21 £15k GTs to spice up your summer staycation getaway

These affordable sports tourers are road trip-ready

Has COVID put the kibosh on your overseas holiday plans? Sounds like the perfect opportunity to indulge in a classic-themed getaway on home soil.

You’ll need a classic with plenty of room for luggage, a healthy serving of performance to help melt the miles away, and styling that is guaranteed to turn heads when you get there. And since this year has been financially tough for many, you’ll be wanting to wrap that all up for sensible money: let’s say £15k tops, and preferably a lot less.

Porsche's 928 fits the bill, but it's not the only one. Here are 21 classic GTs that will make sure you won’t miss the Med this summer.

1. Volvo 262C (1978-1981)

Price guide: £4-8k

Bertone-built coupé cousin to the staid 244 saloon, the mean-looking 262 featured a 60mm roof chop, swept-back ’screen pillars and more leather than a Moroccan market stall.

All early cars came with a 140bhp V6 and a black vinyl toupée over silver paint, but later versions ditched the plastic top and gained an extra 15bhp.

You won’t be seeking out any B-roads when you get to your destination, but you’ll love the drive there and back.

2. Datsun 280ZX (1978-1983)

Price guide: £4-10k

Mention the 280ZX and most people will happily tell you it’s a bloated parody of the iconic original 240Z. And while it’s true the ZX isn’t half the sports car the original 240 is, it’s twice the GT thanks to better cabin refinement and the availability of luxuries like power steering.

Plus you get the option of T-tops on later cars to help make the most of the hit-and-miss British weather.

3. MGC GT (1967-1969)

Price guide: £15-25k

The MGB’s six-cylinder alter-ego was criticised for its nose-heavy handling when new, but is now seriously collectable.

Modern rubber can help sort the understeer, and while you can buy a V8 MGB for similar money, only the C was available with the option of an automatic transmission for the complete bonsai-DB6 experience.

4. Jaguar XJ Coupé (1975-1978)

Price guide: £15-30k

Jag’s XJ-S is the obvious GT choice, but the XJ Coupé (and its Daimler doppelgänger shown here) is a whole lot cooler.

You won’t find a V12 model for our £15k budget (and even finding a decent straight-six car for less than £20k might take a while), but the familiar 4.2 XK ‘six’ is plenty punchy and you’ll be thankful for the improvement in fuel consumption, which is only awful, and not V12 horrendous.

5. Bitter SC (1979-1989)

Price guide: £12-22k

The SC stands for Senator Coupé, because despite German racer Erich Bitter’s coachbuilt two-door looking unnervingly like a Ferrari 365GT4 2+2, it was actually based on a humble Opel Senator.

Power came from a lusty 3.9-litre version of GM’s hardy straight-six, which ought to be reliable, but check the body carefully for rot. A bad Bitter could leave a nasty taste in your mouth.

6. Ford Granada Coupé (1974-1977)

Price guide: £7-12k

Europe’s Mk1 Granada is best known as a luxury four-door – and best remembered for its antics in TV’s cop show, The Sweeney. But there was a two-door, too, a kind of poor man’s Mercedes-Benz SEC, only a decade earlier.

Ford’s 3.0-litre Essex V6 provides the muscle, and the coupé was only available in posh Ghia trim in the UK so you won’t want for comfort.

Or, if you fancy the same oily bits in a sportier package, go for the contemporary 3.0-litre Ford Capri.

7. Lotus Elite (1974-1982)

Price guide: £9-18k

The year after it offloaded the Seven to Caterham, Lotus released a car that underlined how much the company had changed from its early kit-car days.

The 1974 Elite was a strikingly modern wedge-shaped GT with 2+2 seating and a plenty of luggage space for touring.

Not everyone liked the rear styling though, so Lotus tweaked it to introduce a companion model, the Eclat. But the funkier Elite is worth more.

8. BMW 840Ci (1992-1999)

Price guide: £15-25k

These effortlessly cool 8-Series coupés only look better with each passing year, especially in summer when you can drop all four windows and show off the pillarless lines.

The V12 850i is thirsty and complicated, and the later 850CSi (pictured here) is well beyond our budget. But an 840Ci looks just as good and is great value.

Or, if you fancy something with more chrome, but the same character, try its 6-Series predecessor. The 635CSi is expensive now, but a 633 fits our £15k budget.

9. Maserati 3200GT/Coupé (1997-2007)

Price guide: £15-25k

These pretty Maserati coupés are surprisingly practical thanks to their proper rear seats, making them great touring buddies if you want to hit the road with friends or kids.

Originally called the 3200GT and fitted with a twin-turbo V6 and lovely boomerang-shaped rear lamps, it was relaunched in 2002 with plainer lights, a Ferrari-built naturally aspirated V8 and the option of a rear-mounted paddle-shift ‘box.

That version was named simply ‘Coupé’, though most call it ‘4200’. Either way, it’s massively underrated.

