The Contents of my Dream Garage !
Hmm Dream Garage? My ideal list would probably run to several pages (and
several garages), and that after several revisions. Most of the incumbents
of my dream (very large) garage would fall under the title of 'classic car',
Some of the cars in my list would probably would be too new to qualify as a genuine classic right now, although
would probably end up as one sooner or later. Below is my eclectic selection
of classic and not-so classic cars, and some of the reasoning behind my
thinking, with runners up included too ... in no particular order ...
Jaguar D type longnose
Probably my all time favourite sports racing car, followed closely by the
Aston Martin DB3S. Something about the shape of it, especially in long nosed
form, really appeals, a shape which precious few replicas truly capture. So,
an original XKD chassis D Type, a warm evening, and the Mulsanne
straight ahead of me, that would be the dream ride in what is for me one of
the finest looking cars of all time, the words of Mike Hawthorn as he did a
commentary of the La Sarthe track whilst piloting his D around the road cars
prior to a 24hr race in the 1950s, echoing in my mind. A few years back, I
saw 774 RW, the reconstructed winner from the 1955 Le Mans race, in a queue
of traffic as I made my way to work, then not long after at the same
junction, I spied (I think) OKV 74 also in a line of work traffic, both
looking slightly grubby and evidently being used 'properly'. As mentioned,
runner-up here would be a DB3S, preferably 63 EMU, the car which my Dodge's
former owner co-drove to a win in the '55 Goodwood 9 hours. Pics of other 50s cars
can be found here: 1950s Car Photos
Mini Cooper S
Not the BMW badged car .. but a genuine 1960's Mk1 example, probably a 1275,
sat on genuine 10" Minilites, in red (of course) with white roof, 3
Lucas lamps strapped to the grille lighting up the road ahead,
tipping a nod to the fantastic works cars that pounded around the
international rally stages during the 1960s, demolishing all in their wake.
I've always wanted a tweaked Mini, so it might as well be the real thing,
saved for local leafy backroads on an early Sunday morning. All I'd need to
find would be a pair of E Types and an Aston, and it'd look like the set of The Italian Job film.
Runners-up spot probably goes to a
Downton tuned Mini, or Speedwell tuned A40 on Frogeye wheels. Other 1960s car photos
can be found here: 1960s Car Pictures
Aston Martin DB5
Bit cliched I know, but there'd be something pretty cool about running
around in a silver Aston Martin DB5, a la Sean Connery and the whole 007
James Bond thing. In comparison, I suspect an E Type just wouldn't quite cut
the mustard, despite being a good looker in its own right. Purring around,
dreaming of ejector seats, bullet shields and revolving number plates,
pulling up outside a quaint country pub in such a cool looking motor, would
be the mutts nutts in my opinion. Runner-up would probably be the DB4GT
Zagato, or BMW 507.
Alfa 8c35
Not perhaps the best known, or even most successful, of the pre-war Alfa
Romeos run by Enzo Ferrari, before he went his own way after the war, the
8C-35 as run by Scuderia Ferrari, specifically chassis 50013, would be the
car I'd like to own most of all, simply because its the original car (now
resident in the US) that my old Dodge truck used to transport to speed trial
and hillclimb events after the war. To reunite the two, back in the British
Racing Green colour that Poore ran the Alfa in for much of its life (after
he rebuilt it following a roll in 1947), would be a real sight for sore
eyes. Perhaps if I scrape together several million, I might be in
with a chance. Runners-up spot to one of the other surviving 8C-35s, if 50013 wasn't
available. More info on my old Dodge can be seen by clicking here: 1940 Dodge information
ERA single seat racing car
If I got the Alfa then I'd be mighty satisfied, although if funds allowed I
think I'd still try to get one of Raymond Mays' mighty fine voiturettes in
my stable, not least because it is one of the most successful English racing
cars of all time, and especially from the 1930s era, one that still kicks
ass in historic racing meetings today, despite often being significantly
older than many of the single seaters it runs rings around. A close second,
if I couldn't run to an ERA, would be a 1950s Connaught, if only because the Dodge
has carried one of them before now, specifically the yellow example often
campaigned by the late Barrie Williams to such good effect. I've plenty of 1930s car photos
you can view on this site by visiting this page: 1930s Car Photographs
BMW 3.0 CSL 'Batmobile'
These appeal in the same lary way that 70s F1 cars grab me, probably because
I vaguely remember them as a nipper. The lightweight CSL was for my money
the ultimate in vaguely-roadcar-like racing cars, battling with large
engined Ford Capri RS 3.1s and the mighty (yet sadly unreliable) Broadspeed
XJ12 across the circuits of europe. If the XJ hadn't been so prone to
shattering transmissions it'd have probably trounced Munich's finest, but
the Beemer was usually the one to cross the line first, despite having a
power disadvantage to the mighty 12 cylinder Jaguars much of the time. My
runners-up choice of course would be the Jaguar, and maybe a Dolomite Sprint
for good measure, some of which can be seen here .. Click here: 1970s Car Pictures
Ashley 750
Coming back down to earth with a bump, the next on my list is the Ashley
750, the earliest of the fibreglass bodied, Ford-based specials, from the
mid 1950s, produced by Ashley and arguably prettier than my slightly later
Ashley 1172 (see my Ashley Special page for details), especially in hardtop form. I can just picture a nice example
of a 750 in my dream garage, all tricked out with period goodies such as the
desirable round-hole Ballamy wheels, trick IFS courtesy of E.B. Components
or maybe Buckler, remote gearchange, the full complement of Aquaplane tuning
bits and pieces, tackled up to a nice supercharger and even the mega rare
Willment overhead valve conversion, with a healthy number of VDO gauges
keeping a watchful eye on the engine's welfare. Runners-up spot goes to a
Falcon Competition, another swoopy 50s special, although a Rochdale Riviera
or Olympic would be nice too.
