10 unlikely performance car bargains

Whether it’s through their looks, badging or the clearly prescribed market sector they fall into, they leave you in no doubt about their intentions. Yet sometimes there are fast cars that catch you by surprise. These aren’t Q cars as such, more machines that, you sense, have been developed without the engineering and marketing departments getting together before, during or after the process. They’re the models that, ordinarily, a company insider might have asked: “Hmmm, okay. But who’s actually going to buy it?”

As a result, they fall outside of the normal categories, which means they weren’t bought in big numbers new and, crucially, their values have tumbled since. That’s excellent news for us because it means there are some great unlikely performance car bargains out there for the taking. Here, we pick out 10 of the best.

Think of adjectives to describe the Skoda Superb and no doubt words such as ‘sensible’ and ‘spacious’ spring to mind. Yet find one powered by the 256bhp 3.6-litre V6 from the Volkswagen Passat R36 and you can add ‘sleeper’ to that list, particularly in practical estate guise and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Elegance trim.

The 0-62mph sprint takes a growling 6.4sec and it’ll happily crack 150mph.

It’s good to drive, too, the mix of biddable handling and four-wheel drive allowing it to cover ground at a startling rate. Yes, it likes a drink (low teens to the gallon if you’re getting a wriggle on) but, with prices from around £6000, you can justify spending a few extra quid at the pumps. And ULEZ isn't a problem - though the annual £675 VED bill may well be.

The S-Max has always been an uncommonly entertaining MPV, but it’s made more so by the fitting of the 217bhp five-cylinder 2.5-litre lump from the Mk2 Focus ST, and itself nicked from Volvo.

As you’d expect, performance is brisk , but it’s the syncopated war cry from that turbocharged engine that really makes it stand out.

Factor in feelsome steering and a grippy, adjustable chassis and the S-Max makes for extremely fun family motoring.

Ever since the 850 T5 burst on to the scene in the early 1990s, we’ve become used to increased-velocity Volvos, but the S80 V8 still came as a surprise.

By combining a smooth Yamaha-developed 4.4-litre engine with four-wheel drive and a six-speed auto, it’s one of the unlikeliest fast saloons ever.

It’ll crack 0-62mph in 6.5sec and a chassis related (mostly for the good) to the Ford Mondeo Mk3 means it handles tidily, if not thrillingly. Yet most of the fun comes from the fact that it looks so sedate. - in other words, it's a champion sleeper...

The high-performance SUV is nothing new, as the Forester shows. There has been a turbocharged version of the high-riding four-wheel-drive machine since it s inception in the late 1990s, all channelling the spirit of the Impreza Turbo in a more practical and less obvious package.

From 2005, the Forester got a 227bhp 2.5-litre that could smash past 62mph in 5.7sec (yes, really) and combined it with a chassis that blends comfort with agile and adjustable handling.

The interior looks and feels cheap but, like the rest of the car, it’s robust. Just look out for rust and tired transmissions.

A Lexus hybrid doesn’t sound like a recipe for high-octane excitement, but the GS 450h is a genuinely quick piece of kit. With a 3.5-litre V6 and electric motor combo, 292bhp, instant torque and rearwheel drive, this slice of Japanese high-tech luxury is rapid and entertaining, lifeless steering aside.

What’s more, it has a hewn-from-solid finish and running costs that won’t set your wallet on fire.

Do you remember the Espace that was essentially a Williams FW14B Formula 1 car with an MPV body? Well, that’s what this V6 version is. Sort of.

Powered by a detuned 237bhp version of the Nissan 350Z’s 3.5-litre motor, this stylish seven-seater is good for 0-62mph in a whisker over 8.0sec.

It’s also supremely practical, comfortable and not bad to drive. Iffy electrics, clown-car build quality, murderous annual VED, and a big thirst for unleaded are the downsides.

Okay, so the ZT isn’t a shrinking violet, but the 260 looks so similar to the standard four-pot models that finding a Ford Mustang-sourced 4.6-litre V8 under the bonnet never fails to amuse.

With 252bhp, it’s unstressed, but the woofly torque-rich motor is packed with character and the rear-drive chassis is surprisingly well sorted. Amazingly, values haven’t risen yet, so now’s the time to buy.

Bear with us on this, because lurking under the Grand Cherokee’s imposing frontage is a genuine slice of muscle car Americana in the form of a burbling 5.7-litre Hemi V8.

Delivering 322bhp and enough torque to pull continents together, it gives the Jeep a startling turn of speed. And all independent suspension and four-wheel drive mean it won’t fall apart at the first sign of a corner, either.

There’s something completely improbable about the Meriva VXR. The standard car was a firm favourite with the retirement set, who loved its easy access and compact dimensions. In short, not the demographic that was crying out for a version with Corsa VXR running gear.

Never mind: with 178bhp from a laggy 1.6-litre turbo and heavily revised suspension, it’s more fun than you’d expect.

The E60-generation M5 is a rather special car, with a price to match. But lurking in its shadow is the 550i, which offers 80% of the performance for 50% of the price, all the while look ing like a 520d.

Thanks to a muscular 367bhp 4.8-litre V8 and sharp handling, it’s a riot to drive. The clincher? Search carefully and you’ll find a few with a six-speed manual ’box. You don’t get that in an M5.