One could argue the world’s fastest sedans started to take form while racing on the sands of Daytona Beach in the early to mid-20th century. The 1980s and 90s marked a high point for manufacturers competing for the title of producing the fastest four-door the world had ever seen. Year after year, a new car came along and chipped away at the records set at the drag strip or even around the Nürburgring.While this competition is still going strong today, the entry price for a fast, four-door family car is more than lots of folks want to spend on a new vehicle. That’s why we’ve created this list of cars for sale under $30,000 that once bore the title of “the fastest sedan in the world.” 2001 BMW M5 186 MPH$23,000-$28,000 The M Collection. Collecting Cars. BMW-6In 2001, when the first draft of the human genome was published, and J-Lo’s love didn’t cost a thing, the sedans that gave sports cars a run for their money hid in plain sight. The fastest of which was the E39-generation BMW M5, which lacked many discernible features to distinguish it from a 540i, other than some badging and different wheels. Keener eyes would be needed to spot the different bumpers and exhaust tips.The 4.9-liter V8 produced 394 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. While those numbers might not jump off the page, removing the top-speed limiter reportedly raises the Bimmer's terminal velocity from 155 mph to over 186 mph. Pristine examples can sell for more than triple our price cap, which has us questioning what the best E39 M5 alternative is, but a handful can still be had below the base price of a new Toyota Camry. 2004 Mercedes E55 AMG 188 MPH$14,000-$29,000 Silver 2003-2006 Mercedes-AMG E55 Sedan ActionMuch like its Bavarian competitor, the 2004 E55 AMG could easily have been mistaken for lesser versions—that is, until the light turned green. Behind the three-pointed star resided a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 that sent 469 hp and 516 lb-ft through an AMG SpeedShift 5-speed automatic transmission.The title of fastest sedan came after one was stripped of its speed limiter and sent well beyond its 155 MPH cap to 185–188 MPH, though some top-speed postings are from wagon variants of the E55. Prices for a decent example are tamer than the comparable E39, with a range of $14-$29,000, with both fetching far more for cleaner, low-mileage versions. 2009 Cadillac CTS-V 191 MPH$24,000-$29,000 2009-2014 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan Front 3/4The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V marked two very important distinctions for the brand. It proved to the world that it could make a proper sports sedan and warned the Germans that Detroit would be a formidable opponent on the Nordschleife. General Motors boasted its promise of a sub-8-minute lap time of 7:59.38, which was still beaten by the Porsche Panamera Turbo, which clocked 7:56 in the same year. Off the track, the Cadillac could stretch its legs to a whopping 191 mph while the Porsche could only hit 188 mph.Under the hood sits a supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 moving 556 hp and 551 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic or manual transmission. Prices start just below $30,000 for clean automatic examples, but expect to pay a premium for stick versions. 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S 191 MPH$29,000-$30,000 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S sideFortunately, the movie 2012 got it very wrong, and we were all here to see the Porsche Panamera Turbo S claim the title as the fastest four-door sedan. With a twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8 mounted under the nose, it packed 550 hp and 553 lb-ft, which was able to push the needle all the way to 191 mph.Looks are subjective, but we agree with Richard Hammond in that you might want to avoid highly reflective areas. A well-sorted Panamera can be picked up in the high$20,000s, with nicer examples creeping past $40,000. 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur 195 MPH$19,000-$27,000 2005 Bentley Continental Flying SpurBentley shoehorned its gargantuan 6.0-liter W12 into a Continental Flying Spur in 2006 to create the fastest sedan in the world. A plush grand tourer with 6.0 liters of overkill under the hood meant this sedan could hit 195 mph without occupants even noticing. The big 12-cylinder engine provides 551 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque for gliding down the road while the folks inside enjoy a palace of leather and walnut.Good ones can be found anywhere in the mid-$20,000s, with low-mileage examples closer to $40,000. Just make sure everything is in working order first...which is a bit hard to do with some of these listed. 2013 Audi S8 200 MPH$18,000-$28,000 2014 Audi S8 Gray Front Angled ViewThe Audi S8 was crowned the fastest four-door in 2013 with its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 producing 520 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system put the power down to each corner, which helped launch the executive sedan from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, as observed by Car and Driver, and reach an electronically limited top speed of 155 MPH. Removing the limiter increased the speed to closer to a dizzying 200 MPH.Despite the previous generation S8 boasting the same 5.2-liter V10, the newer limo made more power thanks to higher boost and other mechanical trickery. Third-generation S8s can be had anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000, with a majority of listings below our $30,000 threshold.