£20,000 HEROES

With £20k you can buy something to scratch almost any itch. evo selects eight hero cars for a celebration of depreciation

IN DAYS GONE BY WE PRODUCED PIECES LIKE THIS because new performance cars and depreciation went hand-in-hand, their values plummeting quicker than they could lap the Ring. That’s all changed now. Appreciation is the name of the game. Buy new for list price today, flip for a 10-15 per cent mark-up tomorrow.

This situation is having a knock-on effect with used evo icons. Cars that, not so long ago, could only find homes with those who got them. Lusted after them from new. Promised themselves that, one day, they’d own one. Even these cars are now finding favour with those looking for a quick buck in the growing ‘modern classics’ market.

But we haven’t selected the cars you see here because we rate them for their investment potential; that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather, these are a handful of evo icons we think you should buy now to enjoy before the speculators ruin it for everyone. A TVR was never built to lie silent in a dehumidified garage. Tommi Mäkinen didn’t put his name on the tail of an Evo VI so it could be polished to a mirror shine, and no RS4 was ever made to be pampered. These, along with Caymans, Mini GPS and many more of their ilk were designed to be driven. If you buy one, please do just that. You won’t regret it.

So join us in the photographic studio and on the challenging roads of south Wales as we enjoy the performance heroes you can buy now for less than £20,000. Many won’t be that cheap for long.

‘Modern classics’ are starting to appreciate in value. We say get in quick before they’re out of reach