The horsepower wars of the ‘60s were a testament to our desire to out-perform the next guy and gave hot rodding a pivotal cornerstone-position in the history of the automobile. Fifty years later, we’ve relapsed into a whole new episode of speed fever but this time with the technology to do it in an environmentally responsible way. Speed is back in full swing and world records are being set as we approach the 300mph barrier and beyond.

While you’re likely never going to own a Koenigsegg Agera RS, nor find yourself pushing the 278mph barrier in anything but that coach seat of that Boeing 777 on your next family vacation, you still can have speed and performance enough to make you feel good. Below are some of your best options to do it in. Depending on your mechanical aptitude and the scope of the project you’re looking for, I’ve mixed turn-key speed with other projects that have extremely high potential should you not fear a little bit of elbow grease and some wrench turning. Whether autocross and rallying is your forte or you just like going straight and fast, your car is right here if it’s got to be on the cheap.

20 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo ($3,000)

The VW Beetle turned out to be a very well suited platform for drag racing and the lightweight design enables gobs of performance to be tuned into it with a wide variety of engine options that are far too numerous to even begin to entertain here.

To the mechanically savvy with a few good connections however, a 10-second track champion is not far out of reach.

Sure it’ll take over $10,000 to build an NHRA-approved racecar, but for perspective, a nitrous kit can be had for less than $500. You’ll have to build up the rest of the car to handle that type of power though, if you want to make more than one pass before a rebuild.

19 Cobalt SS ($5,000)

The GM Delta platform is a compact, front-wheel drive foundation for which small SUVs and crossovers use. It replaces the T Platform and is the basis of the Cobalt template that was produced form 2005-2010. The Cobalt is available with a selection of engines ranging from half-adequate to halfway decent and was GM’s first stab at a once-untapped tuner market. Forced induction packages boost performance upwards of 200hp and the 2.0L turbo is rated at 260hp as a matter of fact. 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds is the result of the GM performance division’s track time testing and tuning the car for a package that would be worthy of the SS badging.

18 Subaru Impreza WRX ($3,000)

One of the most versatile entry-level performance cars on the market, the Subaru WRX has been a playground for young testosterone to go and fever drive into the ground like a cruise missile. The unmatched performance shines blisteringly bright in the areas where other cars dare not even attempt thanks to the all-wheel drive, every rubber contact digs into the ground and coaxes the car into the desired direction. In the right hands, the WRX is just as comfortable drifting around ascending hairpins on a gravel road at the edge of a cliff as it is shooting through rush hour bouncing around lanes like Frogger.

17 Porsche 944 Turbo ($6,000)

It’s ugly, it’s old and it comes from a decade that seldom produced a good anything – let alone automobiles. It is, however, a Porsche, and if that means anything to you, one can be had on the cheap that could open up the doors of possibilities for a great little canyon car if you’re willing to push it hard. Based on the 924, the 944 offers two variants of a turbocharged 2.5l inline-four with 15.5lbs of boost that’ll give you a 400-plus horsepower potential. This could be a premier option for power generation on the cheap if you’re willing to look past a myriad of shortcomings in other departments.

16 Nissan 240SX ($3,000)

The factory Nissan 240SX circa 1990 was a great little car for what it was and became a legend in tuner circles on roads everywhere. The factory performance could be somewhat equivocated two decades later, but it would be comparable to an upper-mid level sporty car of today.

It’s still quick enough to slice through traffic like a knife if you’re good enough (but don’t be that guy – nobody likes that guy).

A 600-plus horsepower monster waits to awaken with a few performance mods to the engine like intercoolers, wastegates and blow-off valves if you dig deep enough. Maybe a little in depth for the scope of the average guy wanting horsepower on the cheap, but if 640hp was easy everybody would do it.

15 Mazda RX-8 ($4,000)

The RX-8 is another legendary nameplate passed around the dinner table like a stick of butter and some models are in that sweet spot of age just new enough to still be in style while just old enough to not cost an arm and a leg. Mazda builds its cars on a premise of affordable performance – mostly geared towards handling. Sure they offer great, smooth-running motors but the value of a Mazda is in the handling ability. Sport-tuned suspension allows a nice set of tires to slice through corners with a nice, low center of gravity and feel great while doing it. The RX-8 in some variants is capable of 230hp from a twin-rotor, 8,000rpm screamer that bolts through a 0-60mph run in less than 6.5 seconds and is only 10mph slower than a speed-limited Mercedes-Benz (145mph).

