RE: ?100K Garage: Nick Lester
Saturday 18th February 2017
Name: Nicholas Lester
Previously owned: Toyota MR2 Mk2, Fiat Coupe 20VT, BMW M3 E36, Renault Clio Sport 172, Porsche 993 Turbo, TVR Chimaera 4.0, 5.0, Cerbera 4.5, Lotus Exige S1 & S2, Nissan 350Z, Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, Mini Cooper S R56, Ford Focus RS Mk2, Range Rover HSE V8, Jaguar XJR6, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, Ford SVT Raptor, Dodge Challenger Hellcat
Currently owned: McLaren 650S, Subaru Impreza Turbo (standard UK spec), Mitsubishi EVO 6 (UK Ralliart), Volvo XC90
On the shortlist: Lotus Esprit Turbo, Audi RS4, BMW 1M, Toyota Celica GT4
70s: Lancia Fulvia 1.3S Coupe
Cost: €18,950 (£16,082)
Balance: £83,916
Why I chose it: "Lightweight, simple and beautiful - exactly what an affordable Italian classic car should be. With Lancia's racing and rallying pedigree, this for me is why this wonderful little car is the perfect example of tactility over outright pace and would be the perfect start to a sunny Sunday morning drive."
90s: TVR Griffith 4.3
Cost: £24,995
Balance: £28,926
Why I chose it: "I've been fortunate enough to have owned three TVRs over the years, but never a Griffith - which really is a complete travesty. Each TVR is always idiosyncratic, but they genuinely have personality and are a bit like getting back with an old flame - you know you shouldn't, but it all just feels so right. This early 4.3 Griff, hood down, woofling V8 on a British summer evening equals absolute driving nirvana and impossible to beat at this price."
£100K Garage: Nick Lester
All boxes ticked on this PHer's £100K ranging from a Sunday drive to a lap of luxury after a long day!
Previously owned: Toyota MR2 Mk2, Fiat Coupe 20VT, BMW M3 E36, Renault Clio Sport 172, Porsche 993 Turbo, TVR Chimaera 4.0, 5.0, Cerbera 4.5, Lotus Exige S1 & S2, Nissan 350Z, Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, Mini Cooper S R56, Ford Focus RS Mk2, Range Rover HSE V8, Jaguar XJR6, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, Ford SVT Raptor, Dodge Challenger Hellcat
Currently owned: McLaren 650S, Subaru Impreza Turbo (standard UK spec), Mitsubishi EVO 6 (UK Ralliart), Volvo XC90
On the shortlist: Lotus Esprit Turbo, Audi RS4, BMW 1M, Toyota Celica GT4
Cost: €18,950 (£16,082)
Balance: £83,916
Why I chose it: "Lightweight, simple and beautiful - exactly what an affordable Italian classic car should be. With Lancia's racing and rallying pedigree, this for me is why this wonderful little car is the perfect example of tactility over outright pace and would be the perfect start to a sunny Sunday morning drive."
80s: Porsche 928 S
Cost: £29,995
Balance: £53,921
Why I chose it: "The car designed by Porsche to spell the end of the 911 and obviously that wasn't to be. For me, the avantgarde styling - even the pop up headlamps and funky movable dash still looks fresh today. A good one - and this one looks to be healthy - can still fulfil the proper old Grand Tourer role and whisk me in style down to the Oktoberfest. Alles gut!"
Cost: £24,995
Balance: £28,926
Why I chose it: "I've been fortunate enough to have owned three TVRs over the years, but never a Griffith - which really is a complete travesty. Each TVR is always idiosyncratic, but they genuinely have personality and are a bit like getting back with an old flame - you know you shouldn't, but it all just feels so right. This early 4.3 Griff, hood down, woofling V8 on a British summer evening equals absolute driving nirvana and impossible to beat at this price."
2000s: Bentley Arnage T
Cost: £28,911
Balance: £15
Why I chose it: "I once read about an eccentric old gent in Manchester who used to sit in the back of his Arnage and read the Sunday papers, reclining in luxury. And I can completely understand why. The T cossets and soothes at the end of a long day - or night, if you're an Essex nightclub owner - and offers pace, grace and the perfect mix of plutocratic pomp and menacing muscle to make it on to my favourites list. And all for the price of a new Mondeo."
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Discussion
Nice choices.
Although I prefer pre VW Bentley's this is a nice looking car and likely to be more reliable to waft about in.
Also a fan of the 928. For once Porsche went innovative and despite it not being perfect, still love them.
And a TVR, all good then.
Although I prefer pre VW Bentley's this is a nice looking car and likely to be more reliable to waft about in.
Also a fan of the 928. For once Porsche went innovative and despite it not being perfect, still love them.
And a TVR, all good then.
Edited by smilo996 on Saturday 18th February 10:02
Surely one of the best. Four sought-after cars, all of which had rave reviews when new, and all in colours that suit them. Looks like a lot of fun too!
