C63 AMG v RS4 v M3 - Q car battle on Top Gear

The polar opposite of a Q car

I came across this picture of a Ford Ka that has been pimped to the high heavens. The black paint work and bodykit is, well, it's plain wrong. But the point is, why would anyone want a pimped-up Ford Ka that promises so much visually yet delivers so little? Give me a sober performance saloon any day.

Motoring
Cars
Driving
Turbo Tagger

Q Car? You what?

Still confused by the motoring term Q Car? Then read Wikipedia's description of the origins of these high-performance, dark horses - you may be surprised that it was the boys in blue who started the phenomenon

See the Subaru Legacy SpecB in action

S8 - the discreet performance bargain

Audi S8. You know, the one from that infamous car chase at the start of Ronin? Well you can pick up one of these 4.2-litre V8 monsters for less than the price of a Ford Focus. A quick scan through Auto Trader brought up 40 cars for sale - but a word of caution; any damage to the aluminium bodies will cost you dearly.

The world's fastest three-wheeler

You can't get much more Q than an electric car. The problem is most fail to deliver on the performance front - until now.

Because once you get Lotus involved in a project, there can only be one outcome. And that is this, the Zap Alias, a 320bhp three-wheel car that will out run a Porsche Boxster and top out at an astonishing - and battery-draining - 156mph.

It will also do 100 miles between top-ups, so you can use it as a mini grand-tourer, outrunning performance cars and still saving yourself a fortune on fuel at the same time. One minor issue, though - it looks like the car will be sold in the US only, unless they get enough orders here. Yours for £15k.

Check out Zap World

The ultimate Q car?

It's the quintessential wolf in sheep's clothing. You wouldn't give it a double take in the street. Parking wardens would walk past it oblivious to your illegal parking and chavs in their pimped chariots wouldn't even bother trying to race you from the traffic lights, because they KNOW they would win.

But look beyond the uber-subtle styling and this is far from a run-of-the-mill 2.4 kids estate car. Because this is the Subaru Legacy Spec.B, a 245bhp, 150mph rocketship that will make an honest man of any flashy performance car you happen upon. And better still, you'll get change from £30k.