Lotus Elise S2 111R versus Porsche 911 Coupe (992.1 Series) GT3. 1 point of retained value between them — ~£128 per horsepower plays ~£268 on today’s market.
The GT3 is a genuinely extraordinary machine, and at roughly £268 per horsepower on today's auction market it represents better value than its new price ever did. But the 992 GT3 depreciation figure here is drawn from just two model-wide sales with no auction data for this specific trim, so treat it as a rough compass rather than a hard number. What we can say with confidence is that you're still spending somewhere north of £135,000 for the privilege, and that buys you a car that is spectacular but increasingly filtered — the PDK gearbox, the electronic safety net, the sheer mass of 1,526 kg. It is a weapon, no question, but it's a weapon with cruise control. The Elise 111R makes a different argument entirely. Its 86% retained value is based on actual auction sales of this specific trim, which means the depreciation hit happened a long time ago and the floor looks genuinely stable. At roughly £128 per horsepower you're getting the cheapest meaningful performance money can currently buy, and the 2ZZ-GE engine's top-end fizz means you're wringing something real out of every rev. At 860 kg, the physics are simply on your side in a way no amount of Porsche engineering can replicate. If your question is what £30,000 buys you in driving sensation per pound spent, the Elise answers it more honestly and more thrillingly than a car five times the price. Buy the Lotus.