England’s heroes

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View our slide show of the English heroes

Ariel Atom 500 V8

It’s powered by a 2.4-litre V8 engine, it weighs less than 500kgs and it was designed by a Coventry University student – this is the 500bhp, supercar-slaying, giant-humbling Ariel Atom 500 V8.

The original Ariel Atom sported a 300bhp engine which meant it could accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds – just 0.2 seconds slower than the Bugatti Veyron.

But with the new 500 V8, the Ariel Atom becomes one of the world’s fastest ever cars – performance stats haven’t been released, but expect fear to echo around Bugatti offices.

Video: Watch the standard Ariel Atom in action

Noble M12 GTO-3

Built in Leicestershire by designer and engineer Lee Noble, the Noble M12 GTO-3 is a two-door, two-seat sportscar which uses a turbocharged 3-litre Ford engine.

With a lightweight body made from fibre glass, the 350bhp Noble M12 can accelerate from 0-62mph in under four seconds and hits a top speed of around 170mph.

And Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson is a big fan, when he won over the audience after a shootout with Richard Hammond and James May.

Farbio GTS400

This British sportscar can mix it with the very best supercars in the world – the Farbio GTS400 is a new lightweight British supercar built in Bath.

The Farbio GTS400 uses a supercharged 3-litre V6 engine producing a titanic 410bhp and is slotted inside a stunning lightweight body weighing just 1,046kg.

This allows the GTS400 to accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds – quicker than a Ferrari F430 – and hit a top speed of more than 185mph.

Morgan 4/4

Most classic cars were built in an era when car makers were run by enthusiasts rather than accountants – and the Morgan 4/4 embodies this spirit mixed with a healthy dose of 21st century reliability.

The stunning retro-design of the Morgan is coupled to a thoroughly modern powerplant – a 125bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine from Ford.

And the Morgan is a bona-fide bespoke motor – buyers can choose from a range of 50 colours of leather and 40,000 paintwork choices, with prices starting from less than £25,000.

Bristol Fighter

The Bristol Fighter blends striking looks – including upwards-opening gullwing doors – and a mammoth 8-litre V10 engine developing 660bhp and 580lb/ft of pulling power.

This means the Bristol Fighter can accelerate from 0-60mph in around four seconds and hit a top speed of 210mph.

And there is a range-topping Bristol Fighter ‘T’ version – which straps on two turbochargers to the engine to produce a Bugatti Veyron-rivalling 1012bhp.

McLaren F1

The performance benchmark for the 1990s – and one of the world’s most famous hypercars, the McLaren F1 set the standard for superfast Brit machinery.

Made from a combination of gold, titanium, carbon fibre and magnesium, this £640,000 hypercar can crack 240mph – setting a blistering speed record in the mid 1990s as the world’s fastest car.

The three-seater McLaren F1 still stands today as one of the fastest cars on earth, and features a 6-litre V12 engine from BMW producing 630bhp, with performance stats of 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds and 0-100mph in 6.3 seconds.

View our slide show of the English heroes

Caterham R500

Want ultimate trackday thrills? You’ll want the Caterham Superlight R500.

The Caterham Superlight R500 uses a 2-litre engine which produces 263bhp and 177lb/ft of pulling power – not an extraordinary figure in the current world of 240bhp Vauxhall Astras.

But factor in the Superlight R500’s 506kg weight, and you have mind-bending performance.

The Caterham Superlight R500 accelerates from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds and hits a top speed of 150mph – which puts this £37,000 lightweight rocket in touching distance of the £830,000 Bugatti Veyron.

Lotus Exige

Hethel-based carmaker Lotus is one of the world’s most renowned sportscar builders – the two-seat Lotus Elise is regarded as one of the world’s finest handling roadster.

And this – the Lotus Exige – is its bad brother. Essentially a hard-top version of the Elise, the some Exiges use a supercharged 1.8-litre Toyota engine producing 240bhp and can accelerate from 0-62mph in under four seconds.

But Lotus’ talents don’t end there. The company assisted in the design of the electric Tesla roadster, honed the Vauxhall Astra VXR, tuned the Ford Cortina (Lotus Cortina) and produced the world’s first bona-fide super-saloon in the shape of the Lotus Carlton.

Lotus also designed the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold airfield.

Radical SR8

This Peterborough-built lightweight racer has claimed the scalp of the world’s most famous hypercar: the Radical SR8 is the fastest production car to lap the famous Nurburgring racetrack with a blistering time of six minutes and 55 seconds, beating the Bugatti Veyron’s time by over one minute.

Colin McRae's old Radical for sale

The 360bhp Radical SR8 – which uses a 2.6-litre V8 engine – weighs just 650kg and costs £70,000.

Video: Watch the Radical SR8 set a lap record on the Nurburgring

Ultima GTR

The Ultima GTR can humble the supercar aristocracy thanks to its 650bhp 6.7-litre supercharged V8 powerplant – enough to rival the Ferrari Enzo.

View images of the Ultima GTR for sale on Auto Trader

The Ultima GTR weighs just 990kg and can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.6 seconds and 0-100mph in 5.3 seconds.

And the GTR holds the world record for the fastest acceleration and deceleration – it can sprint from 0mph-100mph-0mph and back to 0mph in just 9.4 seconds.

Auto Trader had one of these Leicestershire-built road rockets for sale on the site for £52,995.

Video: Watch the Ultima GT-R break the Top Gear lap record

Jaguar E-Type/Aston Martin DB5

How could a list of England’s greatest motoring heroes not include the Jaguar E-Type and Aston Martin DB5?

Arguably the most iconic pair of British sportscars the world will ever know, the Jaguar E-Type and Aston Martin DB5 were born in Britain’s decade – the 1960s.

In this period, Britain gave the world The Beatles, brought home the 1966 World Cup and produced these achingly beautiful two-seat sportscars.

The E-Type Jag sold more than 70,000 models throughout its short lifespan, and featured a 5.3-litre Jaguar-built V12 engine.

And the Aston Martin DB5 is probably the most famous Aston – partly thanks toits James Bond connection.

The DB5 featured a 4-litre straight-six engine developing 282bhp, with a 0-60mph time of 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 141mph.

But forget about the performance… just look at it.

View our slide show of the English heroes