Bucket list cars
Discussion
I have a few copies of the Observers book of Cars and I used to underline cars I really liked.
I’m in the fortunate position that I have owned many of these.
So on your ‘bucket list’ of cars, what have you owned, what do you think you’ll realistically be able to own?
Of the ones that you had which met expectations and which were firmly ‘never meet your heroes’?
I’m in the fortunate position that I have owned many of these.
So on your ‘bucket list’ of cars, what have you owned, what do you think you’ll realistically be able to own?
Of the ones that you had which met expectations and which were firmly ‘never meet your heroes’?
I've not ever had many on the list, but two have always been there since I was a child.
Lamborghini Countach - I'll never own one, but it's the original poster car for me. I'd love to have a proper look around one at some point but as their value climbs the chances shrink.
Dodge Viper - This one I feel is still achievable in terms of ownership. I've been lucky enough to be driven in a second gen in the US and it was glorious. Then, a few years ago I got me one of those driving experience days at Goodwood where you could drive a Mustang, Corvette and Viper. It was a Gen 1 Viper and as it was at Goodwood you could get it up to a decent speed (although they were very reluctant to let me change gears in it for some reason so we stayed in 4th most of the time!). It was cramped, the pedals were offset massively and squashed together with little room for my size 10s, the steering was heavy and the clutch the same. Did nothing to change the want however and it's still at the top of my list on looks alone.
Off the back of that day, I did end up owning a Corvette based on having driven it as to me it was a brilliant halfway house. Made all the right noises but was a million times easier to live with than the Viper (and a hell of a lot cheaper).
One day hopefully I'll have either a red Gen 1 or a blue/white striped coupe (second iteration).
Lamborghini Countach - I'll never own one, but it's the original poster car for me. I'd love to have a proper look around one at some point but as their value climbs the chances shrink.
Dodge Viper - This one I feel is still achievable in terms of ownership. I've been lucky enough to be driven in a second gen in the US and it was glorious. Then, a few years ago I got me one of those driving experience days at Goodwood where you could drive a Mustang, Corvette and Viper. It was a Gen 1 Viper and as it was at Goodwood you could get it up to a decent speed (although they were very reluctant to let me change gears in it for some reason so we stayed in 4th most of the time!). It was cramped, the pedals were offset massively and squashed together with little room for my size 10s, the steering was heavy and the clutch the same. Did nothing to change the want however and it's still at the top of my list on looks alone.
Off the back of that day, I did end up owning a Corvette based on having driven it as to me it was a brilliant halfway house. Made all the right noises but was a million times easier to live with than the Viper (and a hell of a lot cheaper).
One day hopefully I'll have either a red Gen 1 or a blue/white striped coupe (second iteration).
In the "hopefully achievable" category:
- Jensen Interceptor Series III
- Range Rover Classic Vogue LSE
- Marcos Mantis
- Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
- Vauxhall Senator CD 3.0 24V
- Opel Monza GSE
- Vauxhall Victor FD or FE VX4/90 or Ventora
In the "less likely" category:
- Ferrari 456GT
- Marcos Mantis GT
- Lotus Carlton
- Aston Martin Lagonda
In the "hahahaha - you've got no chance!" category:
- Ferrari F40
- Czinger 21c
- Jensen Interceptor Series III
- Range Rover Classic Vogue LSE
- Marcos Mantis
- Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
- Vauxhall Senator CD 3.0 24V
- Opel Monza GSE
- Vauxhall Victor FD or FE VX4/90 or Ventora
In the "less likely" category:
- Ferrari 456GT
- Marcos Mantis GT
- Lotus Carlton
- Aston Martin Lagonda
In the "hahahaha - you've got no chance!" category:
- Ferrari F40
- Czinger 21c
Not a very long list, there are loads of cars I would like a go in but not too many I actually want to own
E30 M3 after the 88 Manx rally performance by Patrick Snijers. Bought one in 1997
911 of some description because when I was about 10 the son of the ‘done well for himself’ builder down the road used to park one outside their house that I used to gawp at. Bought a 991 C4S about a year ago
I’d like a newish Range Rover at some point
To own I’m not so bothered about Ferraris and Lambos etc. I’d quite like a 991/2 GT3 touring. Big spoilers aren’t my thing
E30 M3 after the 88 Manx rally performance by Patrick Snijers. Bought one in 1997
911 of some description because when I was about 10 the son of the ‘done well for himself’ builder down the road used to park one outside their house that I used to gawp at. Bought a 991 C4S about a year ago
I’d like a newish Range Rover at some point
To own I’m not so bothered about Ferraris and Lambos etc. I’d quite like a 991/2 GT3 touring. Big spoilers aren’t my thing
Think this question was up before. I always wanted a P6 3500s. I managed to get a good one 2 years ago which I'm currently restoring.
Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
Nov 1981, my father and an 11 year old me went to watch the Lombard RAC rally. At the service halt there were the usual bobble hats and blokes in rally jackets swarming around mk2 Escorts and Chevettes with ladies bringing mugs of tea out of battered caravans. Over on one side, there were the Audi's - pristine overalls, rows of tools, a couple of VW LT vans with all the equipment laid out inside. Over in the car park there were about 15 LT vans in Audi livery with roof racks stacked with spare tyres. And the cars! The Quattros looked and sounded like nothing else on earth. Broad shouldered, spitting flames and with that distinctive 5 cylinder noise. Mikkola destroyed the field winning by about 12 mins. I was smitten. I'll have the Sport please.
We watched the rally report on Top Gear that evening - this one in fact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT0M9eVvXe4
Interestingly Woolard ends the report by saying "it's not so much if Mikkola will win, rather have Audi changed the world of rallying forever?"
We watched the rally report on Top Gear that evening - this one in fact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT0M9eVvXe4
Interestingly Woolard ends the report by saying "it's not so much if Mikkola will win, rather have Audi changed the world of rallying forever?"
Ah, the Observer's Book of Cars. That accounts for a lot!
My first car was 33 years old, and that was 30 years ago. Now, my newest car is 25 years old and the other is 40. So, I'm familiar with the pleasure and pain of classic car ownership. I also did a bit of single-seater racing and a lot of track instructing in my teens and early twenties, and had plenty of opportunities to thrash all kinds of contemporary and classic sportscars.
Putting those two things together, my feeling is that there are a lot of cars that are fun for a day or a weekend, and it's less a matter of "never meet your heroes" but rather a question of what would you actually enjoy owning. If I just wanted to look at something, I'd go to a show or a museum. If I only intended to drive it for a few hundred miles a year, I'd hire one or something similar and drive the wheels off it for a couple of days.
There are very few cars I get sufficient pleasure from just looking at that I could be bothered to buy, and nothing I could afford. The only car that has made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up was the Bugatti Royale, when I saw two of them at the Schlumpf Collection. But, I didn't want to own one any more than I want to own Blenheim Palace. I'm just glad they exist, I love what they represent, and I'm very grateful that a bog dweller like me can go and "behold" them, to borrow an occasionally popular PH term. I buy cars to use them, and there's only so much use I can get out of them.
I had a couple of Porsche 944s back when a 930 Turbo, which I coveted, was about £25k. But after driving a few on track days, I realised it just wasn't my kind of road car. Too basic inside and I much preferred the driving position and less extreme, more refined looks of a front-engined 2+2. I've never been bothered about supercars or hypercars. If I was gripped by a nostalgia for real speed, I'd buy an old Formula 3000 car and scare the bejesus out of myself around some fantastic tracks for a fraction of the cost.
I have always hankered for a Volvo Amazon or maybe a P1800, as I think the interiors are wonderful. I could also see myself daily driving a RR Camargue, as I have enjoyed the Silver Shadows I have driven and I like a big coupe.
I used to harbour a curiosity for '70s and '80s oddballs that were very expensive new and seemed the height of exclusivity. Bristol, De Tomaso, Monteverdi and such like. I tried a Bristol Beaufighter and a Bristol Britannia and thought they were great fun, then bought a Bitter SC to indulge my interest in what might formerly have been known as hybrids - coachbuilt exotics with workaday running gear. But the concept turned out to be disappointing, and I wouldn't have a hybrid again, even a Jensen Interceptor, which is as close to a "hero" as I have.
I ended up with probably the one car I was truly captivated by as a kid and the only Ferrari I've ever actually wanted to own. More expensive than a Daytona when new, and if they were the same value as each other these days, I'd choose this. I love driving 355s and 308s, but for me, this is it.
My first car was 33 years old, and that was 30 years ago. Now, my newest car is 25 years old and the other is 40. So, I'm familiar with the pleasure and pain of classic car ownership. I also did a bit of single-seater racing and a lot of track instructing in my teens and early twenties, and had plenty of opportunities to thrash all kinds of contemporary and classic sportscars.
Putting those two things together, my feeling is that there are a lot of cars that are fun for a day or a weekend, and it's less a matter of "never meet your heroes" but rather a question of what would you actually enjoy owning. If I just wanted to look at something, I'd go to a show or a museum. If I only intended to drive it for a few hundred miles a year, I'd hire one or something similar and drive the wheels off it for a couple of days.
There are very few cars I get sufficient pleasure from just looking at that I could be bothered to buy, and nothing I could afford. The only car that has made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up was the Bugatti Royale, when I saw two of them at the Schlumpf Collection. But, I didn't want to own one any more than I want to own Blenheim Palace. I'm just glad they exist, I love what they represent, and I'm very grateful that a bog dweller like me can go and "behold" them, to borrow an occasionally popular PH term. I buy cars to use them, and there's only so much use I can get out of them.
