£100K Garage: Aaron Francis

Zenos-owning Aaraon plumps for Lotus, Porsche and Honda in his three-car selection

By Nik Attard / Saturday, 10 September 2016 / Loading comments

Name

: Aaron Francis

Previously owned

: Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9, Mazda MX-5 Mk1, Lotus Elise, Suzuki Cappuccino, BMW 325i Touring (E30), Ducati motorcycles (three of them), various less memorable cars and motorbikes.

Currently owned

: BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe (E86), Zenos E10 (normally aspirated 200hp).

On the shortlist

: "I really like my current two-car garage, so may not make any changes for a while. However I keep dwelling on the idea of swapping the BMW for a Lotus Evora S, preferably in Sport Racer trim.

"I will assume the £100k garage doesn't allow me to keep my current cars. The new rules mean I can't just tick off a list of fantasy toys, so I'll restrict myself to cars I would actually make use of. I like swapping between cars with contrasting character, and these should provide that."

Lotus Exige S V6 Roadster

Cost

: £43,000

Balance

: £57,000

Why I chose it

: "I couldn't do this without choosing a Lotus. If I can only have one rear-wheel drive car, then it has to be mid-engined and good enough for the occasional track day. I like the idea of the Cup spec, but the real world choice is the Roadster. This is the car for which you would get up early on Sunday mornings just to find quiet B roads, driving for the pleasure of driving. And when you want a weekend away, it's got the Convenience Pack so you don't have to make the sacrifices of a pure track car. As a track day toy it's a little compromised, but still more than my skill could fully exploit. I would use it often, and every drive would be a joy. A usable road car with performance only just short of a supercar, and the Lotus driving experience is second to none."

Porsche Macan S
Cost: £45,995
Balance: £11,005
Why I chose it: "Need to visit Dorset on a wet afternoon in November? Or travel to the Alps? Or a week away on business? A grey German tin-box will do the job. We live in a world of traffic and average speed limits. On these occasions it's nice to sit in a pleasant environment, with a dashboard of cool buttons and displays. I'm not a fan of the Cayman, but I've liked the Macan since its launch. The looks are anonymous enough to use the car anywhere, and it has all the practicality I'll ever need. I don't expect the last word in driver involvement, but in S form it will probably entertain just enough. The only reservation I have with this example is the wheels, which don't suit the car in my view. I might have to swap them for something less racy."

Honda CR-Z

Cost:

£6,967

Balance:

£4,038

Why I chose it:

"Controversial choice. The driver's toy is the Exige, and the do-it-all Macan means I don't feel the need for a hot hatch. So, what do I need from a front-driver? Most days I drive to the office that's less than two miles away, so what about an 'alternative fuels' vehicle? (I abhor all things diesel.) It's the sort of journey that would suit an electric car, but none within budget appeal to me. So what about a hybrid? When I see a CR-Z I tend to give it a second glance. Supposedly it's not a bad little drive (I haven't tried one). I'm not concerned about my 'image' in the office car park, so this will do the job. There was a car in white, which is a proper Honda colour, but this example has a better spec for the job of daily hack and I would spend the remaining cash to replace the Macan wheels."