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Bentley 3 litre Super Sports

The 3 Litre was the sports car that put Bentley on the automotive map. It made its debut at the 1919 London Motor Show, but the engine had not yet been finished. It was not until September 1921 that the first customer delivery was made. The 4,000lb car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, and again in 1927, this time in Super Sports form. Its weight, size and speed prompted Ettore Bugatti to call it "the fastest lorry in the world".

ENGINE: 2996cc, four cylinders
POWER: 70bhp @ 3500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Four-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 18
TOP SPEED: 100mph
RELEASE DATE: 1921

Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged

Famous for his statement "There's no replacement for displacement", Walter Owen Bentley upped the displacement of the Bentley 3 Litre in 1926 to produce the 4½ Litre. Although WO Bentley despised forced induction, his gentleman racers, the "Bentley Boys", and especially Henry Birkin, wanted to supercharge the engine for more power. The “Blower” Bentley, as it was affectionately known, never won a big race, though the naturally aspirated 4½ Litre took the 1928 Le Mans title.

ENGINE: 4398cc, four cylinders
POWER: 175bhp @ 3500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Four-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 55
FUEL/CO2: 2.3mpg @ 100mph
ACCELERATION: 0-50mph: 10sec
TOP SPEED: 104mph
RELEASE DATE: 1929

Jaguar XK120

The 120 premiered at Earls Court in 1948 and took the motor show and the world by storm – priced at £998, it was fantastic value for money. At the time of production, the XK120 was the world’s fastest production car: the “120” in its designation referred to its top speed of 120mph. In its C-type form, it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951.

ENGINE: 3442cc, six cylinders
POWER: 160bhp @ 5000rpm
TORQUE: 195 lb ft @ 2500rpm
TRANSMISSION: Four-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 12,055
FUEL/CO2: 16.5 mpg
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 10sec
TOP SPEED: 125mph
RELEASE DATE: 1948

Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing”

The Mercedes unveiled its new sports car in February 1954 at the New York motor show, creating an icon of the automotive world. The design was ahead of its time: notably, the doors provided that essential touch of inspiration, opening up towards the sky like wings, hence the “Gullwing” nickname. In 1999 it was voted sports car of the century, and Sports Car International magazine ranked it as the No 5 sports car of all time. Production of the 300SL coupé ended in 1957 after 1,400 had been built.

ENGINE: 2996cc, six cylinders
POWER: 215bhp @ 5800 rpm
TORQUE: 202 lb ft @ 4600 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Four-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 1,400
FUEL/CO2: 17mpg
TOP SPEED: 161mph
RELEASE DATE: 1954

Jaguar E-type Series 1

The E-type was officially introduced at the Geneva motor show in March 1961, when Enzo Ferrari called it "the most beautiful car ever made”. Its combination of good looks, high performance and competitive pricing made it a great success for Jaguar, with more than 70,000 E-types being sold over its lifespan. In 2004, Sports Car International magazine placed the E-type at No 1 on its list of top sports cars of the 1960s.

ENGINE: 3781cc, six cylinders
POWER: 265bhp @ 5500 rpm
TORQUE: 260 lb ft @ 4000 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
NO. MADE: 70,000
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 7sec
TOP SPEED: 152mph
PRICE: Around £63,000
RELEASE DATE: 1961

Ferrari 250 GTO

Motor Trend Classic put the 250 GTO at No 1 in its list of the greatest Ferraris of all time. In 1988 the FBI seized one from a convicted drug dealer and sold it in a sealed auction for approximately $2m (£1.1m) - which was considered outrageous at the time but within three years would come to be seen as a good investment. The 250 GTO won the World Manufacturers’ Championship three times, in 1962, 1963 and 1964.

ENGINE: 2953cc, V12
POWER: 296bhp @ 7500rpm
TORQUE: 246 lb ft @ 5500rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 36
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 5.8sec
TOP SPEED: 174mph
PRICE: £2,000,000
RELEASE DATE: 1962

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona”

One of the most talked-about releases of the 1968 Paris Auto Salon was Ferrari's brand new berlinetta. The hottest topic was the name: it was expected to be called Daytona to celebrate Ferrari's 1-2-3 finish in the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours race. At the launch, rumour was proved wrong as the car was just dubbed 365 GTB/4, but the name stuck and until this day it is still referred to as the Daytona. In the 1980s the car gained new notoriety on the first two seasons of the hit television series Miami Vice, even though the black car used in the series was a replica built on a Corvette chassis.

