by Duncan Blaxter

Created on: January 29, 2009

When speaking about performance, it is imperative that one considers not only the straight line speed of a vehicle, but other aspects as well such as handling characteristics and the power of the brakes. It is far too easy to become engrossed in acceleration values and top speed figures, and end up with a car that while suitable for a drag race, is going to lose all of the speed it has built up at the first tight bend, whilst less powerful cars with lower weight and better suspension can get through the corner retaining most of the speed they have built up and pulling ahead of the heavier, more powerful car.

The first thing to remember when looking at budget performance cars is to ignore top speed. The figure may be impressive to some, but you will rarely if ever reach this speed before the next corner looms in front of you and you are forced to slow back down. The top speed of a car is also independent of it's kerb weight - meaning that you can drive a 2 ton car with 300hp or a 500kg car with 300hp and they will both reach their maxiumum speeds at roughly the same number of miles per hour. However, the 500kg car will get there faster, and will go round corners better, leading us on to the second point:

Light weight. Supercar manufacturers have recently been engaging in a battle of the titans - to prove this point I will use the Bugatti Veyron, a 2000kg, 1000bhp supercar. It's extreme weight would normally be a severe hindrance to it's performance, but the engineers behind the car managed to use ultra-advanced electronics and a gargantuan engine to allow it to corner as nimbly as a light sports car. However, the technology involved brings the price of the Veyron up to $1,500,000 - not exactly an "inexpensive performance car"! This is where light weight comes in. A 500kg car with only 250bhp will accelerate at the same rate as the Veyron (assuming it can put the power down), but will corner well without the high-tech gadgetry. As a result, the price of the car could be up to 50 times less than that of the Veyron - bringing the car well into the realm of "inexpensive performance".

With these two points argued, the requirements for an inexpensive performance car are clear - light weight and great handling. There are many cars that fit those criteria, but I have listed three below as the most credible performance cars, each exhibiting those traits perfectly.

For the motorist requiring serious performance that can outrace most supercars whilst still being relatively

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