Tuesday Sep 07

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Throw money at a problem, it’ll usually fix it. Ask any F1 team, or Michael Jackson. Going fast is the same – if you write enough cheques the chances are you’ll have a fast car. But take away the money and things become a lot more interesting . Bravery, ingenuity, skill and a healthy dose of luck are your tools.

This is the PPC £999 Challenge. The idea is uncompromisingly simple and theoretically foolproof. Our rules were as follows: take one car – it must be currently road legal, and even have one of those nice green sheets of paper issued by the Ministry of Transport for good behaviour. Most importantly it must be bought, built or both for under £1000. We don’t care how this is done as long as the total cost is under a grand, and you’ve obtained parts and services through means that any of your competitors might follow. You might work at McLaren and be able to borrow Lewis Hamilton’s spare engine but if you turn up with it nailed into a rusty Mk 2 Fiesta you’ll be disqualified. We’re going to test straight-line speed in a quater mile drag race, then check out handling over a timed slalom course. And where better than one of the UK’s top drag strips.

Practical Performance Car (PPC) is a monthly magazine aimed at real car enthusiasts interested in affordable performance tuning. At PPC we pride ourselves in providing the most entertaining, informative and inspiring features for petrolheads everywhere. Each month we feature an eclectic mix of affordable performance cars, great driving adventures and world-class technical features for the DiY tuner. Our editorial team is headed up by well known Will Holman who has a deserved reputation for 'stick a V8 under the bonnet' attitude to life. His editorial team is stacked with experience including Dave Walker (speciality engine management), of the sadly missed Cars and Car Conversions (CCC) magazine, David Vizard, the legendary engine tuning guru, and Kevin Leaper - ex technical editor of Practical Classics.

Have a look at the online Staff Cars section to give you a flavour of PPC but for the real thing go to your local newsagent, WHSmiths, Asda, Tesco or Sainsburys - PPC is on sale the last Thursday of every month. Better still visit our subscriptions page for the latest offers and discounts to have PPC delivered direct to your door at a fraction of the cost.

Examples of magazine features: brakes uprating, suspension improvements, engine transplants, buyers guides, ECU management, kit car builds, car event coverage (including PPC's own show, PPC in the Park) and much more. Examples of some of the staff's cars: 27 litre Rover SD1, 5 litre Capri, track day Rolls Royce, MK1 Transit and more.