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When we think of vehicular record holders, certain things might spring to mind. Very recently we’ve seen Porsche drive home a new Nürburgring production car lap record with their new 911 GT2 RS, and perhaps Koenigsegg taking the 0-400-0 trophy from Bugatti’s clutches.

The humble Renault Twingo is a car renowned for general cheapness. Working examples in Europe can be had for as little as €50, a perfectly fine car for not very much money.

When ‘V8’ is mentioned in conversation, images of frighteningly quick drag cars and muscle cars are often conjured up. Whilst European and even some Asian manufacturers have had their respective slices of the neat 8-cylinder pie, the Americans and Australians tend to be famed most for their love of V8 powered automobiles.

Touring car racing is something we all know and mostly love. It’s a great blend of technology, driver skill and close racing, and when you throw in some of the best looking car/ livery combinations imaginable, you have the foundations for a fantastic type of motorsport.

Nowadays there is a strong market for driver-focused cars. A prime example is the Porsche 911R; limited production and desirable specification set it in good stead for appreciation in value for the future (it’s well on its way to the millions already). What do the other 99% have, though?

The words Lister, Jaguar and Le Mans go way, way back and together form one formidable force in endurance racing. Fast forward to the late 1980s and the bond is still alive and kicking, though in this case churning out road cars.

Eastern Block countries, when it comes to cars, tend not to deliver as much as would be hoped for. Classic examples of this would be the good old Lada (amongst its generations) and toxic Trabant 601, which, whilst loved by some nowadays, were not ‘good’ cars by definition.

The Wankel rotary engine originated from Germany, being first introduced by Felix Wankel for the NSU Spider in 1964 (development started in ‘61), though is now often associated with Mazda for its legendary RX-series of sports cars, all of which powered by rotary engines of varying size and aspiration.

Ah, the all knowing, all doing, all seeing LS. It’s been around, this engine, and it’s made its rounds in countless different vehicles. Everything from drag cars to Porsches, it’s likely has at some point had a Chevy-shaped heart transplant.

If the automotive world ever needed an analogy for the term ‘if it fits, it sits’, this would be it. The Mercedes SL73 AMG was a limited production, high-performance version of the R129 SL-class, and had perhaps one of the most engine-favouring engine : car ratios of any car… ever. Let’s get started then.

The late ‘70s wasn’t a great period for the American automotive industry. As the story (which you’ve probably heard a trillion times) goes, the oil crisis presented a need for more economical cars.

The W168 Mercedes A-class is known for a variety of things. Some good, such as the first use of the ‘sandwich’ engine mounting method, some bad, like the dramatic fail at the elk test. One thing not known to many, however, is the existence of an AMG, hardcore model.