10 of the fastest tuned cars in the UK
July 09, 2025 by Jamie Edkins
You don’t need to spend six figures to get a car which can set a blistering quarter-mile time, a modified hot hatch can give a supercar a run for its money in a drag race.
You can go from simple ECU tunes all the way up to full engine rebuilds, turbo conversions and even engine swaps.
You’ll likely void your car’s warranty by doing this, and potentially introduce some reliability issues, but if you’re after maximum performance from your car then there are plenty of mods to help you do it.
We’ve drag raced dozens of tuned cars over the years, and we’ve rounded up the 10 fastest by quarter mile time.
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- Twin turbocharged Lamborghini Huracan – 8.7 seconds
- 4.1-litre Nissan GT-R – 8.9 seconds
- BMW M240i (1,000hp) – 9.1 seconds
- Twin turbocharged Audi R8 – 9.4 seconds
- Five-cylinderVolkswagen Golf R Mk7 – 9.5 seconds
- Porsche 911 Turbo S ES Motor – 9.6 seconds
- BMW M5 (1,000hp) – 9.6 seconds
- Tuned McLaren 720S – 9.7 seconds
- Honda Integra four-wheel drive conversion – 9.8 seconds
- BMW M4 (1,000hp) – 9.8 seconds
1. Twin-turbocharged Lamborghini Huracan – 8.7 seconds
We did say that you don’t need a six-figure supercar to set blistering quarter-mile times, but it certainly helps. This is a Lamborghini Huracan, an Italian exotic which usually has a naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine with 630hp.
This one has been heavily modified by JM Imports with a twin turbo conversion, as well as a new ECU, a fully built engine and gearbox and an uprated fuel system. The result is 1,800hp and 1,500Nm of torque, enough power for it to put in a quicker quarter mile time than a Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut.
2. 4.1-litre Nissan GT-R – 8.9 seconds
Next up it’s another creation from JM Imports, this time an R35 Nissan GT-R. As standard this car would have a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 with 545hp, however this engine has been fully rebuilt to 4.1 litres.
It’s also got bigger turbos, a strengthened gearbox and a host of other changes so it can put out 1,600hp and 1,500Nm of torque. It was almost a second quicker than a 1,100hp McLaren 720S in a drag race.
3. 1,000hp BMW M240i – 9.1 seconds
The BMW M240i usually lives in the shadow of the full-fat BMW M2, but not this one. The 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six engine has 374hp as standard, but this car has a bigger turbocharger and a fully rebuilt engine.
As a result it has 1,000hp going to all four wheels, which was enough for it to beat a Ferrari SF90 in a drag race. The M240 is around six and a half times cheaper than that car though, even with all the modifications.
4. Twin-turbocharged Audi R8 V10 – 9.4 seconds
It’s back to supercars again in fourth place, and this Audi R8 V10 actually raced against the Nissan GT-R in second. A normal R8 would have a naturally-aspirated V10, but this one had a couple of massive turbochargers strapped to it.
This takes it from 620hp to 1,200hp. It wasn’t quite enough to beat the GT-R, but it was still faster than a tuned McLaren 720S. A quick look at the Carwow drag race leaderboard also reveals that it put in the same time as a Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport.
5. Five-cylinder Volkswagen Golf R – 9.5 seconds
Next up is the Volkswagen Golf R. This seventh-generation model usually has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with around 300hp, however the owner of this car has thrown that in the bin.
In its place is a 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine from an Audi RS3, and this has been tuned up to produce over 1,000hp. It may not have beaten the M240i, but this spacious hot hatchback was still quicker down the quarter mile than a Ferrari SF90.
6. Porsche 911 Turbo S (991) – 9.6 seconds
The Porsche 911 Turbo S is one of our favourite drag race cars because it can put its power down so effortlessly, and this one has a lot of power to put down. The flat-six engine has been bored out from 3.8 litres to 4.2 litres, meaning it puts out 1,400hp.
We raced this car on a slightly damp day, so to give it the best chance we actually turned the tune down to 1,200hp to make it a bit less lairy. It was just pipped at the post by a Formula 1 car in a drag race, which still isn’t bad going really, is it?
7. 1,000hp BMW M5 – 9.6 seconds
The BMW M5 is a petrolhead’s dream daily driver. It’s fast, fun to drive and practical, and this one has 1,000hp. The 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 usually puts out 625hp, but a handful of upgrades have elevated this to hypercar territory.
In a drag race this car put in exactly the same time as a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, but the slow-motion action replay revealed that the Chiron was ahead by a nose at the finish line.
8. Tuned McLaren 720S – 9.7 seconds
This is the other car we raced against the 1,600hp GT-R and the 1,200hp R8, a tuned McLaren 720S. It has a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with 1,100hp, almost 300hp more than standard, and it’s rear-wheel drive.
The other two cars had four-wheel drive and more power, so it was inevitable really that the McLaren would come last. It was still quicker than a Porsche 918 Spyder though, as well as a Lamborghini Revuelto.
9. Four-wheel drive Honda Integra Type R – 9.8 seconds
You might think racing an old Honda against a Porsche 918 Spyder would be a pointless exercise, but that’s exactly what we did with this bonkers Integra Type R. It’s been converted from front-wheel to four-wheel drive, has a sequential gearbox and a massive turbocharger.
From the factory this 2.0-litre engine makes 220hp, but this car is chucking out a whopping 922hp. It proved too much for the Porsche to beat in a drag race, because the Integra was 0.2 of a second quicker.
10. 1,000hp BMW M4 – 9.8 seconds
Finally we come to the BMW M4 Competition. This car has a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six which normally puts out 510hp and 650Nm of torque, but this one has been heavily modified so it now has 1,000hp and 1,000Nm of torque.
It may have lost when we raced it against a Bugatti Chiron, but it still put in a faster time than a McLaren P1, a Ferrari 296 GTB and even a Koenigsegg Regera.
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