Cars

£50k? Here’s another way... If our trio of cover stars doesn’t flick your switch, here are three dream cars that will.  £50,000 used supercoupes. None of the above spark your enthusiasm? Threeour writers suggest their used alternatives from Audi R8 V8, Porsche 911 Carrera GTS 997 and BMW 1M, which should fire your imagination.

The Grand Tour. Modern performance cars can be so fiendishly complicated that it takes time to really understand them. With so many chassis, engine and transmission settings, and even different modes for the steering and so on, you really need to cover serious distances in a car before you can hope to get properly beneath its skin.

This is a titanic battle between sports cars from two of the greatest icons of motorsport. McLaren may now be seen only as a Formula 1 contestant, but it started as a highly successful maker of sports racing cars dominating the Can-Am series between 1967 and 1971, with Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme sharing the honours. The team also competed in Formula 2 and Formula Libre.

Buying Guide It’s easy to let the heart rule the head when considering a Lotus Exige, but don’t buy one before reading our exhaustive 12-point guide  Twelve steps to buying a Lotus Exige Experts and owners reveal why you need this road-racer and how to bag a good one Words Malcolm McKay. Photography John Colley.

The Collector. ‘It has quite a colourful history – the Queen Mother used to own it’ Steve Harris takes us on a tour of a Canadian collection dominated by rare British cars from the Thirties and Forties – plus the occasional pick-up. Words Iain Ayre. Photography Monique Sache.

Life Cycle. How the last ever TVR 450 SEAC survived endless leaks and a close encounter with the River Thames – and was once repaired using a designer lipstick. The life story of a TVR 450 SEAC. Nearly lost in a river, ruled too noisy for track days and once mended using lipstick, the life of the final TVR wedge has been a colourful, thrilling adventure Words Sam Dawson. Photography James Pardon.

Epic Restoration. Munich Legends had just 12 weeks to get BMW UK’s M1 press car to Goodwood, despite having to tackle extensive rust and blown body panels.   ‘It looked so good that we wondered if anything needed doing to it. Then we unwrapped it…’ When BMW gave its M1 press demonstrator to Munich Legends for some restoration work it imposed a deadline of just three months. Impossible, or just improbable? Words Nigel Boothman. Photography Neil Fraser.

Classic cars have never been so popular, and if you’re looking to buy your first classic BMW then you don’t have to spend a fortune on a concours model that you’re never going to get to drive in anger: there are plenty of affordable modern classics that can happily be driven on a regular basis without seriously affecting their future value, and we’ve selected three of the best examples to buy right now. Just make sure you buy the lowest mileage mint condition example you can.

Making assumptions is something you learn the hard way… like assuming dropping a load of weight out of the car and adding more downforce should make the car better, right?

Buying Guide: Tesla Roadster. Tesla is now an iconic brand name amongst electric drivers. We explore buying a used Roadster - the company’s first electric car.

Buying Guide. This month we look at the six-cylinder E60 diesel saloons. The E60 was a revolutionary design when it burst on to the scene in 2003 but now we’ve become accustomed to its shape and been seduced by its charms we reckon it’s an excellent used buy. Words: Bob Harper and Andrew Everett Photography: Dave Smith.

Sometimes, the classic and the modern come together to create something quite special. Is a fuelinjected E-Type worthy of inclusion?  Words: Ian Seabrook. Pics: Matt Richardson.