£100K Garage: Aleks Hulkes

A contender for 'most PH way to spend £100K' from our latest dream fleet

By Nik Attard / Monday, 16 November 2015 / Loading comments

Name

: Aleks Hulkes

Previously owned

: 1985 Toyota MR2 Mk1, 1988 Toyota MR2 T-Bar Mk1, 1989 Toyota MR2 T-Bar Mk1, 1990 Toyota MR2 T-Bar Mk1, 2002 Audi S3 (225), 2002 Renaultsport Clio, 2003 Renaultsport Clio

Currently owned

: 2007 Audi RS4 Avant

On the shortlist

: "If only it was a short list... so many great cars, so little time. I was born in the late 70s, grew up in the 80s and first discovered my interest in cars in the early 90s. I can still remember when the first reviews of the new Lamborghini Diablo came out in the car magazines. In particular, it was that blood red one that featured on the front cover of 'Car' (I think) at the time with the title 'The Devil rides out'. I must have read that article a 100 times over. That was it, I was hooked on cars - the faster, the better.

"For me, the late 80s and 90s represent the best era for car design and development (Jaguar XJ220, McLaren F1, Ferrari F50 etc) in my opinion, unconstrained by some of the regulation and legislation that dogs us today. Therefore, it was this era that left an indelible mark on me and my choices when choosing my £100K garage, not entirely reflected by my past and present car history."

Honda NSX
Cost: £37,995
Balance: £62,005
Why I chose it: "This was the Japanese riposte to the Ferrari 348 and I loved it. This was a true game changer in the supercar market; it was reliable, practical and usable. It was the thinking man's supercar. I still admire the design and the engineering that Honda managed to deliver with the NSX. And that engine! Who doesn't love the sound of a VTEC engine at full throttle? I stand by my statement that the 90s were the best era in car design and development, the NSX epitomises this more than any other car this side of the McLaren F1. With NSX prices rising it is time to empty the piggy bank."

Porsche 964

Cost

: £34,900

Balance

: £27,105

Why I chose it

: "The Porsche 964 is almost the antithesis to the NSX and I never really got the whole Porsche 911 thing until I was lucky enough to drive one (briefly) when I was 21 years old. It was a 964 Carrera 4 Coupe and I just love the shape and the sound of the flat-six engine. I very nearly bought one instead of the Audi S3. They were both about the same price at the time, circa £16,000. These days it seems a good Carrera 2 will set you back £40,000. Black on black would be the perfect colour combination for me, I can't believe I missed this in the classifieds and sadly it's now sold to a very lucky person in Lincoln. If you decide you don't like it, please call me..."

TVR Cerbera
Cost: £18,750
Balance: £8,355
Why I chose it: "No garage would be complete without a stonking Brit V8. There is no equal to the TVR Cerbera for me, their own in-house designed engine coupled with the most achingly beautiful bodywork. And it goes like stink. Who can forget the epic Clarkson one-mile drag race featuring the Cerbera? It annihilated everything, including the Porsche 993 Turbo and very nearly broke through a 30-second standing mile. A supercar for Mondeo money; why the hell not? OK, of course it will break down and swallow a whole load of cash, but isn't that what supercars are supposed to do (NSX aside)."

Volvo 850R

Cost

: £2,600

Balance

: £5,755

Why I chose it

: "I drive an Audi RS4 Avant. It is practical (ignoring fuel economy), it is sensible (just don't ask about tyres and brakes) and I have a family plus dog. Given my commitment to a garage from the 90s and my current choice of car, there is only one contender for the practical family car: an Audi RS2. There isn't one available on PistonHeads and let's be honest, I already spanked the money I would likely need on the TVR. And then it struck me! There was one more contender, the Volvo 850R. It brings back memories of watching touring cars all over again, even if they only ran the estate for one year. That covers the practical family duties just nicely, whilst still keeping a smile on my face at the same time.

"There are two more cars I would like to add to this collection but budget and availability failed to allow. A Lotus Esprit GT3 would have been the perfect stablemate to the NSX, 911 and TVR and would complete my supercar set. Expect to pay around £20,000 and clearly my budget is blown, but I might have picked that over the Cerbera and maybe searched for a cheaper Cerbera.

"The last car is an opportunity to rekindle my youth, a clean late model Mk1 Toyota MR2 T-Bar (in light blue - man points completely lost now), circa £3,500 - £5,000 would fall within my remaining budget. I couldn't find one on PistonHeads but I can keep looking. Sometimes, 122bhp in a 1 ton car is all you need for a truly great hoon, and back then it was much cheaper to insure than a Pug GTI or R5GTT."