ENGINE: 4390cc, V12
POWER: 352bhp @ 7500rpm
TORQUE: 318 lb ft @ 5000rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 5.9sec, 0-100mph: 15.4sec
TOP SPEED: 174mph
RELEASE DATE: 1968

Lamborghini Countach LP400

Marcello Gandini was thought bold when he penned a replacement for the highly acclaimed Miura. A modern wedge and a longitudinal V12 replaced the curvaceous lines and the transverse engine. When Feruccio Lamborghini was shown the first prototype he exclaimed “Countach”, which in the Italian Piedmontese dialect expresses appreciation of an attractive woman; the name stuck. Constructed between 1973 and 1977, it is the rarest of all regular production Countachs.

ENGINE: 3929cc, V12
POWER: 375bhp @ 8000rpm
TORQUE: 271 lb ft at 5500rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 5.5sec
TOP SPEED: 195mph
PRICE: Around £46,000
RELEASE DATE: 1974

Ferrari 288 GTO

Ferrari built the 288 for one reason only: to race it in the hugely popular Group B rally class. Today the 288 GTO remains one of the most sought-after modern Ferraris. With only 273 288 GTOs produced, it has the smallest production figure of any roadgoing Ferrari built in the past 30 years. Sports Car International in 2004 placed the GTO No 2 on the list of top sports cars of the 1980s, behind its German rival, below.

ENGINE: 2855cc, V8
POWER: 400bhp @ 7000 rpm
TORQUE: 365 lb ft @ 3800 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 5sec
TOP SPEED: 190mph
PRICE: £160,000+
RELEASE DATE: 1984

Porsche 959

This was a radically different car from the basic 911 and well worthy of inclusion on the list of ultimate supercars. It epitomised Porsche’s 1980s attitude of "engineering at all costs". The 959 cost a third more to make than it sold for, Porsche having set the price first and worked out the costs later. In 2004 Sports Car International put this car at No 1 on the list of top sports cars of the 1980s. For all its undoubted competence, some aficionados reckon that the 959 lacked the vital spark of passion that makes a car truly great.

ENGINE: 2848cc, six cylinders
POWER: 443bhp @ 6500rpm
TORQUE: 370 lb ft @ 5500rpm
TRANSMISSION: Six-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 292
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 3.6sec, 0-100mph: 8.3sec
TOP SPEED: 196mph
RELEASE DATE: 1987

Lamborghini Diablo SV

Lamborghini began developing the Diablo in 1989 as a replacement for the Countach model, introducing it for sale on January 21, 1991. At the 1995 Geneva Auto Show, Automobili Lamborghini SpA presented its latest evolution of the Diablo series, the Diablo SV. The SV – Sport Veloce – was an optional package added onto the basic car. The Diablo was replaced in 2001 by the Murcielago.

ENGINE: 5707cc, V12
POWER: 510bhp @ 7100rpm
TORQUE: 428 lb ft @ 5900rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 2,898
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 3.8sec
TOP SPEED: 204mph
PRICE: Around £125,000
RELEASE DATE: 1995

Jaguar XJ220

When the Jaguar XJ220 appeared as a last-minute entry at the 1988 British motor show it stunned the crowds. Few people believed it could be put into production, but Jaguar confounded its critics and built what was the world’s fastest road car until the advent of the McLaren F1 in 1994. A racing version called the XJ220C was also made. The XJ220C, driven by Win Percy, won its first race, a round of the BRDC GT Championship at Silverstone.

ENGINE: 3498cc, V6
POWER: 542bhp @ 7000rpm
TORQUE: 472 lb ft @ 4500rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 281
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 3.8sec; 0-100mph: 7.3sec
TOP SPEED: 213mph
RELEASE DATE: 1992

Schuppan 962CR

The Schuppan 962CR gets it name from the Le Mans-winning Porsche driver Vern Schuppan. In 1990 Schuppan left the world of racing to build, with help from investors, what he envisaged as the purest supercar in the world – a road version of the iconic Porsche 962. Sadly, its launch coincided with the collapse of the world market for supercars. Assembled in High Wycombe, only five or six of the intended 50 were completed.

ENGINE: 3294cc, six cylinders
POWER: 600bhp @ 7000rpm
TORQUE: 479 ft lb @ 6800rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 5 or 6
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 3.5sec
TOP SPEED: 230mph
RELEASE DATE: 1994

Koenigsegg CCR

The Koenigsegg CCR is was designed and built in Angelholm, Sweden; it debuted at the 2004 Geneva Auto Show. On February 28, 2005, the Koenigsegg CCR broke the production road car speed record, achieving a new official top speed of 245mph. A team of five Koenigsegg engineers and mechanics, together with the company founder, Christian von Koenigsegg, ran a technically standard CCR, driven by the veteran record-breaker Loris Bicocchi.

ENGINE: 4700cc, V8
POWER: 806bhp @ 6900rpm
TORQUE: 679 lb ft @ 5700rpm
TRANSMISSION: Six-speed manual
NUMBER MADE: 20
ACCELERATION: 0-60mph: 3.2sec
TOP SPEED: 245mph
RELEASE DATE: 2004