The 928 is interesting insofar as how very much better a car looks when it is so very clean. 991s and 997s in drab colours are everywhere, as they are being used as daily drivers, as the 928 was when new. Nowadays, this pristine white 928 looks great. Seems recently I saw a sub 30,000 928GTS, the final model from 1992-1995 for sale for less than 18k from a dealer, but time moves quickly, and I think that might have been in around 2001. It was a pristine dark metallic blue and looked so much better than the 996 Carrera that then cost about 65k. The 996 Turbo was probably its real replacement (993 Turbo still very much a sports car by nature, not a GT) and it took the Turbo appearance to match the presence of the 928.
The 928 is interesting insofar as how very much better a car looks when it is so very clean. 991s and 997s in drab colours are everywhere, as they are being used as daily drivers, as the 928 was when new. Nowadays, this pristine white 928 looks great. Seems recently I saw a sub 30,000 928GTS, the final model from 1992-1995 for sale for less than 18k from a dealer, but time moves quickly, and I think that might have been in around 2001. It was a pristine dark metallic blue and looked so much better than the 996 Carrera that then cost about 65k. The 996 Turbo was probably its real replacement (993 Turbo still very much a sports car by nature, not a GT) and it took the Turbo appearance to match the presence of the 928.
Edited by myhandle on Sunday 19th February 03:17
Always applaud when someone chooses a TVR, I loved my Chimera and fully appreciate the 'hood down, woofling V8' comment.
Re the Bentley, again, great choice but knowing where the garage is situated I can't see what Ms Cox didn't drive 2 minutes down the road and take shots of the car in its element (in a bucolic country setting amongst the landed-gentry...)
Re the Bentley, again, great choice but knowing where the garage is situated I can't see what Ms Cox didn't drive 2 minutes down the road and take shots of the car in its element (in a bucolic country setting amongst the landed-gentry...)
I really like this collection as a set of great cars. However, i won't want to own any of them
I found it interesting that I can at the same time like the cars but also not want to own them
In thinking about it, I think this format of the £100k garage is working really well and leading to interesting choices
Whether you agree with them (as I don't in this case) it's great to see what inspires people from the different decades
I think it is also relevant that it is a fantasy garage. If you actually bought the cars then you would need to store them, maintain them and be able to afford their running costs (and put up with their unreliability in some cases) and it's better for it to be a fantasy garage where such practical considerations can be ignored and let the choices be driven only by the passion of the person making the selection
As mentioned, I applaud this selection even though it wouldn't be mine
I found it interesting that I can at the same time like the cars but also not want to own them
In thinking about it, I think this format of the £100k garage is working really well and leading to interesting choices
Whether you agree with them (as I don't in this case) it's great to see what inspires people from the different decades
I think it is also relevant that it is a fantasy garage. If you actually bought the cars then you would need to store them, maintain them and be able to afford their running costs (and put up with their unreliability in some cases) and it's better for it to be a fantasy garage where such practical considerations can be ignored and let the choices be driven only by the passion of the person making the selection
As mentioned, I applaud this selection even though it wouldn't be mine
I don't get it, OP has a Mclaren, two rally reps & an excellent all rounder in an XC90. States his shortlist has a Lotus Esprit Turbo, Audi RS4, BMW 1M & Toyota Celica GT4 on it and yet the £100k garage has no supercar, no rally reps, none of the shortlist cars. Seems odd, no? Surely it would consist of a super(ish)car, rally rep, sensible car and possibly one classic?
As an addition to what he already has maybe its an interesting eccentric choice, but if he didn't have the current cars I can't see him choosing anything like this if he "only" had £100k to purchase his dream garage (despite not knowing him from Adam
)
As an addition to what he already has maybe its an interesting eccentric choice, but if he didn't have the current cars I can't see him choosing anything like this if he "only" had £100k to purchase his dream garage (despite not knowing him from Adam
)Completely agree with a lot of what's been said. One thing I found was just how little (relatively) £100k buys you in today's classics/collectibles market.
The cars I truly lust after from these decades would have have cost 15 times the budget (Lamborghini Countach LP400, Audi Quattro SWB, Porsche 964 Turbo S and TVR Sagaris), but I still like the 'challenge' of the £100k garage and despite the fact we're all fellow Petrolheads, just how much variation in personal taste there is.
For those of you in the UK (I am not), you have such a wide selection to choose from. On my local EBay/Pistonheads equivalent, there are just acres of white Landcruisers and Patrols, which makes the hunt for the occasional rare gem even more intense.
Safe driving.
The cars I truly lust after from these decades would have have cost 15 times the budget (Lamborghini Countach LP400, Audi Quattro SWB, Porsche 964 Turbo S and TVR Sagaris), but I still like the 'challenge' of the £100k garage and despite the fact we're all fellow Petrolheads, just how much variation in personal taste there is.
For those of you in the UK (I am not), you have such a wide selection to choose from. On my local EBay/Pistonheads equivalent, there are just acres of white Landcruisers and Patrols, which makes the hunt for the occasional rare gem even more intense.
Safe driving.
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