10. Mercedes-Benz 380/420/500SEC (1981-1990)

Price guide: £10-25k

Picking just one of Mercedes’ many GT choices is a big ask. There are so many options, the W114 250CE, W124 300CE, C107 350SLC and C123 280 all available within our budget.

And if that just sounds like a load of parts numbers for a tumble dryer, rest assured they’re all stylish grand tourers.

But none has the presence of the big SEC, the coupé cousin to the mighty S-Class saloon.

11. Saab 900 Turbo (1979-1993)

Price guide: £4-15k

A slightly left-field choice in a list of GTs, granted, but the 900’s big-hearted pace, useful packaging and fastback styling make it a brilliant grand tourer.

Early 8v cars made a modest 145bhp, but with our £15k budget we’d easily be able to stretch to a later 16v T16s or 185bhp Carlsson. Watch out for rust and sagging headlining.

12. Opel Monza (1978-1986)

Price guide: £4-9k

The Manta’s big brother was based on the Senator saloon and featured a huge opening tailgate that’s perfect for stashing a week’s worth of luggage.

Inside you get lashings of velour, and, if you go for the sporty GSE, a grippy set of Recaros and an oh-so-'80s digital dash to monitor the 130mph performance of the grunty 180bhp straight-six.

13. Subaru SVX (1991-1996)

Price guide: £4-6k

Even by the standards of a company not known for following the herd, the SVX was an oddball.

Not as oddball-looking as the earlier XT mind, thanks to styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro, but the combination of a front-mounted flat-six, four-wheel drive and automatic transmission was certainly unusual, and didn’t lend itself to B-road fun.

But think of the SVX as a leggy GT and it makes more sense. Very rare in the UK, but such a niche buy you can afford the very best.

14. Sunbeam Rapier (1967-1976)

Price guide: £3-7k

With its pillarless windows and a distinctive rear window treatment that owes plenty to the original Plymouth Barracuda, it’s hard to believe there’s a plain-Jane Hillman Hunter hiding underneath the Rapier’s skin.

Ordinary Rapiers got an 88bhp twin-carb version of the 1725cc Rootes ‘four’, which is perfectly cable of keeping up with modern traffic, while the cheaper Sunbeam Alpine made do with a single carb and 74bhp.

But neither is as desirable or valuable as the Holbay-tuned H120 with its twin-Weber carbs and wide Rostyle wheels.

15. Lancia Gamma Coupé (1977-1984)

Price guide: £7-12k

A whole lot happier looking than the Gamma saloon, this Pininfarina-penned stunner is definitely only for the brave.

Power comes from a flat-four engine whose cambelt also drives the power-steering pump, meaning it is possible to destroy the motor simply by starting the car with the steering on full lock.

Overheating can also be a problem, as can sheet-metal corrosion and… shall we just skip to the next slide?

16. Fiat 130 (1971-1977)

Price guide: £10-15k

If the Gamma’s frailty has you running scared, you might prefer the more straightforward, and straight-edged Fiat 130.

Also designed by Pininfarina, this square-jawed four-seater looks like the result of a tryst between a Rolls Camarge and a Mk2 Cortina.

It handles tidily and there’s a 3.2-litre quad-cam V6 under the flat nose to whisk you on your way.

17. Peugeot 504 Coupé (1969-1983)

Price guide: £10-15k

Here’s another pretty Pininfarina-designed coupé you can afford, this time from Peugeot.

Based on the 504 saloon that was named 1969 European Car of the Year, it fused French car comfort with Italian style and came with a choice of four-cylinder or V6 power.

18. Porsche 928 (1975-1993)

Price guide: £10-20k

Prices for these epic V8 fastbacks have deservedly rocketed in recent years, but you can still bag a usable one for our £15k budget.

They’re great fun to drive and can eat up long distances, too, if you can stand the roar from the fat rubber.

The cabin is a bit of a greenhouse so check the air-con is working – it usually isn’t. And don’t be surprised if various electric bits are on the blink, either.

19. Reliant Scimitar GTE (1968-1986)

Price guide: £4-10k

The Scimitar first appeared in 1964, but it was Tom Karen’s ’68 restyle – specifically the new shooting-brake rear end – that really turned it into a world-class GT.

Combine that practicality with the dependable punch of a simple Ford V6 and the criminally undervalued Scimitar looks like a great pick.

20. Toyota Celica Supra (1981-1985)

Price guide: £4-9k

Toyota’s answer to Datsun’s 280ZX was a four-cylinder Celica stretched to accommodate a 2.8-litre straight-six and featuring that ’80s styling essential: pop-up headlights.

The angular lines have aged well and it still looks tough, particularly on cars with the arch flares. Many were autos; almost all are rusty, so inspect carefully.

21. Volkswagen Corrado VR6 (1992-1995)

Price guide: £5-12k

Dropping VW’s narrow-angle V6 under the Corrado’s bonnet turned a capable little four-cylinder coupé into a proper grown up GT.

With 187bhp driving the front wheels the VR6 could top 140mph and reach 60mph in under 7 secs. And it had the chassis to make the most of it.

Little wonder they were raved about when new. The surprise is they’re not worth more today.