14 Dodge Neon SRT-4 ($5,000)

Ok, despite what it is, the Dodge Neon has a few cool bones somewhere in that little round shell. The only way to find it, however, is through the performance-driven SRT4 nameplate that Dodge reserves for its top-tier power players. Although one could legitimately question the application of such a nameplate on something like the Neon, it’s actually not a bad combination, especially for a tuner-based market. This isn’t the purple base model your friend had as his first car in high school. It's got 5.6-second 0-60mph time with 230hp to burn and it tops out at 2mph less than the maximum speed for most Mercedes-Benz (153mph).

13 Honda Civic ($2,500)

One of the most popular econo-cars in history, the Honda Civic is a cornerstone of the tuner life. Like ‘em or not, they somehow find the perfect blend of reliability, economy and potential for so much more.

You’ll see Civics littering suburban driveways in respectable stock form, then turn around and see them cascade along the track at racing events across the nation – and for good reason.

Coming from the factory with little more than 100hp, it was perfect for an everyday go-getter but upgrading internals, adding a forced induction system and maybe some spray can quadruple the factory output. The possibilities are expansive and accommodate every budget making the Civic a solid choice for just about anyone.

12 Acura Integra ($5,000)

In my humble opinion, a good starter project car for a casual builder is a safe bet somewhere in the $5,000 range. For that, you should be able to acquire a solid-running project with normal and correctable wear that you can turn into your dream speed-beater with loads of power to spare. In more cases than not, provided you’ve done your homework and are starting with a solid platform (to include an upgradable motor with good power-producing potential) a good bet in many cases is a turbo upgrade. For the Integra, they can be had for just over $400 in many cases and if you can’t afford lots of cubes, forced induction is your ticket to cheap power.

11 BMW E30 ($2,000)

If you’ve ever thought there was something special about driving a BMW, that’s because there’s a bit more to it than simply driving it; one does not simply drive a BMW.

Priding itself on being the ultimate driving machine, BMW wraps up the whole driving experience in performance that’s capable on a variety of different roads and surfaces.

Seeing success in WRC rings as well as Continental Tire Series has forged a race-proven platform out of one of the most popular models produced and you’ll likely be auto-crossing it if you want to really see what it can do without too much commitment.

10 Volkswagen R32 ($6,000)

The humble R32 wears its credentials on the inside where they belong – not bolted onto the back of the trunk pretending to develop down force. One of the very unique features about the Golf R is the standard all-wheel drive system making it more of a sleeper than it looks like in the first place – the R doesn’t need huge intakes and a fiberglass-packed trashcan for an exhaust. What it used instead was a 3.2L, 237hp V-6 pumping horses to the input shaft of the manual six-speed (for the Euro version). This was the most concentrated performance Golf of the available trim options as a successor to the VR6 engine was finally at hand.

9 Ford Fox Body GT ($2500)

Few cars are as notable as the Ford Mustang, but even the iconic classic went through its tough years; first the ‘80s – and if that wasn’t bad enough it had to endure the ‘90s thereafter. Not a good year for the styling of just about any car let alone a Mustang.

Luckily for us, the Mustang held steadfastly to all of the performance it could during the war on horsepower and emerged somewhat whole.

The third-generation Fox Body aftermarket industry is literally overflowing with upgrades and options capable of squeezing as much potential horsepower out of your Fox Body as you possibly can.

8 Ford Focus (5,000)

This is the day of the modern performance junkie who’d rather purchase, plug and play all his upgrades from Jeg’s performance catalog online than get down and dirty with valve adjustments and carburetor tuning. The highly technical, modern day engines are engineered with a hefty cushion for performance that is left untapped from the assembly line, thus enabling folks to bolt on performance and electronically tune horsepower into an otherwise stock setup. In the ‘60s, this wasn’t the case and you had to get dirty if you wanted horsepower. Not to mention the definition of performance has seen popularity shift from straight-line racing to incorporate more auto-cross activity making smaller car’s like the Focus more considerable than ever before.

