Wednesday 21st January 2015

£100K Garage: Christophe Speed

French resident Christophe wants LHD cars only. Here are his choices!

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Name: Christophe Speed
Previously owned: VW Golf Mk1, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 205 XT, Peugeot 205 GTI, Alfa 155 Twin Spark and numerous Peugeot company vehicles before being forced to use the world's worst car (Renault Scenic) and then recovering with a Lotus Elise Mk1 111s. Pure bliss!
Currently owned: BMW 320i Sport Touring
On the shortlist: "Another Elise, still kicking myself for having sold the last one. Living in the south west of France I've only chosen LHD cars. There were only 67 cars to choose from in the list at the time but fun can be had with all. Cars in the UK are much cheaper than over here so if I get bored with any of them I could sell them on and probably make a bit of extra cash to go towards replacing the Lotus."

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Lancia Delta Integrale
Cost: £24,950
Balance: £75,050
Why I chose it: "The looks, the rally history and the drive. My Alfa spent quite a bit of time at the local Fiat/Alfa/Lancia dealer due to electrical problems and I got to know the owner who owned a red Delta Integrale Evolution I model. The garage bills mounted up but the generous man let me try his Lancia. What a car! The grip, the balance and the ability to cover ground so fast over the tight Brittany roads won me over. Amazing."

Land Rover 110 SW
Cost: £17,995
Balance: £57,055
Why I chose it: "Great for Le Mans, seven of us can go together with the camping gear. Big boot, great for shopping at Super U in Arnage and it won't get stuck in the Beausejour campsite mud. Madame has a couple of horses so the Landie would come in useful as a tow car on the other weekends of the year."

Maserati Quattroporte
Cost: £31,995
Balance: £25,060
Why I chose it: "The family car for longer journeys. What style, and what a noise!"

Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 4 Cabriolet
Cost: £17,500
Balance: £7,560
Why I chose it: "I had to have an open top car for the summer months. I didn't use the roof on the Lotus from April until November. My brother's got a 993 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, and being a very generous big brother he lets me drive it. Everything is just so right about his car roof down on an empty winding French country road. I know this one is only a 996 but it's a manual and it's still a 911 so it can't be that bad."

BMW 320Ci
Cost: £6,400
Balance: £1,160
Why I chose it: "One for the shops, in my eyes the best looking of all the 3 Series. Great colour, manual gearbox and it would be a good excuse to take the above Porsche down to Malaga with Madame for the weekend to pick it up."

"I'd use the balance to buy a roof rack to take camping gear on the Landie!"

 

 

 

[leon9191]

The car that is "only a 996" will be the best drivers car there, shame it's a cab.

[Robert Elise]

agree about 911 Cabs, but the Integrale is a good steer.

[steve1386]

Lancia a cool bit of history, but I don't think I'd have any car on the list there

[Dale487]

Good balanced garage - only missing a raw track car, but a Lotus would fix that.

[83AndyJ]

[Fastchas]

'Frenchman Christophe Speed...
'Vitesse'?, surely??

[Ruskins]

I like your choices but its all very GREY, do you not like colours?

[simonr100]

Great choices!

[lasvegas1966]

bon! oh that mazzer.

[smithyithy]

Ruskins said:

I like your choices but its all very GREY, do you not like colours?

Probably just down to lack of choice as he was picking the LHD cars.,

[myhandle]

leon9191 said:

The car that is "only a 996" will be the best drivers car there, shame it's a cab.

Agree that the 996 is excellent and unfairly underrated. Great driver's car. After many miles in both, disagree that is a better driver's car than an integrale Evo, which is really astonishing if it's a good one, properly set up.

[Jordan Clarkson]

Great choices!