...although they tend to have many examples.
Car magazine call a car as a Q-ship when they appear like your average car but perform a lot better. Especially applies when there is a low performing sibling that the masses are familiar with. Visual cues of their performance are subtle.
a few examples:
VW golf - GTI (VR6 or 1.8T)
A4 - S4, RS4, etc
Ford Taurus - SHO
BMW 3 and 5 series - M counterparts (although all BMW's are portrayed as performance cars)

Lookin for a used Neuspeed G2 exhaust on the cheap (Only want the pipes, no mufflers no tips)