Ten modern supercars to invest in

There aren’t many supercars which can turn heads and are easy to drive every day. But if you want to have your cake and enjoy it on a regular basis, then the R8 is for you. When it arrived in 2006, the R8 shocked the status quo by combining A-lister looks (the RSQ concept that previewed it starred in I,Robot after all) with genuine supercar performance (0-60mph in 4.5secs, 180mph+) and a Porsche 911 price tag. With superb handling, thanks to Audi’s rear-biased Quattro four-wheel drive system, combined with a firm but compliant ride and a decent front boot, this is a car that can perform on track and nip to Waitrose. First-generation V8s in coupe form with the wonderful open-gate six-speed manual gearbox are now in serious demand. Audi made thousands though and most were used as the company intended, so finding a low mileage car will be tricky. But seek one out and it could be a wise buy. 

It’s not often that BMW lets its M Division completely loose – but when it does, the results are spectacular. Witness the M4 GTS, a road legal, track ready super coupe built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the M3. Packing a 493bhp version of the standard M4’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo, but with water injection to allow it to run higher boost, it also features adjustable suspension, thicker anti-roll bars, huge carbon brakes and a matt-painted body with bulging arches and a massive rear wing. Ferocious is probably the best way to describe the driving experience, and this is one car that’s far more at home on the track than anywhere else. Only 30 right-hand-drive UK-spec cars were made out of the total global production of nearly 800, making them highly collectable and prices are starting to reflect this. When new, an M4 GTS was around £120,000, but you’ll need to pay £150,000 now.

One of the most undervalued and overlooked Ferraris at the moment, the 360 may not be quite as pretty as the F355 it replaced, but it’s far better to drive and every inch the useable modern classic. Prices are rising too. While you could have bought one for around £50,000 two years ago, you’ll need £70,000 now. For maximum investment potential, avoid the slightly clunky F1 paddleshift gearbox and seek out the six-speed manual. This features the famous Ferrari open chrome gate: a wonderfully analogue detail that has been consigned to the history books on modern Maranello cars. As for the rest of the 360, you get a mid-mounted 400bhp 3.6-litre V8 which revs to 8,500rpm and can post 0-60mph in 4.5 secs and a 183mph maximum. It sounds sensational too. Ferrari brought in an aluminium space-frame chassis on the 360, which keeps weight down to a respectable 1,390kg and makes for a very nimble machine – although it can bite at high speeds. Factor in reasonable maintenance costs, by Ferrari standards anyway, and you’ve got a great classic that’s set to appreciate over the coming years.   

With the all-new V6 turbocharged version hogging the limelight, now is a good time to seek out an exceptional example of the 2005 car. Closer in spirit to the original 1960s GT40, it’s an absolute hoot to drive – think of it like a big, friendly V8-engined Lotus Elise – and, of course, it looks incredible. Practicality might be atrocious, with no boot and fuel economy of around 12mpg (giving a range of 150 miles), but you’ll forgive it everything when you put your foot down. That 5.4-litre supercharged V8 thrusts the GT from 0-60mph in under four seconds and onto a top speed of 205mph, so this is a genuine supercar. It also sounds fantastic with a hard-edged thunderous rumble. Ford built around 4,500 examples worldwide, so it’s not as rare as you might think, but very few made it to the UK and Europe and you’re more likely to see a Ferrari 458 on the road. Prices range from £250,000 to £350,000 depending on mileage. 

It’s taken a long time for the XJ220 to be appreciated. And you can lay the blame for that at the car’s launch. Unveiled in 1992 with a V6 instead of the concept car’s original V12 and rear-wheel-drive instead of four-wheel-drive, many of those who’d put down a £50,000 deposit backed out. Couple that with the global recession of the period and it’s an achievement that Jaguar managed to sell 281 XJ220s at all. These days, around £350,000 buys an exceptional car – you’d pay more than twice that for a Ferrari F40 – and there is a feeling that the XJ220 is starting to come of age with prices set to go up. Why? Well, just look at it: it’s absolutely spectacular. And it’s also a piece of motoring history, having held the title of world’s fastest road car when Martin Brundle took it to 217mph on the Nardo banking in 1992. A collector’s item then? Without a doubt.  

They don’t make supercars like this anymore. The SE30 Jota is the ultimate incarnation of the Diablo: essentially a street-legal racing car. Based on the SE30, a rear-drive only special edition built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 30th anniversary, the Jota arrived as a kit of parts designed to turn the already fearsome machine into something even more extreme. Just think about that for a moment. Star of the show was a more powerful V12 which featured a lighter crankshaft, new camshafts, a reprogrammed ECU and ear-shattering exhaust. It also boasted an aggressive roof scoop designed to funnel more air into the engine. The result was 595bhp, over 100bhp more than a standard Diablo and 60bhp more than an SE30, with 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 211mph. Fearsomely fast even by today’s standards and it’s unbelievably rare. Only 150 SE30s were made, with just 28 Jotas. And of those only 15 featured the factory-fitted kit (the rest were installed by dealers). Without doubt one of the wildest Lamborghinis ever.

McLaren’s answer to the Ferrari 458 Speciale, the limited run 675 LT is faster, lighter and way more desirable than the 650S on which it’s based. Power is up to a devilish 666bhp (or 675PS, hence the name), weight drops by 100kg and some aero tweaks mean 40 percent more downforce than the 650S and 3cm extra length too (hence LT, which stands for ‘longtail’ but the name is actually more of a nod to the legendary McLaren F1 GTR Longtail of the 90s). Just 500 versions of the 675LT coupe were built, with another 500 Spider convertibles, priced from around £270,000. While most supercars usually depreciate heavily in the first year, the handful of 675LTs to hit the used market last year were commanding price tags of £400,000. Values have settled to around £350,000 now and, as this is the most driver-focused and exclusive series-production model in McLaren’s stable of supercars – the P1 is a different kettle of fish altogether – it’s definitely one to watch for the future. 

Porsches wearing an RS badge have a history of becoming collectors’ items. You only have to look at the way every car from the first 2.7 RS to more recent models such as the 997 RS 4.0 have rocketed in value to know that putting one in your garage will put a smile on your face for several reasons. And if there’s ever an RS destined for greatness, it’s the new 2017 GT2 RS. With 691bhp, it’s the most powerful road-going Porsche ever, capable of doing 0-60mph in 2.7 secs and onto 211mph. Factor in rear-wheel drive and more go-faster bits than your average Le Mans prototype and it’s about as hardcore as RS Porsches get too. Production isn’t limited but build times will be far longer than less exotic models due to the mix of carbon, magnesium, aluminium and steel used in its construction and that, combined with a list price north of £200,000, ensures it will remain a rare sight. If you have the resources to place an order now, you might never look back. 

Genuine motor show surprises happen about as frequently as solar eclipses, so when Porsche-tuner RUF pulled the wraps off the 2017 CTR at Geneva earlier year, it became the instant star of the show. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original 1987 RUF CTR – the famous 211mph ‘Yellowbird’ – the new model is an all-new car, not a heavily modified version of an existing model. An incredible homage to its predecessor, it features a bespoke carbon body that’s a tribute to the 930-series Porsche 911 on which the Yellowbird was based and a unique carbon chassis, while power comes from a 700bhp 3.6-litre twin-turbo Porsche flat six hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox and driving just the rear wheels. Weighing only 1200kg, RUF claims 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 225mph. More importantly for collectors, just 30 will be made and each will cost 750,000 Euros. What will they be worth in the future? Probably many times this list price. One for the dream garage.