Caterham Seven Superlight & Rolls-Royce Cullinan
If a dream two-car garage should be about extremes, of covering as many bases as possible, then we’re kicking off with a doozy. Automobiles come no more lavish or opulent than a Rolls-Royce Cullinan; they come no rawer and exhilarating than a Caterham Seven. For those journeys where the miles just need to fly by, the Rolls will whisk you away in utter serenity, the peerless combination of leather-lined luxury and twin-turbo V12 still keeping the Cullinan a cut above. And for those drives where you want to relish every second, there’s the intimacy and immersion of Caterham’s legend.
Two more different cars you couldn’t hope to find, and that’s why they make the perfect two-car garage. Your dream meal isn’t Kobe beef for main and pudding, right? The Cullinan we’ve chosen is Emerald Green, a beautiful colour against the sea of black out there, formerly owned by Rolls Royce and up at £300k with 13,000 miles. And for the Caterham, there could only be one: a Superlight, probably a quarter the weight of the Cullinan. This 2004 R300 looks flawless, the perfect palette cleanser when you need reminding what a joy driving can be - it’s available for £25k.
Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio & Ferrari 812 Superfast
Had Alfa been making SUVs for a long time and created one as good as the Stelvio, it would be notable; that it produced a car of such quality from nowhere remains one of the brand’s most impressive modern-day achievements. Which it then surpassed almost immediately, creating a 510hp Quadrifoglio flagship that, if not quite as joyous as the Giulia saloon, was markedly more exciting than any other fast 4x4. It’s the perfect car to highlight just how entertaining a super SUV can be: agile, engaging, and characterful. So it had to be on this list.
And with so much made of the Maranello link under the bonnet of a Quadrifoglio, a Ferrari seemed the ideal match. Perhaps not the most cossetting car collection, but you’ll be having too much fun to care. We even have a festive colour scheme, with an Alfa Red Quadrifoglio alongside a jaw-dropping Triple Layer Verde Jewel 812 Superfast, a £15k option new. Both are going to be remembered very fondly in the years to come for bringing together sublime engines and brilliant chassis. £280,000 buys the Ferrari; add another £60k to complete the Italian stallion stable.
Alpina B3 Touring & Lexus LFA
There are pretty clear threads linking our first two dream garage contenders - not so much this time around. But who’s to grumble with an Alpina B3 for life’s more ordinary journeys, and a Lexus LFA to have fun with? They’re an epic pair, even if we do say so ourselves: the Alpina is the ultimate fast estate, more desirable and more capable than those a class up, and the LFA is undoubtedly one the century’s greatest supercars - which current values will attest to.
Having been pilloried at launch for being late and costing as much as six GT-Rs, the LFA has been recognised of late as something truly magnificent, and not just because of that outrageous engine. If the Alpina will impress regardless of any four-door car you’ve tried, so the LFA will beguile even with experience of all the other supercar greats under your belt - it really is that good. This one, moreover, is right-hand-drive, one of only 10 made in red, and still just 260 miles old, so it might be even better than perfect. Then there’s the best Alpina Touring yet made for going to the tip. What a way to spend a million (and a bit) quid.
Ariel Atom 4 & Land Rover Defender
Another Brit brace of lightweight loon and swanky SUV, but it seemed an irresistible pairing. If the Caterham feels a bit too old hat now - charming but in a distinctly traditional formula - the mid-engined, turbocharged, traction-controlled Atom 4 will blow your mind. Even the quickest Caterhams would have a job keeping up with this latest Civic Type R-engined Ariel, the ferocity of the performance only matched by the incredible ability of the chassis to manage it all. Lightweight thrills really come no more thrilling, especially in the case of this car, equipped as it is with even more power (350hp), AP Racing brakes and Ohlins dampers.
It’s literally not a lot of car for the money (£80k), but that’s precisely the point - nothing on four wheels will rival the buzz. And for those trips that need to be more soothing, not many new SUVs are as accomplished as the Defender; you might even argue this is the most capable pair of the lot, with the Land Rover’s unbeatable abilities on- and off-road. We probably should have plumped for the diesel, but it’s Christmas - have a 110 V8. It’s still the most affordable duo here, after all…
Ford GT & Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
The Porsche Taycan has to feature in a list like this (provided you can charge at home) because it brings together all that’s good about electric travel in terms of effortlessness and ease, but replaces the occasionally worthy EV feel with, well, Porscheness. Which makes it a landmark battery-powered car, whichever way you slice it. Then came the estate pair, the Sport Turismo and Cross Turismo, for even greater year-round flexibility (and more envious stares in the Waitrose car park). There’s precious little to separate the pair, really, so it comes down to taste; we’re suckers for the Audi Allroad-style cladding of the Cross, so that’s what we have here.
Keener Porsche eyes than ours will know the fetching blue colour, but it’s easy to imagine everyday bliss with an EV estate. Don’t worry that it’s ‘just’ a 4, either, because the second car here is more than fast enough. Again, there’s little to link 660hp, V6 Ford GT with Porsche Taycan, but who cares? The raw and demanding nature of the Le Mans winner is the ideal riposte to an easygoing EV. Just look at the steering wheel for proof of the intent! A 2020 car in an iconic white and blue colour scheme, it’ll be astonishing on track.
Aston V12 Vantage & Mercedes-AMG C63
Call this the old-school pairing, as well as a very rare one - which we’ll get to. As proof of how far the industry has changed in just a few short years, consider the C63 AMG 507 Edition estate and V12 Vantage S Spitfire Edition. Order a new C63 today and it’s a 2.0-litre hybrid; the recently sold-out V12 Vantage was turbocharged and automatic-only. Yet these two, first registered in 2014 and 2016, respectively, boast 20 cylinders and more than 12 litres between them, making for a sensation double garage.
The final W204-era C63 was unforgettable, taking the internals of the SLS engine to create an even more rampant 6.2 V8. As for the Spitfire, it paid homage to Britain’s most iconic wartime plane with Aston’s tremendous manual V12 in a gorgeous colour scheme - what more do you need to know? That both were so good and so rare - there were only eight Spitfires, and it’s believed just five 507 wagons came here - has kept values strong, the Mercedes for sale at £50k and the Aston almost £200,000. Still, a quarter of a million for two superb engines in proper rarities doesn’t look bad in this company…
1 / 12