What Car thread...

[Where2Guv]

Hi all,

I've recently lost a chunk of monthly expenditure and fancy treating myself after a great year. I was hoping you chaps could throw some ideas into the ring, if I give you an idea of my car history and what sort of thing I'm after.

We're working with an upper budget of £15,000.

Current fleet is:

1995 TVR Chimaera 400 (Shared with my old man) - weekend hoonage only.
2002 BMW 330D - Chipped, quick, frugal and practical. Starting to develop niggles as it's well north of 150k now.
1985 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 - Supposedly a wedding car, but my default choice as a daily when it's working! Soon to be accompanied by:
1989 Jaguar XJ12 5.3 - Approaching the end of a full restoration. Very excited about this car.

Previous cars have included:

Subaru Legacy B4 RSK Twin Turbo (Fastest point-to-point car I've ever owned) - Now driven by my 25 year old sister
MGB GT
Honda S2000

Dream cars for me are the big GT's... Ferrari 365B, Jensen Interceptor, Jaguar E-Type, Aston DB's etc.

I like my cars old, fast and jaw-dropping gorgeous. Ideally I want something I can use as a daily driver - Hear me out here... With all my access to cars, I don't need to drive a massive amount of miles in my everyday car.

I mean, I will. But I don't have to. I knew you'd understand...

Brutal performance
Sexy looks
Loud
Enough space for a filly, a bottle of Bolly and an overnight bag.

Plus, it needs to be reliable. I don't mean that it never needs servicing or fettling, but it shouldn't be likely to leave me waiting for the RAC every time it turns a wheel. This can really spoil the classic experience. I know from bitter experience.

I do of course realise it's a tall order. If the funds were there I would be looking at the E-Type and the Jensen re-incarnations.

More along the lines of my budget I've considered:

A Cobra Replica
Mustang
Interceptor

I'm just after some extra ideas - Fire away!

[benjj]

Alfa Romeo Montreal

Citroen SM

Alpine A610 Turbo

[niagra]

How about these:

Alfa GTV http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C410788
Elan Plus 2 http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C358317
Ferrari 308GT4 http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C402153
Fiat Dino Coupe had a quick look but can't find any in UK for sale

[Where2Guv]

benjj said:

Alfa Romeo Montreal

Citroen SM

Alpine A610 Turbo

Montreal's are gorgeous, but surely parts are hard to obtain these days?
Citroen SM - Likewise? Epic car though...
Alpine A610 Turbo - Possibly a little too modern but I'm all ears.

[Huntsman]

Have a look here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Where2Guv]

niagra said:

How about these:

Alfa GTV http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C410788
Elan Plus 2 http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C358317
Ferrari 308GT4 http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C402153
Fiat Dino Coupe had a quick look but can't find any in UK for sale

That Alfa is absolutely stunning - but it's delicate where as I want Thor's hammer on tap

Elan Plus 2 - That one is local to me actually! I've driven a couple and loved them, but again it's all about delicate control and precision.

Bottom end of the Ferrari range? I'd rather wait until I can do the prancing horse experience properly

[benjj]

Where2Guv said:

Montreal's are gorgeous, but surely parts are hard to obtain these days?
Citroen SM - Likewise? Epic car though...
Alpine A610 Turbo - Possibly a little too modern but I'm all ears.

Hey buddy, you want the world on a stick for 15 grand, it aint going to be easy

I'd investigate the Montreal myself, super engine, rare, sexy, fast, a true GT. Parts will be hard to source and expensive, but fk it, life's short!

[Where2Guv]

Huntsman said:

Have a look here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Great thread - what was your budget though? Some mentally expensive suggestions in there!

[Where2Guv]

benjj said:

Hey buddy, you want the world on a stick for 15 grand, it aint going to be easy

I'd investigate the Montreal myself, super engine, rare, sexy, fast, a true GT. Parts will be hard to source and expensive, but fk it, life's short!

I'd settle for the moon on a stick!

Seriously, I want something I can jump in and blast through Europe at a moments notice. I reckon a yank V8 is going to let me do that more than anything else.

The thought of something as sexy as a Montreal on our ramps with no engine when I want to be driving it would drive me nuts. In truth it would piss me off more than not owning one

[dartissimus]

Cobra kit or Corvette.............taste be dammed

[nagsheadwarrior]

Im not sure what they fetch so forgive me if ive picked the wrong car but what about a Bristol?
Something a bit rare and unloved like a Beaufighter maybe?

Ps-Just cos its my default answer how about a Capri,Tickford Turbo maybe?

[Huntsman]

Where2Guv said:

Huntsman said:

Have a look here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Great thread - what was your budget though? Some mentally expensive suggestions in there!

I bought a Keeble, number 57, it needs a bit of work, I paid £17k.

[benjj]

This is a very interesting thread when you think about it, difficult too.

£15,000 is a lot when you look at it in £10 notes, a lot when you compare it to a tatty MGB at £2000, but very little when you see what serious cars go for and how much restorations and even simple work on performance classics can cost.

The problem is, as it normally is for all of us, the requirement for it to be a) presentable and b) reliable.

The sensible man would buy something that is worth around £10k with a solid shell and body work and then have it fettled up to a superb example.

The knobs, me included, would buy something ridiculous and cross our fingers.

The OP hasn't really suggested what he would see as an acceptable yearly running figure for a car like this but from my experience it would be at least a couple of grand.

Either way I would be tempted to stretch the budget, stretch the running costs, be prepared for a wife explosion and go for one of these:

[niagra]

Yum!

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C403328

[benjj]

niagra said:

Yum!

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C403328

Ah ha, that is a superb call and an exquisite car.

Easy spares availability, lots of oomph, love it.

[anonymous-user]

Where2Guv, you have mail.

[Where2Guv]

Breadvan72 said:

Where2Guv, you have mail.

So I see

[Where2Guv]

Running costs (without getting ridiculous) aren't really a massive problem. I run a TVR and two old Jags - one of which is a twelve pot. I have two mechanics working for me who will turn a hand to anything, but I will send complicated / specialist jobs away.

Spares availability and reliability is really where it's at for me. Yank lumps seem to perfectly fit the bill. Simple to work on and modify / modernise, great parts availability and great big dollops of torque and horsepower.

I'm genuinely intrigued what a 'wife explosion' could be

I'm not married

[anonymous-user]

Last year, my classic collection briefly reached six cars and three bikes. There was a wife explosion.

[dartissimus]

Breadvan72 said:

Last year, my classic collection briefly reached six cars and three bikes. There was a wife explosion.

Something has to be sold, wives don't fetch much, so it has to be a car or two............