The Audi brand is a very desirable one, and a large chunk of that success can be attributed to the original R8 supercar. It was a statement of confidence by the German premium car manufacturer: selling a mid-engined sports car to rival the legendary Porsche 911.

Frankly, it was brilliant, and worth every bit the £77,000 price tag when it was new, and now the Audi R8 is just as likely to turn heads as some of the most exotic Ferrari or McLaren models. Naturally, prices have risen since 2007, and and the most desirable models cost upwards of £150,000 by the time the car went off sale in 2024.

But don’t let that put you off. A budget of £50,000 can get you a perfectly desirable R8. You’ll be looking at one of the last examples of the first-generation model, but you'll be able to choose between the 4.2-litre V8 or 5.2-litre V10 engines at this money, as well as coupe or Spyder (convertible) bodystyles.

It’s easy to dismiss the Porsche 911 because of its popularity. There’s every chance you could find yourself sitting behind another one in traffic, and you’re not going to get young kids gawping in the same way as if you were driving a McLaren.

But, if you cross the Porsche 911 off your shortlist for these reasons, you’ll be missing out on one of the most complete supercars on sale today. There’s a reason the 911 is so popular: it’s simply brilliant, with an interior that feels totally special and a driving experience like no other.

With £50,000, you’ll be looking at the 991 model, sold from 2011. The 3.8-litre Carrera S is the one to look for, with a 4.3-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 187mph. 

Jaguar: a brand associated with pub landlords, old-fashioned saloon cars and misplaced patriotism. However, it's also responsible for some of the most desirable sports cars ever made, including the legendary Jaguar E-Type. The Jaguar F-Type is its modern equivalent and, frankly, it’s fantastic.

No matter which engine you go for, the Jaguar F-Type is a lot of fun to drive. It feels more special than many of its rivals, and its price tag is actually very reasonable: a new one starts from less than £70,000.

With our £50,000 budget, you can get a three- or four-year-old V8 version. This flagship supercar uses a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine to provide truly awesome performance, packing 550PS and covering 0-62mph in just four seconds flat.  

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S is arguably a little too practical to be classed as a supercar but you’d be a fool to dismiss it on that basis. It uses a 4.0-litre V8 engine hand-built by AMG, which produces 510PS and powers the car to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is in the region of 180mph: that’s as fast, if not faster, than most of the supercars featured here.

Not only is it quick, it sounds the part, too, and feels very special. The interior is a masterpiece, while Mercedes-Benz engineering ensures it can handle its power with just the right amount of drama.

You’ll be looking at a four-year-old example with our £50,000 budget, meaning it should have only covered low miles. That’s a very tempting proposition.

Buying a supercar shouldn’t be a logical purchase. If you’re ready to put all rationality to one side and search for a car that’ll make your heart flutter the second you look at it, we’d recommend the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

The model we’re looking at here first arrived in 2005 but, if anything, it’s only got more attractive with age. It’s glorious.

It also sounds glorious - even if it’s not quite as quick as you might expect. With 426PS, the 4.7-litre V8 will accelerate the Vantage to 62mph in around 4.7 seconds. A £50,000 budget will get you a car from between 2012 and 2015, but your neighbours will think you’ve won the lottery.

Fancy a car with a Ferrari-derived engine and prancing-horse performance for nothing like the pricetag? Then say hello to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Rumour has is that the car's 2.9-litre twin turbocharged V6 is a derivation of the V8 found in the old Ferrari California T, but with two of the cylinders lopped off. Despite the amputation, this engine can still knock out a mammoth 510PS, all sent to the asphalt via two easily-unstuck rear tyres. This is a car that needs to be treated with respect, but that has the capacity to be seriously entertaining.

With £50,000, you’ll be looking at a four-year-old example with around 15,000-30,000 miles under its wheels.

Is the Toyota GR Supra a supercar? Perhaps not, but it certainly is a super car.

We make no apologies for the cheesy intro. With only 335PS from its 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and a Toyota badge on the bonnet, it perhaps isn’t in the same league as an Audi R8 or Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

It does, however, provide a huge amount of fun for £50,000. It’ll also attract a huge amount of attention, turning heads thanks to its bold looks and an exhaust that is happy to pop and bang. It’s also just as rare as many of the supercars featured here.

The BMW M6 shares an engine with the BMW M5. That means it’s powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine producing 560PS and a stonking 680Nm of torque. It’ll cover 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, while top speed is limited to 155mph.

It really is ballistically quick and it will put a smile on your face just the same way as some of the much more exotic cars in this list. But the M6 also has another side: it’ll happily settle down into a cruise and cover hundreds of miles in comfort. You could even use it as your daily driver, if you wished.

Our £50,000 will get you one of the last examples of the BMW M6 coupe, registered in 2018.

A footballers’ favourite, the Bentley Continental GT has now dropped in price enough to bring it within reach of a wider audience. The most affordable models are now - incredibly - less than £20,000, but we’d hunt out a second-generation car, introduced in 2010.

Originally powered by the firm’s immense hand-built 6.0-litre W12 engine, the Continental GT had 575PS and could cover 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds. It’s the 198mph top speed that’s more impressive, although fuel economy in the teens will soon start to hurt if you’re planning a cross-continental road trip. 

Our £50,000 budget will also get you one of the later V8 models, introduced in 2012. With 500PS, the twin-turbo motor is almost as quick as the V12, with an official top speed of 192mph. This is where the sensible money goes, if buying a Bentley could ever be described as sensible...

Capable of covering 0-62mph in just 2.7 seconds, the Nissan GT-R is one of the fastest cars you can buy no matter what your budget. In terms of power per pound, however, the supersonic GT-R is unbeatable value, while its large and practical nature makes it surprisingly easy for everyday use. 

Powered by a 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo, early GT-R models (launched in 2008) featured 485PS. £50,000 will get you a later model, with anywhere between 530PS and 600PS. Not only will the GT-R embarrass much more exotic cars on the drag strip, its precise steering, reassuring brakes and huge amount of grip means it’s an enormous amount of fun in the corners, too.