Prewar yank
This selection is somewhat broader than those already listed, as I don't
have any firm favourites from this era, as most of them display the
fantastic styling that makes the cars from this era my favourites in terms
of US built cars. I did indeed identify a prewar yank for sale in this
country, in the heavenly shape of a rhd 1937 Buick hearse, complete with
straight 8 powerplant and fantastic streamlined front end styling. Alas
those around me had very strong opinions on having a hearse in the drive, so
sadly I had to drop my plans to bid for it, although my desire to track down
an affordable 30s American car is as strong as ever.
Austin K8 van
A bit of an oddball choice this one, but it reflects my interest in older
commercial vehicles well. My first thought was to go for a Ford E83W van,
but with 2 similar pickups in the fleet already, my desire is to find
something a little odder, odder even than the Morris J-Type van of which I
also approve strongly. The K8 wasn't produced for long, so survivors are a
little thin on the ground, especially as unmolested panel vans. Runner-up
would be the Morris J, or perhaps the similar but later JB, fitted with the
B series engine. A selection of pictures of 1950s vans, as well as cars, can be found
on my 1950s Cars photo page, accessed by clicking this link: 1950s Cars.
1930s streamlined dodge petrol tanker
Another commercial vehicle, my eyes were opened to these futuristically
styled prewar Dodge fuel tankers when I began reading up on Dodges following
my acquisition of a 1940 truck. The styling of the streamlined tankers is to
my mind amazing, a true reminder of when engineers and stylists had more
influence than today, where bean counters now rule the roost. Runner-up
would be the Ecurie Ecosse transporter.
Bentley Turbo R
If ever there was a British bulldog saloon of recent times, then the
Mulsanne Turbo R must be it. Improbably large, being based on the slightly
staid Rolls Silver Spirit, the Bentley Turbo R exudes brawn and intent,
courtesy in part to its styling, and in part to its turbocharged 6.75 litre
V8 warbling its way through a gallon of fuel every 10 miles or so. Equally
at home pottering along with a dignified air, or shredding tarmac on any
autobahn you care to mention, scattering lowly BMWs and Mercedes with
consumate ease, the Bentley would probably be my ultimate choice for a
lengthy european trip. Runner-up, albeit non-Brit, would be either the
450SEL 6.9 Mercedes from the 1970s, or the earlier 600 Pullman Merc. The
understated BMW 3.3Li saloon could also be a contender, assuming a grot-free
example could be found.
Lotus Carlton
First of the nutter cars in my dream selection, the introduction of the 180+
mph Carlton enraged the tree huggers and brought forth wails of
self-opinionated criticism from the do-gooder nanny brigade. Ok, so it was
about as unsubtle as an England supporter after downing some Carlsbergs, but
the frowning set conveniently ignored the monumental improvements to safety
that these performance figures demanded, with brake discs the size of a
satellite dish being employed to keep this wild child in check. Finding an
untrashed example may take a little time, and the thought of spending #15k
or so on what is after all a Vauxhall Carlton of all things might take a
little work with my 'significant other', but the rewards (so long as no
bugger nicks it) should make it all worthwhile. Runner-up would be a Sierra
Cosworth RS500, or more likely a Lancia Thema 8.32 V6.
Lancia Delta Integrale
The roadgoing Integrale was born from a need Lancia had to homologate a 4wd
fire-breathing monster for World Championship rallying, for the likes of
Juha Kankunnen and Auriol to take the fight to the Toyota Celicas and Audi
quattros on the worlds rally stages. I've always had a soft spot for an
Integrale, ideally an end-of-line spec'd up 16v, although I doubt I'd
inflict daily use onto it, the reliability and build quality still being of
questionable levels. Runner-up for me would be a short wheelbase Audi
quattro Sport, or the mid engined Renault R5 Turbo.
