Wife might have one if the colour choice was better, great warranty on them, buy service parts from Kia as they cost less. Much fun for ££s

 

The little i20 is very light unlike most modern hot hatches I read

How about one of these? NA and no weight, ultimate throttle responseI don't do front wheel drive anything... I'm prejudiced by old age

I really fancy the idea of building a kit.. I drove a basic 145bhp caterham and it made a 458 feel like a bus..

So as kiddo gets older and I get back into a bigger garage it's on the cards something like that (potentially )

Caterham used to do pretty cheap experience days btw

 

Yep, that's one of the 'don't get rid of the S2000' options, although I only have one garage space so one of them would have to stay outside, sadly. I did an experience day in a ratty old Westfield with a Duratec in it. Superb fun. Would be great for fun/cheap track days and could let me concentrate on making the S2000 a superb road car without the worry of track robustness.

 

So my list of options at the moment looks like this...

Aston Vantage - possibly a bit big, but nice V8, and stunning looks. If it drives nicely/interestingly enough at normal speeds, it could be my top choice. Downsides - reliability and cost to run. Track days could be ruinous!

Lotus Evora - sounds like a lovely drive, good looks, but no drop top. Toyota engine likely to be reliable. Other stuff is generally fixable. Would deal with track days without to much issue.

TVR Tamora - Epic noise, sounds like a good drive, but could be a bit too quick for fun at normal speeds. Looks aren't brilliant compared to T350.
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TVR T350 - as per Tamora, but better looks but no drop top. Targa available though, which could work.

Porsche Boxster - An obvious choice, but not a fan of the looks and they're a bit common. I don't want to be lumped into the 'Porsche driver' bucket!

Urg, the app clipped the other options off my post, and I can't be bothered to write it all again, but basically...
Cayman
997
Caterham/Westfield/Elise in addition to the S2000.

 

There is an obvious choice Civic Type R. You'll get a very recent one for your budget. Supercar performance, 30 mpg, and practical as well.

 

Not that obvious given my requirements. Ie a rear wheel drive sports car, ideally with a drop top. I've no doubt it's a capable and fast car, but not what I'm looking for.

 

Supercar performance? No.

Must admit it gets good reviews but ultimately 300-320bhp, around 1400kg and front wheel drive is not all that impressive in the UK where it is wet and cold 6 months of the year (says the bloke with the drop top).

In a straight line my boosted S2 would murder a type R i suspect, just because it can get traction off the line, in the twisties 200kg less should make it murder it there too. A stock S2 would probably challenge it on both?

 

Marmite those Chavics. Interior is ace, exterior; Hmm... oh dear to some.
The supercar performance comment made me chuckle. Most modern fast hatches are standard 300-400bhp now - they aren't exclusive and they're more common as company cars / lease. But I suppose they're going to be a dying breed, everything going leccy

 

Leccy cars are often quicker in a straight line

My mates Tesla is very quick, dual motor thing. Shit car though
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Agreed. Made me laugh the last few episodes of TG with Harris fizzing, or should I say humming around a deserted airfield in an eTron something. Claiming it's got the balls and balance versus ICE, and wants to play. My arse. 10 grand in batteries in 5 years.
Synthetic fuel is the way, once it's mass produced & costed correctly.
Hopefully then - we'll see the end of the electric car
If I had 30 odd K to burn on a Civic, I'd ignore and look seriously at that touring saloon, Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio. Light as a feather and highly rated. The noise it makes and sheer speed, very well balanced and feels like a Ferrari. Probably the finest Alfa made in the modern day. I'd say it's a contender for your list. And keep the S
Remember - you're only a true petrolhead if you own an Alfa . And that one is special, very.