HomeThe greatest high performance Q-cars

The greatest high performance Q-cars

Do you want to travel under the radar when driving from A to B? These subtle Q-cars will get you there in a hurry.

January 9, 2026

The name stems from the armed merchant vessels from the First World War, which sailed undercover to thwart the efforts of German U-boats.
© Mercedes-Benz
The vessels were known as Q-ships, a term that is associated with undercover and covert operations, hence the term Q-car. Brief history lesson over, here are our choices.
Skoda Superb ‘Sleeper Edition’
© Skoda
Last year, Skoda UK unveiled a modified version of the outgoing Superb Estate, complete with a 200hp hike in power. The wonderfully named ‘Sleeper Edition’ is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 477hp, with the lower ride height and red brake calipers the only hints to the performance on offer.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3
© Mercedes-Benz
Take one 6.3-litre engine from a Mercedes-Benz 600. Shoehorn it into a 300 SEL and, hey presto, one of the world’s greatest Q-cars is born. It laid the foundations for AMG and wiped the smile from the faces of Porsche 911 and Jaguar E-type drivers across the world.
Volkswagen Passat W8
© VW
It didn’t make sense when new, and even the most twisted petrolhead logic can’t mount a serious case for the Passat W8 as a used car market. But you still want a 4.0-litre Volkswagen Passat W8, don’t you? Imagine telling your mates that your car has half a Bugatti Veyron engine, albeit without the turbochargers.
Lancia Thema 8.32
© Newspress
Some say that the Lancia Thema 2.0 Turbo is faster than the fabled 8.32, but to get into an argument over such a trivial matter would be wrong. A Ferrari V8 engine and a Rosewood and Poltrona Frau interior combine to catapult the Thema 8.32 to Q-car greatness. Oh, Lancia, these really were the good old days.
Peugeot 405 Mi16
© Peugeot
Peugeot 405 your father would have parked in the Little Chef car park on his way to a meeting in Leighton Buzzard. But his 405 didn’t have the beating heart of an engine with its roots in Group B rallying. Unless he was very good at selling printer toner, in which case his 405 probably did.
Rover 75 V8
© Rover
Heard the one about the time Rover converted its rolling Werther’s-Original-on-wheels to rear-wheel drive and plonked a ruddy great Mustang V8 engine in the front? It’s like asking Axl Rose to present Songs of Praise.
BMW E28 M5
© BMW
The original wolf in sheep’s clothing. When the E28 M5 was introduced in Amsterdam in 1984, BMW proved that strange substances and scantily clad women weren’t the only exciting things to come out of the city. It was a super car for supercar money.
Volkswagen Golf G60 Limited
© ItsGrimUpNorth – Wikimedia
After the brilliant Polo G40 came the G60, an engine used in the Passat, Corrado and Golf. In the Golf Rallye – a wide-arched homologation special of 1989 – the performance credentials were there for all to see. But the ‘standard’ Golf G60 Limited, which added a supercharger to the 16-valve engine was a more discreet affair.
Vauxhall Carlton 3000GSI
© Vauxhall
Can you name five famous Carltons? There’s Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Vanessa Carlton. Carlton Palmer. Carlton Fairweather. And the Carlton 3000GSI. Because there’s more to the big Vauxhall than Lotus.
Mercedes-Benz 500 E W124
© Mercedes-Benz
If you look closely, the clues are there, but it’s fair to say that the ‘W124’ Mercedes-Benz 500 E isn’t the most outlandish of saloon cars. It was built with help from Porsche and cost twice the price of a 300 E. But the 5.0-litre V8 engine was worth every penny.
Volkswagen Touareg R50 V10
© VW
Can a full-fat SUV be a Q-car? When it’s got a stonking great 5.0-litre V10 TDI engine under the bonnet, yes it can. Nobody in their right mind would expect a Volkswagen SUV to offer 627lb ft of torque and a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds. Remove those R50 badges and you’ve got the ultimate sleeper.
Audi S6 V10
© Audi
In 2006, the V10-engined BMW M5 was arguably the greatest performance saloon in the world, but there was an alternative. Like the M5, the Audi S6 was powered by a V10, in this case a tweaked version of the engine found in the Lamborghini Gallardo, along with the benefit (or not) of four-wheel drive. But it looked just like the regular saloon or Avant estate.
Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9
© Mercedes-Benz
In 1975, the Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 was a glimpse into the future, complete with ABS brakes and a car phone. The mighty 6.9-litre engine delivered 405lb ft of torque. Mercedes-Benz shifted 7,380 units of its flagship S-Class, and they remain highly sought-after today.
Lotus Cortina
© Ford
The Lotus Cortina inspired the first use of the Q-car term, with Bill Boddy describing it as a ‘Q-car par excellence’ in Motor Sport magazine. That was back in 1963.
BMW E39 540i
© BMW
The ‘E39’ generation of BMW M5 was hardly an extrovert, but the 540i offered many of the benefits of M ownership wrapped in a more straight-laced exterior. One of the greatest Q-cars?
Volvo 850 R
© Volvo
The Volvo 850 T-5R was good, but the 850 R was even better. Like its predecessor, the R was powered by a 2.4-litre five-cylinder engine, but thanks to a bigger Garrett turbocharger and larger intercooler, power was increased to 250hp, which led to even more tyre squealing. The limited-slip differential on cars with a manual gearbox helped, but this was a tricky beast to tame.
Mazda 6 MPS
© Mazda
Most people wouldn’t bat an eyelid if you drove past them in a Mazda 6 MPS, but that’s part of the appeal of owning a Q-car. It might resemble a regular four-door saloon, but the 6 MPS was powered by a 2.3-litre turbocharged engine producing 260hp. All that power was transmitted to the road courtesy of a four-wheel-drive system.
Land Rover Defender V8
© JLR
Most performance SUVs are too ‘in-yer-face’ to be Q-cars. The Land Rover Defender V8 is different, not least because cars with the aerodynamics of a house brick aren’t supposed to go this fast. Thanks to Jaguar Land Rover’s familiar 5.0-litre supercharged V8, the Defender 90 will hit 62mph in around five seconds, before maxing out at 149mph. It’s at its comical best in the slightly slower but eight-seat 130 version.
Brabus E V12
© Brabus
Brabus has a fine history of doing naughty things with Mercedes-Benz cars. The first V12-powered E-Class was the W124, followed by this W210 model, which featured a 7.3-litre engine producing 582hp and 575lb ft of torque. At the time it was the most powerful road-legal Mercedes-Benz engine and officially the world’s fastest four-door saloon.
Jaguar Mk2 3.8
© Newspress
One of the earliest Q-cars and also one of the greatest. You could find the 3.8-litre Jaguar Mk2 in one of three places. Either on a race track, running from a bank job or chasing the criminals running from a bank job.
Toyota ‘Sleeper Camry’
© Toyota
In 2014, Toyota unveiled this 850hp ‘Sleeper Camry’ concept. With a 5.7-litre V8 borrowed from the Tundra pickup, it certainly packed a mighty punch. However, calling it a ‘Sleeper’ perhaps isn’t playing the game right. Skoda, take note.