I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine and inevitably we began to talk about cars. Specifically, our top ten dream cars. Think making this list was easy? Well I’ve got news for you it’s actually a total bitch. Think about if money was no object and garage space was plentiful – what would you buy? Think about it carefully because in all honesty it’s not an easy question. The more we spoke the more we brought up cars that we missed for one reason or another. Maybe we were too young, too poor or whatever. Not surprisingly we both had a good mix of both American and European favorites. Keep in mind, the cars listed below are MY dream cars, so please feel free to agree and or disagree as the mood strikes you. In the end though, make sure you post your favorites up and give the explanations as to why they’d made their way into your fantasy garage.
So, without further adieu, I present to you: MR. ANGRY’s Top Ten Car List.
1. 1973 Lamborghini Miura SV: Ladies and gentleman, this is my holy grail. It’s the car that all other automobiles are judged by. Not only is it the sexiest thing to ever roll on two wheels, but it was also the first real super car. It was powered by a mid-engine, transversely mounted 4.0 liter V-12 that produced between 370-440 bhp depending upon the tune and had a top speed in the neighborhood of 175 mph. Simply put… a Masterpiece.
2. 1968 Dodge Charger: Ahh… man do I love this car. This is to America what the Miura is to Italy. It is perhaps the best looking car to have ever been produced by any American manufacturer. From the long coke bottle shape, to the fully blacked out grill, the Charger makes you feel like a badass when you’re not even moving. It has been in countless movies and chase scenes and has made exotics tremble at stoplights. This IS the car your mother warned you about. It lives for big smokey burnouts and spits in the face of little frou-frou hybrids… it’s just awesome.
3. 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne: Where do I begin with this thing? Between the bubble-top styling, the Batman styled rear taillights and the: “I’m up to no good” persona, the Biscayne makes me want to go out and run moon-shine in the back woods of Georgia.
4. 1955 Mercedes 300SL: There are cars and then there are icons. What you are looking at here is such a car. Its timeless shape looks current some 55 years after it was built. Look at the design that went into this exquisitely crafted exterior. The flared front and rear fender arches, the functional side-exit louvers used for cooling and of course those amazing gull wing doors. The little Benz was powered by a fuel-injected straight-6 that kicked out a respectable 215 bhp… remember, this was 1955 so that was pretty damn good, as was the top speed of around 160 mph. Ladies and gentleman, for 1955, that was BOOKIN’!
5. 2005 Ferrari 575M Maranello: Growing up as a kid in the 1980’s I was inundated with images of the red Ferrari 308 that Magnum P.I. (Tom Selleck) drove around the big island of Hawaii catching bad guys. Fast forward 25 years and that same kid is now in his mid-30’s fantasizing about yet another Ferrari. Most of the cars on my list follow a formula that’s 100 years old – that being, front engine, rear drive, two door coupes. I simply love em’. They’re big, a blast to drive and can chew up miles at triple digit speeds all day long. The 575 Maranello is no exception. It’s 5.7 liter V12 puts out 540 HP and can propel this beauty to 203 mph. Combine that with some of the most beautiful body lines of any car out there and you’ve got one hell of a weekend getaway car.
6. 1995 Porsche 928 GTS: Ah yes, the beloved 928. I remember as a kid my dentist, good ole’ Dr. DaGrosa had a grey market 928 S. It was candy apple red with brushed gold wheels – it was simply amazing. Porsche’s 928 series was built from 1977-1995 (that’s 18 years people) and is, to this day, one of the best GT (Grand Touring) cars ever made. Big V8 up front, rear wheel drive and a top end of just under 150 mph. The final version, the 1995 928 GTS had 345 BHP and 370 LBS. TQ. and topped out over at over 170. I’d like mine in silver please…
7. 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL: Ok… I’m not a HUGE fan of BMW’s. I mean I do like them, hell I’ve evened owned one – a 2001 E39 M5. The new ones however just don’t get the blood boiling like the old ones do. Yes, the new crop of BMW’s are wonderful cars. They perform fantastic, but aside from that, don’t do a damn thing for me. Take that hideous i-Drive for example… probably the WORST internal automotive system ever to be put into a car. As a driver, I don’t want 6 suspension settings, 4 engine modes and or three ways to turn on the God damn radio. I want a car that turns on when I turn the key, goes forward when I press the gas and doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t do.
This is where the 3.0 CSL comes in. In reality it was BMW’s first “M” car. Powered by an inline 6-cylinder engine producing 206 BHP, the CSL would run 0-60 in about 7.0 sec, it handled great and had the looks of a true European sports sedan. They key is actually finding one in decent condition that hasn’t been butchered over the last 35 years. One day perhaps… one day.
8. 1969 Dodge Daytona: I love this car for two reasons. One because I own one, well a replica of one anyway, and two, because it is just so damn ridiculous looking. Dodge had to produce a street going version of their all dominating race car to comply with Nascar’s homologation rules for 1969 so they built just 504 of these wicked machines.
Think about walking into a dealer in though in 1969 and seeing this thing on the showroom floor. It’s 19 feet 6 inches long, has a 4-foot wing on the back and a nose cone like a Saturn 5 Rocket. Now picture trying to convince your wife that it was the perfect family car… yeah right, no dice. Because of this Daytona’s languished on dealer floors until the early 1970’s.
As an owner of one I can tell you that regardless of where I go or what else is in the parking lot, the Daytona is always the center of attention. Plus it’s just plain cool to see drivers of exotics get nervous when you pull up next to them.
9. 1982 Lamborghini Countach: Let’s see now… 5.2 liters, mid-engine V-12 producing 375 BHP-(in 1982!!) and a top speed of 180 mph. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! I was a 10-year old kid from Brooklyn and this car was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. Remember when “Cannonball Run” came out in the early 80’s and the opening scene was the black Lamborghini Countach running from the ’81 Trans Am Police car. To this day, I don’t think there has ever been a better opening to a feature film… Adrian Barbeau’s thunder bombs didn’t hurt either
Just for shit’s and giggles I’ve included the link the opening of Cannonball Run… ENJOY!
10. 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe – MAD MAX ONLY: An Australian only model, the Ford Falcon XB coupe blasted on the big screen when I was 9 years old in “The Road Warrior”. A movie that I know EVERYONE reading this has seen because this is a CAR site right! Seriously, if you haven’t seen this movie just go put in a bullet in your foot because you’re a disgrace to the man race.
But I digress… Obviously the Falcon in the movie was highly modified with its fake Weiand blower and 8-pak of side exit zoomies, but so what!?! That black bastard was by far the meanest looking ride to ever grace the silver screen. Everything that came after were just imitations. I have made a promise to myself that I WILL build a replica of this car in the VERY near future and when I do just step-the-hell-back cause’ it’s going to be one fully functional Mutha’ F*cka’!
Well… that is it. Those are my top ten cars of all time and the ones that gain access to my fantasy garage. So, whatcha’ got people?