On the face of it, these cars seem to belong to different planets. The Scion FR-S is a sports coupe designed to go everywhere sidewys; the GTI is a practical hot hatch that the Americans are still trying to get their heads around; and the E30 M3 is a beautiful classic with a chassis from the Gods. But they all have one big thing in common: they make driving fun.

These three make you want to drive and drive until the wheels fall off, albeit for different reasons. The GTI is better as a daily driver and makes doing mundane tasks such as school run a bit less mind-numbing. The FR-S meanwhile is better on the track or twisty mountain roads because it moves around and dances all the time. And the BMW, well, even looking at the car can set your trousers on fire.

So let’s join MotorTrend boys as they hit the Willow Springs race track to decide which one of these driver’s cars is the best: