Your Holy Grail?

[Bradley1500]

I bought my ‘Holy Grail’ car last year – a Toyota Supra. Seeing as I’ve now ticked that box, I would like to buy a Noble M12 GTO next.

My all-time favourite car is a Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition, so that is my true ‘Holy Grail’ car, although I am a long way off being able to yet!

I have always wanted to build a Triumph Spitfire to a specific spec too. I owned one as my first car and have wanted another one since, but with a GT6/Vitesse engine conversion and a W58 gearbox, plus other upgrades to make it more modern and usable.

[GT119]

Three seater with central driving position.
Normally aspirated big capacity V12.
No driver aids.
British built.

[johnxjsc1985]

I have been looking for a mint Triumph 2.5 PI estate without success my search continues.

[designforlife]

A RWD supercharged Integra DC5 would be ace.

[Tuvra]

MK3 Focus RS with the dashboard, engine and DSG gearbox from the latest TTRS

[shirt]

The zero compromise exige

S3 exige look and size but with the 3-11 rear end and a minor rework of the front end to make it more stylish. Carbon monocoque. Fixed roof, no panel joins for cleaner lines.

longitudinal n/a engine on itbs, a characterful v6 might cut it but would be nice to go up to a small capacity high revving v8. Engine and box would become structural members a la Ferrari f50.

Very low unsprung weight and it'd be nice to use all the exotic material toybox to get weight as close to 1000kg as possible. Power to be sufficient, car to be set up for razor sharp handling and throttle response and engine character, not outright power.

6spd manual. Gated super slick gear change. High quality yet still simple interior which doesn't rattle or squeak.

The whole ethos would be lotus mixed with pagani. Lotus engineerig approach and 'fun' drive mixed with fanatical and no-cost approach to material selection and manufacturing process.

[Bradley1500]

GT119 said:

Three seater with central driving position.
Normally aspirated big capacity V12.
No driver aids.
British built.

I have the perfect car for you if you have 10 million spare.

[tomsugden]

Truckosaurus said:

A used BMW 5-series estate with a v8 petrol engine and a manual gearbox.

(Although having said that, there is one (1) on Autotrader - once you discount the incorrectly listed M5)

Like this?

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[4941cc]

Leins said:

It already exists. Just the funds for it don't at the moment:

Ooh, super duper rare.

Be just as happy with an E30 333i or the regular non-M3 based B6 3.5.

[Toltec]

tomsugden said:

Like this?

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I thought Bangle designed the E60s etc, not the E39? He obviously did not become lead designer from nowhere and I have not investigated his history and I am too lazy/no bothered enough to do so. Can anyone elaborate briefly?

[MorganP104]

NDA said:

I am not sure I have a 'Grail' car at the moment - a new Range Rover would be nice.

I almost own my 'Grail' car... L322 Rangie 4.4 V8 (petrol).

It has everything I want in a car, with the exception of fuel economy.

So, my 'Grail' car would be a Rangie that can do 75mpg, but still have a thumping great V8.

I know, dream on, son.

[Integroo]

How about a screaming small capacity high revving four cylinder in a four seat three door coupe where the rear seats fold down for improved practicality, with RWD.

[Toltec]

Integroo said:

How about a screaming small capacity high revving four cylinder in a four seat three door coupe where the rear seats fold down for improved practicality, with RWD.

A cross between an Integra and S2000 then?

[MorganP104]

Toltec said:

tomsugden said:

Like this?

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I thought Bangle designed the E60s etc, not the E39? He obviously did not become lead designer from nowhere and I have not investigated his history and I am too lazy/no bothered enough to do so. Can anyone elaborate briefly?

The advert is wrong. Whilst Chris Bangle was Head of Design at BMW around the same time as the release of the E39, it was not one of his. The E39's designer was Japanese, Joji Nagashima.

Another common misconception is that the E38 7-Series and the E39 5-Series were designed by the same person. The E38 7-Series was actually penned by Austrian designer Boyke Boyer.

[Johnnytheboy]

MKnight702 said:

mp3manager said:

A K20A Jazz Type R would be nice but this would do I suppose.

A 1.5l Turbo with 250bhp, sub 1,000kg, Recaros, Brembos, LSD, hydraulic steering and all for £22995.

Yes, but it would still max out at 42mph on an A road like all the others.

[Ransoman]

Alfa Giulia with the V6 engine sans turbochargers. I want a v6 but 505bhp is way too much.

[aka_kerrly]

Toltec said:

A cross between an Integra and S2000 then?

Exactly one of those please. - there is a chap in the USA who built a mustang sn95 chassis on to an Integra body creating a rwd v8 teg.

Or a rwd Corrado Vr6

Or a s15 Nissan silva with a rb straight 6

[Gad-Westy]

aka_kerrly said:

Exactly one of those please. - there is a chap in the USA who built a mustang sn95 chassis on to an Integra body creating a rwd v8 teg.

Or a rwd Corrado Vr6

Or a s15 Nissan silva with a rb straight 6

On a similar line I'd take a RWD Alfa GTV V6 (90's one). Saw a yellow spider the other day and it still looked absolutely stunning.

[Willy Nilly]

MKnight702 said:

Yes, but it would still max out at 42mph on an A road like all the others.

I have a theory about that, I think the Jazz speedo over reads by 100%, so when Doris thinks she is ripping along at an indicated 80mph, she is actually holding everyone up at 40mph.

They are almost hysterically economical at 40mpg when the little green light on the dash comes on. There another light that shows how much you are annoying other road users, it's an arse mooning. At 40mph on an NSL road this lights and goes out as the speed increases, but, and this is the interesting thing, on motorways it can sense German cars being drive by the powerfully built and when one is caught napping and is overtaken at over 90mph the arse light comes on again. You can almost taste the rage.

[chevronb37]

shirt said:

The zero compromise exige

S3 exige look and size but with the 3-11 rear end and a minor rework of the front end to make it more stylish. Carbon monocoque. Fixed roof, no panel joins for cleaner lines.

longitudinal n/a engine on itbs, a characterful v6 might cut it but would be nice to go up to a small capacity high revving v8. Engine and box would become structural members a la Ferrari f50.

Very low unsprung weight and it'd be nice to use all the exotic material toybox to get weight as close to 1000kg as possible. Power to be sufficient, car to be set up for razor sharp handling and throttle response and engine character, not outright power.

6spd manual. Gated super slick gear change. High quality yet still simple interior which doesn't rattle or squeak.

The whole ethos would be lotus mixed with pagani. Lotus engineerig approach and 'fun' drive mixed with fanatical and no-cost approach to material selection and manufacturing process.

This.

I love the V6 Exige but I'd like a slight variation to it:

- The scavenging effect of the supercharger is highly noticeable, especially blipping the throttle on downchanges. I'd love a low-inertia, high-revving, exotic V6 or V8 developing 350-400bhp.
- Lower centre of gravity.
- More up-to-date intertia.
- Faster, sweeter gearbox.

Essentially: Lotus ride / handling; Porsche mechanical engineering; Ferrari agility and flamboyance. I 200 miles around North Yorkshire and Cumbria in my S1 Exige yesterday and it's the minimal size, absolute agility and total interia-free savagery of the drivetrain which make it so fun to drive. The outright peformance is miles off my 911 and yet nothing I've driven can touch it for driver fun. A slightly more grown-up, better-engineering example would be divine. Off-the-scale fun.