In the last couple of posts in my dream car garage series, I’ve kept a low budget. Screw that – let’s spend some money. Let’s pretend we’ve hit the big time, maybe sold the company for a few million bucks, and it’s time to build a really classic garage to see me through retirement.
1987 Porsche 911 Turbo ($73k)
These did 0-60mph in just under 5 seconds, which was unbelievable at the time – a total handful of a car. 911s have long been infamous for their snap oversteer (video), and un-intuitively, the fix was to bury the throttle. It takes a lot of guts to stand on the gas when the car starts to go out of control, and as a result, there’s less and less original (non-smashed) 911 Turbos out there.
I had many a 911 poster on my wall growing up, and while it was about the (perceived) speed then, it’s about the looks today. What a beautiful, iconic shape. I love the Guards Red, the Fuchs wheels, the whale-tail spoiler, even the grinning American bumpers.
There is no runner-up here. A red 911 Turbo has to be in this collection. The end.
1986 Ferrari 328 GTS ($50k)
Can’t you just hear the opening theme to Magnum, PI? I didn’t watch the show at all growing up, but this car’s image is forever attached to Tom Selleck. I bet the hardest part about owning this car isn’t the high repair bills – it’s the challenges of mustache inadequacy.
Putting this list together, I was really torn about not getting a Porsche 911 Targa – I’m a huuuuge fan of the targa top – but finding this gem reminded me that there’s more than one brand that builds a beautiful targa top. I know it’s not fast or aerodynamic, but my goodness, it’s good-looking.
Runner-up: 1970 Porsche 911 Targa. Yes, I’d put two 911s in the garage, but this one is a little tricky. I love Targas, but the only reason this particular one is even remotely affordable is that there’s almost nothing original left on it (different engine, paint color, spoiler, etc.) I’d buy it just to enjoy it – I’m not a purist. I’d wanna get the ducktail spoiler off there, though – I love ducktails, but they don’t make any visual sense on a Targa.
1973 Jaguar XKE V12 Roadster ($61k)
Enzo Ferrari called it the most beautiful car ever made. I wouldn’t quite go that far, but it’s one hell of a looker. This car’s heritage is what makes me really want an XKR-S, its modern grandchild. (That and the addictive exhaust note.)
I didn’t realize until I was writing this up that I’d managed to pick three red cars in a row. I’m partially red-green colorblind, and Erika has already told me that I’m not allowed to buy any more red cars. Maybe I’m overcompensating here. All three of these cars are just smashing in red, though.
This one in particular is an automatic, which keeps the price down. That’s completely fine with me – the slushbox keeps the price down as opposed to the utterly crazy Series 1 prices. As crazy as it sounds, even in the quarter-million-dollar collection range, you have to be a bit of a price-shopper to get yourself into a Jaaaag.
Runner-up: 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL. I love, love, love W113 Pagodas. They were among the first collector cars that I showed Erika. She responded, “It looks like it’s owned by someone who couldn’t afford a current Mercedes.” I love her anyway.
2007 Audi S8 ($39k)
No, it’s not an all-red garage.
Looking at the above list, there’s nothing I can use to take some friends out to dinner. None of the above three are really practical for, say, a trip to the airport with luggage. So for the last car, I went for a simple, practical sedan. Nothing to see here.
But when you turn the key, there’s something to hear: the monster V-10 engine from Audi’s corporate brother Lamborghini.
This Audi’s shape has aged really well, and I think it’ll continue to look great in the decades to come. Sure, it won’t stand out – that’s what a sleeper is all about – but it’ll be a joy to drive while it sneaks under the radar.
Runner-up: the 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer would make a fun (if unreliable) daily driver. Holy cow, those things have gotten expensive. I’d also love to think I’d do the 2008 BMW M5 with a stick shift and a V-10, but depending on the traffic where I’d end up living, a stick might be a bit more of a hassle than I’d want in a daily driver.
Update 2017/07/18 – Daniel Janik blogged his picks too.