I'd go with an E30 of some sort i think, quite a lot of options to choose from
- E30 M3 (this would be night and day in terms of handling and chassis compared with a 325 sport, a 5k car might require a bit of work though and it would almost certainly be the earlier less powerful engine)
-...
I know what you mean about the feeling of 'going back' - but as you say its just a temporary thing for a year or so. The you can buy something shinier and newer (and more expensive) again ;)
Good luck with the job!
Clio Williams, 306 GTI-6, 106 GTI/Saxo VTS, 205 GTI, Golf GTI (mk2) - those should all pretty much fit the bill.
Or you could consider an E30 325i Sport or 318is if you fancy something RWD.
Quite surprised at the figures being so low - especially the cars with re-maps etc. But as long as everyone is happy with how they feel and how they drive thats the main thing.
Heres why i'm a bit surprised at the figs - i am 99.9% sure that around the time of the Trophy launch i read that...
I reckon that the graphics will be optional (fortunately) like the Megane F1. I'm interested in the 'Watch this space for more technical details!' line - could be some interesting technical developments or could be a let down, hopefully we'll find out soon...
I quite ike the look of it in those pics although i think the back end might take a bit of getting used to, will be interesting to see what the production car ends up looking like.
What about the new Evo X - anyone like/dislike that? I think looks wise its an improvement on the current models...