The BTCC’s popularity is booming once again in its 50th anniversary year. We take a look back at the classic cars from the BTCC’s history.

View our slide show of British Touring Car stars

1950s: Jaguar Mk1

The first years of the British Saloon Car Championship (as it was originally known) were dominated by Jaguars.

Mike Hawthorn, Britain’s first Formula 1 world champion in 1958, was a fan of the Jaguar. But tragically he lost his life in one in a road accident on the Guildford bypass in 1959, shortly after retiring from F1.

1960s: Ford Lotus Cortina

In the sixties it was common for F1 drivers to dabble in different forms of motor racing. Twice champion Jim Clark, rated by some as the greatest Formula 1 driver ever, raced a Lotus-tuned Ford Cortina to a string of wins in 1966.

1970s: Mini 1275 GT

The original Mini was competitive for years. It won its first BTC race in 1961, and at the end of the next decade it was still winning with Richard Longman scooping back-to-back titles in 1978 and 1979.

1980s: Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

The late eighties and earlier nineties saw turbo power hit the British Touring Car Championship and the brutally fast Sierra Cosworth produced scintillating racing from the likes of Andy Rouse and Steve Soper.

1990s: Audi A4 Quattro

Escalating speeds meant that turbos had to be banned but the 1990s saw some even more spectacular machinery. The four-wheel-drive A4 which won the 1996 championship in the hands of Frank Biela was just one example from the era that saw some of the greatest BTCC machinery.

2000s: Vauxhall Astra

Vauxhall have been the team to beat in the new era of the touring car championships. Fabrizio Giovanardi leads the title race at the moment and won the championship last year in his Vectra.

But the latest car has a long way to go to match its predecessor. The Astra won five consecutive manufacturers’ championships and brought drivers’ title for Jason Plato, James Thompson and Yvan Muller.

Honourable mention: Volvo 850 Estate (1994)