990
Want a step on compared to a 2-Eleven? Numerically speaking, this is it. Now based upon the S3 Exige, it carries over that car's supercharged 3.5-litre V6 putting out over 400hp, enough to propel all 925kg to 62mph in 2.9 seconds.
It'll also pull 1.5g through the twisties and lapped the Nürburgring in seven minutes flat, rivalling hypercars on a circuit that heavily favours big power. Imagine keeping up with a McLaren P1 in a little Lotus with no windscreen!
Just 311 were ever built, and this example in the traditional Lotus green and yellow colours is number 48.
2019 | MOA | POA
Dallara is most famous for developing and producing chassis used in the world's top race series including F1, IndyCar and GP3, as well as full-on Le Mans prototypes. The Stradale is their first road car, aptly named Stradale, meaning 'street' in Italian. It puts out 400hp to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or sequential gearbox, and weighs just 855kg dry thanks to a holllow carbon fibre tub.
It also generates 820kg of downforce at top speed and features active racing suspension, Brembo brakes and Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. Jonty has done many intoxicating miles in one of these on tour (yes, they're road legal) thanks to Joe Macari, and as a Dallara distributor, they can help if you're interested in one yourself.
2020 | 3,300 Miles | £128,995
If passengers aren't your bag, here's a car that — literally — puts you in the centre of the action. The Mono is like no other road legal car, weighing in at just 580kg with just one central seat. Its 305hp from a Mountine engine makes for a power-to-weight ratio stronger than a Bugatti Veyron and 0-60 in just 2.7 seconds, very much without the Veyron's luxuries, like a windscreen.
It has a proper racing sequential gearbox, carbon fibre construction, and this is the only UK car and one of just three in the world to feature a lightweight Inconel exhaust system which cost £16,000 and is fully track legal.
2019 | 1,577 Miles | £89,950
If ever a trim level undersold a car, it is this Radical Rapture 2.3 'Sport'. Believe it or not, this piece of insanity is road registered. Yes, three people were nuts enough to register one of these in the UK, and I admire that. This is a true racing car, with a lightweight spaceframe chassis with FIA-compliant safety cell, a sequential gearbox and a 360hp EcoBoost engine to shift just 765kg.
If you want to know just how addictive a Radical is, go and speak to Jonty, but don't take after his lines and make sure you keep it on the tarmac.
1997 | 32,000 Miles | £164,990
We've had some serious performance machines so far, but what if they're not exotic enough for you? What is more exotic than a classic Ferrari? Imagine your track car being an actual Ferrari Challenge car from the '90s! In the terms of Paul's Torque Board, that would be 'gentleman noises'.
All F355 Challenges were produced with a six-speed manual gearbox, and it shares the standard car's sonorous V8 engine. Although built for motorsport, a few were road registered, including this example, so you can drive your classic Ferrari race car on the road too, which I believe is the dictionary definition of winning at life.
1999 | MOA | £324,995
If you're liking the real race car vibe but you're more of a Porsche fan and Ferrari's one-make series isn't kosher enough, feast your eyes on this. The 996 GT3 R is an out-and-out racing car which took part in several races in the US and across the world throughout 200, including a 2nd-in-class finish at the Le Mans 24 Hours and 1,000Km of Nürburgring.
If you're taking your track work more seriously, the 996 GT3 RS is eligible and ready to race in Masters Endurance Legends or the Peter Auto Endurance Racing Legends series, to continue its racing career.
If that's not enough, the way it looks and the thought of pedalling a proper thoroughbred race car with a Mezger flat six, and a manual gearbox should have you ready to list a kidney on eBay.
1991 | MOA | POA
Yes, to 99.9% of us, this is very, very silly. But to some eccentric person who has done exceptionally well for themselves, this may be a genuine proposition, and if we're talking ultimate track cars, there's nothing more ultimate than Formula 1, right?
More than its sheer performance and, 14,000rpm V10 engine and six-speed manual gearbox, it's this car's story that makes it so special. This is the car driven by Michael Schumacher on his Formula 1 debut when Eddie Jordan decided to "give youth a chance". Mic drop. That race was the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, where Schumacher out-qualified his team mate by 0.7 seconds, but sadly retired from the race on the first lap with a failed clutch.