I had a couple of Porsche 944s back when a 930 Turbo, which I coveted, was about £25k. But after driving a few on track days, I realised it just wasn't my kind of road car. Too basic inside and I much preferred the driving position and less extreme, more refined looks of a front-engined 2+2. I've never been bothered about supercars or hypercars. If I was gripped by a nostalgia for real speed, I'd buy an old Formula 3000 car and scare the bejesus out of myself around some fantastic tracks for a fraction of the cost.
I have always hankered for a Volvo Amazon or maybe a P1800, as I think the interiors are wonderful. I could also see myself daily driving a RR Camargue, as I have enjoyed the Silver Shadows I have driven and I like a big coupe.
I used to harbour a curiosity for '70s and '80s oddballs that were very expensive new and seemed the height of exclusivity. Bristol, De Tomaso, Monteverdi and such like. I tried a Bristol Beaufighter and a Bristol Britannia and thought they were great fun, then bought a Bitter SC to indulge my interest in what might formerly have been known as hybrids - coachbuilt exotics with workaday running gear. But the concept turned out to be disappointing, and I wouldn't have a hybrid again, even a Jensen Interceptor, which is as close to a "hero" as I have.
I ended up with probably the one car I was truly captivated by as a kid and the only Ferrari I've ever actually wanted to own. More expensive than a Daytona when new, and if they were the same value as each other these days, I'd choose this. I love driving 355s and 308s, but for me, this is it.
Edited by Rumdoodle on Thursday 1st August 19:31
austina35 said:
Think this question was up before. I always wanted a P6 3500s. I managed to get a good one 2 years ago which I'm currently restoring.
Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
I had one of those in 1979 and loved it - well what 20 year old wouldn't want a manual V8! Good luck getting yours finished. Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
My bucket list cars from Observer books were E-Types, Jensen Interceptors, Ferrari Daytona and Maserati Bora. Barring a lottery win none of those will happen!
Rumdoodle said:
I ended up with probably the one car I was truly captivated by as a kid and the only Ferrari I've ever actually wanted to own. More expensive than a Daytona when new, and if they were the same value as each other these days, I'd choose this. I love driving 355s and 308s, but for me, this is it.
My favourite car when I was a teenager. To my mind it was like a beautiful slender woman /swisstoniEdited by Rumdoodle on Thursday 1st August 19:31
austina35 said:
Think this question was up before. I always wanted a P6 3500s. I managed to get a good one 2 years ago which I'm currently restoring.
Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
Some great calls here. I’d love a 3500S and for the Yank side I’d take a 78 Bandit Trans Am. I had a 76 for a while. Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
miniman said:
austina35 said:
Think this question was up before. I always wanted a P6 3500s. I managed to get a good one 2 years ago which I'm currently restoring.
Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
Some great calls here. I’d love a 3500S and for the Yank side I’d take a 78 Bandit Trans Am. I had a 76 for a while. Other than that I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never a yank tank. To tick that box, it would only be a Boss 429 mustang. 1969/70. I'm not bothered. If you know about these, that's unlikely these days.
austina35 said:
Yes, trans am. Great car. I think everyone should own a V8 at least once in their life. I've owned a couple. I had a 6cyl Daimler once, 74 I think the year was. It's not the same as a lazy V8 though.
I’ve had 3 TVRs, the TA and a Jag XK so I’m doing my best for the V8. My list/collection is quite modest/achievable although I’m not sure it they qualify as bucket list cars as I’ve owned some of them before…
1) Citroen 2CV. I owned quite a few when I was young and would love to get another one to restore.
2) Porsche 924. When I was 18 I owned a 1979 924, which I bought for £1500. It would have to be an early model and preferably in black.
3) Fiat X1/9. Again, I owned one when I was 17. It was basket case, which I paid £400 for but it was a lot of fun.
4) Scimitar GTC. I worked in a shop when I was young and the owner had one of these and I thought it was fantastic. It would have to be red with black velour interior.
1) Citroen 2CV. I owned quite a few when I was young and would love to get another one to restore.
2) Porsche 924. When I was 18 I owned a 1979 924, which I bought for £1500. It would have to be an early model and preferably in black.
3) Fiat X1/9. Again, I owned one when I was 17. It was basket case, which I paid £400 for but it was a lot of fun.
4) Scimitar GTC. I worked in a shop when I was young and the owner had one of these and I thought it was fantastic. It would have to be red with black velour interior.
TR6 - tick
Quattro - tick
Stag - have driven several, love them, and think I might even sell the Quattro to obtain one.
365GTC - unlikely to tick
288GTO - even less likely to tick, and if it’s like the 308 it’ll be uncomfortable anyway.
2CV - ticked before I realised it was a box to be ticked, and now want one more than the Ferraris.
Quattro - tick
Stag - have driven several, love them, and think I might even sell the Quattro to obtain one.
365GTC - unlikely to tick
288GTO - even less likely to tick, and if it’s like the 308 it’ll be uncomfortable anyway.
2CV - ticked before I realised it was a box to be ticked, and now want one more than the Ferraris.
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