Wednesday 26th November 2014

£100K Garage: Will King

Commute by Bentley, road trip by Ferrari and track day by MG for Will's fantasy garage

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Name: Will King
Previously owned: Ford Mondeo, Ford Fiesta, Mazda MX-5 1.6 (Mk1)
Currently owned: Audi A3, Mazda Eunos 1.8 (Mk1)
On the shortlist: "I'm ready to add more cylinders to my garage. The MX-5 is huge fun but more power would be great, so an E46 M3 manual with the CSL airbox is next on the list, just for that sound!

"With the fictional £100K I've tried to assemble a four-car garage that ticks a lot of boxes and will give some very special experiences. One car will offer indulgent first-class travel throughout the busy working week and a 'practical' straight-six coupe waits in the garage for a weekend use. Alongside it is a V8 convertible for foreign jaunts and a British classic for the track."

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Bentley Flying Spur
Cost: £32,980
Balance: £67,020
Why I chose it: "The weekday motorway hack/gentleman's express. It doesn't have the thuggish silhouette of the older Arnage, but I like the relatively subdued look. I'd feel perfectly happy leaving this in an airport car park and long schleps home from faraway meetings would be something to look forward to. An ideal cruiser."

See here for more Bentley Flying Spurs on PH.

Ferrari 360 Spider
Cost: £49,900
Balance: £17,120
Why I chose it: "The special car. An incredible high-revving V8 with an open-gate manual, plus it's a convertible with a Capristo exhaust for the ultimate aural experience on those Euro and Highland road trips. A great service history and a recent clutch add reassurance, so I'd better add it to the garage before manual 360 prices rise."

Ferrari 360s for sale this way!

BMW M3 (E46)
Cost: £7,999
Balance: £9,121
Why I chose it: "The weekend car. After a week of cosseting in the Bentley I'll need something more driver-focused for the shop runs and long B-road return trips. This has the SMG 'box, which I was unsure about, but reading reviews on the M-power boards suggests it can still be a very rewarding drive. It also has a desirable spec and the Harmon Kardon stereo, so I can't see it depreciating much in coming years."

Take your pick from over 100 E46 M3s here.

MG BGT race car
Cost: £8,250
Balance: £871
Why I chose it: "The racer. I recently went to a classic car race at Donington and seeing old-timers being driven on the edge was incredible. This MG B looks like a fun way into motorsport and the advert suggests it's been well-loved. Sure, a cheap Caterfield might make more sense, but this has character by the bucketload and it's a great excuse to brush up on my spannering.

"The rest of the balance would go on a trailer for the MGB and getting a tow-bar for the Bentley!"

V8, four-cylinder, coupe and roadster MG Bs for sale here.

[X5TUU]

Good selection, I cant help wonder if the M3 would end up just not being used though, I wouldn't think twice about schlepping to the shops in the Bentley and just parking marginally out of the way, and its not like you would want to use the M3 for tip trips etc...either ... just my 2pennies worth

[htrowsoc]

This is the best so far - I prefer the 360 to later v8 Ferraris as it was arguably the last analogue Ferrari, along with the 550 and 575

Edited by htrowsoc on Wednesday 3rd December 15:43

[leghorn]

Great garage

Shame to waste £871. How about a barge?
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...

[RobST170]

I like what you've done there. A very well thought out garage, although I would have different choices, I totally get the thought process.

[TheAllSeeingPie]

I really like this selection, a good mix of full on drivers and comfy wafters. You'll probably need to spend the final £850~ on something to tow the MG to the track though?

[whythem]

Love the MGB GT, for me looks wise it is up there with the Porsche 912 retro thing earlier in the week. An underated and under valued classic.

[AyBee]

That Bentley is an awful lot of car for the money although I agree with someone else here, not sure that the M3 would get used, so I'd plough more money into the 360 and get a 430 instead.

[Jim AK]

Blimey that BM is cheap!

Nice garage IMO

[Chris Y]

Excellent choice in the racing BGT.

[WCZ]

slightly odd selections imo,

why not just have the bentley then a ferrari 430 instead of the 360 + m3 +mg ?
best of both worlds + a couple of thousand left for a track car

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/f...

[MrBrown]

Like the idea of the Bentley a lot actually. As others have said though, not sure I see much point in the inclusion of the M3 alongside the Ferrari, personally I would spend the money instead on a higher spec'd track car.

Cool choices though.

[JMF894]

Best choices for a while here imo.

I may lose the M3 though and upgrade the classic racer or alternatively have a road classic alongside it.

Jimbo

[TheAllSeeingPie]

I read it a bit like this: Fezza is for when you want an all out analogue Ferrari fun-time drive at the weekend. The M3 is when you feel like a spirited morning commute / nip to the shops and want to zip around without the attention the Fezza will garner. Which is why I like this garage as it's got a car for most occasions.

[soad]

leghorn said:

Great garage

Shame to waste £871. How about a barge?
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...

Don't be silly. That would (likely) make Flying Spur redundant...

[Yoof]

soad said:

Don't be silly. That would (likely) make Flying Spur redundant...

It'd be redundant as a tow vehicle anyway...

Good choices though

[Binjamin81]

Will - fantastic selection!
The MGB GT is a beauty, though I may be a little biased in saying that - I'm the lucky one pictured in the driving seat! She's fully road-legal as well and will be sorely missed

[mybrainhurts]

Chris Y said:

Excellent choice in the racing BGT.

One on ebay recently for £33k.

[smilo996]

3/4. The Bentley just leaves me cold, it is not a Bentley but a VW. Loved by footballers everywhere and those lights, never got on with them.

Will M3 purists be wading in with comments about it being a wrong M3 because of the wrong three letters after the 3?

The Ferrari is a pretty inspired choice. Not a fan of the shape but getting into a V8 Ferrarisofttop for that price pretty amazing.

An interesting track / race choice. Everyone should have one classic in their garage....coulddrop a V8 in!!.

[TheAllSeeingPie]

I thought it was the Conti GT that was a glorified Phaeton, but the Spur is a 'proper' Bentley with the RR V8 from the 50's?

[big_rob_sydney]

soad said:

leghorn said:

Great garage

Shame to waste £871. How about a barge?
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...

Don't be silly. That would (likely) make Flying Spur redundant...

Thats kinda the point.

I have an LS430, and love it. Its for wafting around in unbelievable comfort.

Then take the extra moolah, and put it into an f430. With a bit left over, pick some crotch rocket, and then invest the rest into hookers and blow.