AC Cobra 289
Ok this will appear on most people's wish list, but in terms of all round
appeal its hard to beat, the original 289 not being burdened with the
lard-boy flared arches of the future 427, hiding its 289 cu in V8 heart
behind a more subtle, more AC Ace, facade. Still capable of tearing up
strips of tarmac with relative ease, the 289 has more than enough grunt for
its primitive chassis to handle, and I think would be the one I'd rather
live with on a regular basis. Runners-up spot to a works Austin Healey 3000,
side exiting exhausts and fitted hardtop naturally. To see more Cobra photographs, pop by my
image archive page for 1960s cars, available here: 1960s Sportscars.
Jaguar XJR V8
The X300 based XJR initially came out with the supercharged version of the
AJ6 straight 6 engine, in both manual and automatic, followed later by the
new V8 version in automatic only I believe. One of my favourite looking exec
luxury cars of recent years, and, so long as Jags build quality issues are a
distant memory, definitely on my list of 'must haves'. This is probably one
of the few cars in my dream garage that could become a reality in a couple
of years time, by which time secondhand values will have dropped
considerably, not least because an all new XJ is out. Runners-up spot would
go to the manual gearbox'd BMW 850CSi, a Coombs-spec Mk2 3.8 Jaguar, or the highly modified twin turbo 750 BMW by Dinan in the USA.
Humber Imperial sv
As a young Spitfire-driving youth a few years back, I remember being pretty
gobsmacked when I happened upon the early Humber Imperial and Super Snipe
from the 1950/51 era, fitted with a large sidevalve engine and majestic
lines. I think what caught my eye was the HMV radio built into the rear side
window surround, the quality of it's luxury fittings, and the overpowering
'presence' of this crafted leviathan from the days of flag waving
patriotism, that is, it seems, so out of kilter with modern day thinking.
Close runners-up spot goes to the lesser-spotted Daimler Majestic Major, a
personal favourite ever since sitting in a derelict example many years ago
and admiring its hefty dial-laden plank of dashboard, and tasty all-alloy
4.5 V8.
Ferrari 312 T
I'm not quite sure what I'd do with this 12 cylinder Ferrari F1 car, as
running it might be quite a headache, so one possibility would be to mount
it on the wall of my snooker room. Assuming that if I could afford this
dream garage, I'd have a snooker room of suitable proportions in which to
put an ex-Lauda example. 1970s F1 cars to me are a fantastic sight, when
designers really pushed the envelope to get one over on the opposition. In a
few short years there were examples of twin chassis cars (Lotus), 6 wheelers
(Tyrrell, and experimental versions from March and Williams), the fan car
(Brabham) and emerging technologies such as turbocharging (Renault) and
ground effects (Lotus). The 312 may not have been as groundbreaking as these
others mentioned here, but the look of it sums up the wild looking Grand
Prix cars of the era, big air intakes, manual gearshifts, different engine
configurations, vast sticky slicks n all! Runners-up spot to the P34 Tyrrell
6 wheeler, and maybe the Martini-sponsored Brabham Alfa. You can find all manner of 1970s cars
photographs on my photo archive page for 70s motors, just by clicking this link: 1970s cars.
Peel
From the sublime to the err, very small, the Peel microcar was the
brainchild of an Isle of Man based company, back in the pre-Mini 1950s when
lots of little companies were knocking up fibreglass moulds and producing
curious little bubble cars. The Peel is diminutive to say the least, and is
definitely not recommended for larger framed people, or indeed more than 1
person full stop. As soon as the Mini landed in '59 it sounded the death
knell for these weird little runabouts. Very few Peels remain, and I'd
really fancy having one in the dream garage to use for popping to the local
for a bite to eat. Runners-up spot to the 3 wheeled Nobel and Bond Minicar.
Ferrari 250LM
When thinking of classic V12 engined sports racers, to most the obvious
choice would be the swoopy 250 GTO, campaigned to great effect by Maranello
Concessionaires drivers inc Graham Hill during the 1960s. However, if it was
my stack of dosh being spent, I'd be tempted to think seriously about the
250LM, as having watched them being pedalled around Goodwood at lary angles
by Messrs Surtees and Piper, there's something about them that definitely
appeals. Runners-up would go to the lightweight E Type Jaguar, or the
Ferrari 330 LMB. To read about the Goodwood Festival of Speed, click here:
Goodwood Festival of Speed page or alternatively find out more here about the
Goodwood Circuit Revival. The yellow car pictured here at the 2002 Circuit meeting
was to have 2 mighty heavy shunts, one rear end, then a large front end crash in the main race, leaving it looking very sorry
for itself. Sob.
Austin Pathfinder pedal car
This one's a little short of horsepower, but makes up with a dab of pedal
power. The Pathfinder was based around a successful fullsize Austin single
seat racer of the 1930s, the pedalcar being produced by former welsh miners
using steel offcuts from the real Austin factory if I remember right. Sister
pedal car, and easier to find, is the Devon-inspired Austin J40, but its the
Pathfinder I'd really like to buy. Replicas are available but as with all
the entries on my wishlist, original is best. To read more about collecting old automobilia in general, please see
this page, available by clicking here: Collecting Memorabilia.
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