7 Toyota Celica GTS ($5,000)

The Celica has been roaming the roads since the ‘70s and comes from a racing pedigree through the years right up to your doorstep. The 180hp, 16-valve, DOCH four-cylinder is the eye of the massive-winged tiger and it has enjoyed a very warm reception in the tuner community throughout the years. Toyota’s legendary reliability is coupled with a little bit of performance to justify upgraded brakes, wheels, carbon fiber hood and most undoubtedly the cold air intake. Tuner love runs deep with the Celica, and its designs are almost timeless enough to stay in style even when they no longer are.

6 Ford Mustang Cobra ($5,000)

The Ford Cobra is as awesome as a pony can get, and the Special Vehicle Team has definitely seen a rodeo or two in its past. Larger valves and highly-efficient intake and exhaust manifolds allow the engine to wind up good and breathe easy doing it. 240 horses push the pony down the road with a GT-40-style, 5.0L Cobra engine that has competed successfully in many professional events. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Firestone Grand Sport and Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events all saw the Cobra R compete as was requested by Ford Motor Co. at purchase time, although many private collectors just bought them to have them.

5 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Turbo ($3,000)

The Eclipse has, as many of the aforementioned cars, enjoyed a long life of fame and accolades by its cult-following over the roughly 20 years of production. Bolstering the spirit of tuner-life, the Eclipse had an available turbo option in addition to beefier brakes and a sport-tuned suspension to zip around with all the rage of the early ‘90s.

That’s actually old enough for younger people to even go so far as refer to these cars as classics, but you and I know better.

Classic or not, Mitsubishi was watchfully tending to its turbo Eclipse having engine upgrades implemented in its second year of production for more optimized turbocharged operation.

4 Toyota MR-2 ($3,000)

The second-generation MR-2 was a step or two above its predecessor’s trim levels, offering a more spacious cabin and larger car at the cost of about 300lbs but now featured a larger engine, stout transaxle and an improved suspension design. The turbocharged, 200hp MR-2 was a 6.2-second 0-60mph runner – and this was back in 1991 when that was a lot faster than it is today. The retro Ferrari-like body design captivates some while rubbing others the wrong way, but in a decade where bulbous styling and poorly rendered curvatures were commonplace, there’s something comforting in the plain and symmetrically simple profile of the little Toyota.

3 Mazda MX-5 Miata ($3,000)

The most beloved of all the Mazda family and arguably a top contender for one of the best little roadsters on the road, you’ll be hard-pressed to get more bang for your canyon-carving buck than the MX-5.

Mazda specializes in that type of nonsense and few cars can lay claim to a more successful racing resume in the same category.

It’s highly popular in a number of different divisions under various sanctioning bodies and is no stranger to strong finishes and good race days. If you don’t remember when this car came out, it created a huge buzz – a buzz that it lives up to still today.

2 Pontiac Trans Am Schrute Special ($3,000)

Of all the things Pontiac has done wrong it the past, and especially given the year of production, it’s very easy to imagine a world where they dropped the ball on their Camaro challenger. (These are the same folks that put the Aztek out there, remember.) However, this wasn’t the case here and the Firebirds actually have a way of maturing as they get older. Maybe it’s the comparison to an increasingly hybrid-electric world, but the ‘90s have their isolated moments of beauty – and here’s one of them. The small block V-8 is your standard 5.7L based on the most popular and versatile engine platform on the planet. If you can’t figure out a way to make a SBC 5.7L do good things – just don’t touch it.

1 Ford Taurus SHO ($5,000)

Aluminum-headed, 24-valve double overhead cams and variable-length intake runners already give this Taurus more under the hood than one could ever expect just looking at it. What you also wouldn’t immediately appreciate is the engine itself; it was quite capable of 8,500rpm all day long but had to be limited to 7,000rpm by Ford because the accessories weren’t rated for that type of speed. Either way the 3.0L, 225hp actually came in with a manual gearbox in the lower serial numbers but most people don’t even know they existed. Thankfully, the automatic versions were equipped with a stroked 3.2L to compensate.

Sources: roadandtrack.com, thesamba.com, caranddriver.com, americanmuscle.com.