09 Lotus Elan +2

If you’re in the market for a brilliant British sports car, your wish list will surely be topped by the Lotus Elan. Built following Colin Chapman’s mantra – ‘simplify then add lightness’ – as well as learning lessons from successes on the track throughout the 1960s, the Elan’s alliance of light weight and a ripper of a twin-cam engine made the two-seater an instant classic. Dreams of owning a ‘Baby Elan’ will remain just that within the constraints of our budget, but its big brother – the +2 – is still just about within reach.

Introduced in 1967, this ‘family-friendly’ Elan sat on a longer wheelbase, the extra 12in between the axles allowing the addition of a pair of tiny rear seats. Performance remained brisk, however, thanks to the 1558cc twin-cam ‘four,’ with a top speed of 120mph and the 0-60mph sprint covered in less than 8 secs. Though designer Ron Hickman’s smoothed wedge shape lacks some of the punch of the earlier models, the +2 remains a handsome machine and is without doubt a blue-chip investment – even though examples at the top of our budget are still likely to be a bit scruffy.