The best GT cars you could buy for £50k

If you have £50,000 to spend on a car, chances are you’re looking for something with a touch of class. A generous wedge of cash like this means you can cherry-pick from some of the best GT cars ever made.

From hand built heroes to souped-up models from mainstream manufacturers, you’ll find everything here. Read on for our guide to the best GT cars available on a budget of £50,000.

Ferrari 456 GT

The Ferrari 456 GT got everything right when it went on sale in 1992. It looked gorgeous, felt luxurious and packed a glorious 442PS (325kW) 5.5-litre V12 that was good for 194mph – back when your father’s Ford Escort struggled to top 90. But while the 456 is guaranteed to be a cool future classic, it currently languishes in a sticky no man’s land – too old to be contemporary; too new to be a true classic. The opportunity will only last a few years. So what exactly can you expect from a 456? It lent towards the sportier end of the Grand Tourer spectrum, gliding through corners like a speed skater pushed forward by an icy-smooth V12. Instead of having suit up in Lycra, your other half, the kids and some luggage can come in the Ferrari too. A budget of £50,000 buys a clean example.

Vauxhall Monaro

The Vauxhall Monaro came like a bolt from the blue (or Australia) to UK buyers fed on a measly diet of Crosas, Astras and Vectras. Of course, it wasn’t a Vauxhall at all it was a rebadged Holden – an Aussie V8 famous for chewing through the twists and turns of the Mount Panorama Circuit. Better known for hosting Bathurst 1000. The pedigree was strong in the road-going incarnation. The 5.7-litre V8 provided Sydney Opera House levels of theatre, throbbing through the Monaro’s body like a techno gig in full flight. The way it drove had the feel of a saw-dust-on-the-floor nightclub, too. You got a limited-slip differential, rear-wheel drive and that was about it. However, the Monaro revealed itself to be a cuddly bear at (and beyond) the limit. By 2005, this hardy character got serious straight-line performance – the VXR 500 was born packing a 500PS (368kW) 6.0-litre supercharged V8 for 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and a 185mph flat out. The last good one we found sold for £38,000.

R230 Mercedes SL55 AMG

The Mercedes-Benz SL is arguably the sportscar for non-sportscar people. It looks the part, and to a certain extent it drives the part too. But past eight-tenths, the big Benz can’t disguise its weight as it noses wide through corners. The beauty of the 55 is that it played to the SL’s strengths. A hot rod at heart, the bassy roar of its powerhouse 5.5-litre supercharged V8 became a defining sound of the early ‘00s. A healthy 483PS (355kW) and 700Nm (516lb ft) of torque provided performance in abundance – it got from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and nutted its speed limiter at 155mph. Fancy (and expensive-to-fix) hydraulic suspension delivered stout body control and, while the 55 was no sportscar, it was the car you’d want to drive home after a long day at the coal face. With the hardtop up, you felt safe and could call on luxuries like heated, ventilated and massaging front seats. Prices have never been lower, £15,000 gets you a nice example. A little over £30,000 buys the best on the market.

E63 BMW M6

The BMW M6 isn’t so much a car as an engine, with a car thrown in for free. The throaty scream of the 507PS (373kW), 5.0-litre V10 was central to the experience. Like a fibre-optic connection to the world of F1, it fired the M6 from 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds and (with the limiter removed) gleefully onto a 205mph top speed. You could even play at being Mark Webber – Williams-BMW’s lead driver at the time – by adjusting everything from gear shift speeds to differential settings, stability control and maximum power. Ultimately, the M6 doesn’t have the spritely handling of the best GTs, but it is agile enough, considering its four usable seats and a large boot. A reputation for poor reliability hasn’t done M6 residuals any favours. Because of this, low-mileage examples are yours for less than £20,000. Buy the best you can afford, ideally with a full-service history and a clean bill of health from a marque specialist.

TVR Cerbera

The TVR Cerbera was like a Nissan GTR of the time: relatively cheap to buy, it had the performance to humble the likes of Ferrari and Porsche. Unlike Nissan’s technical tour de force, the TVR was relatively simple. Bolt a motorsport-inspired 4.2-litre, 360PS (265kW) V8 to simple backbone chassis and seal it in a lightweight fibreglass body. The result? A 180mph top speed, 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds and a V8 soundtrack that shook every cell in your body. Jeremy Clarkson’s VHS Unleashed On Cars would soon reveal the Cerbera’s stunning performance when on a mile straight, it trounced everything from a Caterham 7 to a Porsche 911 Turbo. Despite this, the Cerbera was significantly more practical than both. Its unique cabin – complete with its swooping dashboard and two-spoke steering wheel – had room for four and the boot was big. Famously fragile, the Cerbera might not be a car you want to rely on every day but with prices starting from less than £20,000, it is an ideal weekend GT.

Gen 1 Bentley Continental GT

The Bentley Continental GT grafted British craftsmanship to the chassis and engine from a Volkswagen Phaeton. Outside, it was suitably imposing while inside it screamed luxury – layers of wood and leather disguising switchgear from less illustrious VWs. The drive was a similar fusion of old and new. You got the usual bucket loads of power – 558PS (410kW) from a twin-turbocharged, 6.0-litre W12 – but this time in combination with a rigid modern chassis and four-wheel drive. The result was a near-2.5-tonne Grand Tourer that could hurtle from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and onto a top speed of 198mph. But it was the torque that counted, 651Nm (480lb ft) from just 1,600rpm meant the Continental GT could whip past slow-moving lines of traffic while barely breaking into a canter. A decade after the original Continental GT went off production, a budget of £50,000 means you can choose between everything from the basic model to the 630PS (463kW) Supersports.

Aston Martin DB9

The Aston Martin DB9’s looks could hide a multitude of sins. It’s one of the prettiest GT cars ever built (if not the best driving), with a long bonnet flowing into a sweeping windscreen and a pert rear end. Underneath the acre-long bonnet was a 5.9-litre V12 producing 456PS (335kW) – enough for 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 190mph. Handling, however, fell towards the looser side of the GT skillset – the DB9 gripped well but felt big and ponderous where a Ferrari GT shrunk around you. On the upside, the Aston is practical for a GT – you get a big boot and usable back seats – and its leather-lined, crystal-keyed interior feels posh. Our budget of £50,000 gives you your pick of the DB9 market, so spoil yourself and go for a rare manual model that adds driver engagement and makes the best of the V12’s impressive performance.

970 Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera breaks the mould as the only five-door here. But, as a car that can combine a GT feel with everyday practicality, the Panamera should be at the top of your hit list. Okay, so it’s no ‘looker’. The 911-like nose is a strong start, but even ardent fans struggle to love the Panamera’s crouching-dog rear. Inside, there is little to dislike. You get Bentley levels of quality, the back seat (prime culprit for the dodgy looks) is big enough for tall adults, and the roomy boot is very usable – thanks to its hatchback lid. With precise steering and formidable body control, the Panamera handles unlike any other luxury barge. And, you have plenty of configurations to choose from – six and eight-cylinder engines, auto or (rare) manual, naturally aspirated or turbocharged, four or rear-wheel drive. The 550PS (404kW) Turbo S is the model to go for thanks to outrageous performance – 0-62mph in less than four seconds – and air suspension comfort, giving it a cruise-missile-like ability to swallow continents.