HOW TO GET A BBDC HERO FOR £1000

Today, a Britain’s Best Driver’s Car champ can cost anything from£1k to over £100k. Charlie Martin sniffs out star buys

As you will have read (p30), Autocar has now gathered each and every year's finest driver's A cars 35 times. A big chunk of the magic over the years has been the sheer variety of machinery that we've pedalled around the UK's most testing roads and circuits.

You might think that the finest performance exotica of the past 35 years are out of your price bracket, but there is some salvation. Thanks to the forces of time and depreciation, plus the aforementioned diversity of machinery, there are plenty of fantastic yet properly attainable options out there.

So read on for our guide to the best-handling bargains we've driven over the past three and a half decades.

Nissan 350Z Fifth, 2006

A simple car for simple things, such as going sideways as much as possible. Pretty resilient, too, provided you buy a car that's been maintained properly. About £7000 gets a good one. Beware huge tax bills - £695 per year - on some 2006 cars and all from 2007 onwards.

Lotus Elise S1 winner, 1996

There's not much we can tell you about the Elise that you won't have heard before, but heed this warning: if you want one, move now. Even the roughest examples are selling for more than £10,000 and perfect ones regularly tip £30,000.

Porsche Cayman S Winner, 2006

Hugely satisfying to drive, regardless of whether you're blatting around Oulton Park or just trundling to the shops. You'll pay £15,000 for an immaculate Cayman and servicing costs are surprisingly cheap, at around £200 for an annual check.

Audi R8 V8 winner, 2007