Right, it’s a standard road trip question, this, coming about two-thirds of the way through day one of the five-day trawl across Europe I’m currently on.
You can have three cars. Any three cars, but only three cars, forever. They always work. They cost you nothing. What are they? It’s a sort-of Desert Island Garage.
I’ve written about this and given my answer before. It changes often, but always includes a Ferrari 250 SWB Competizione, usually a Mercedes G55 AMG (or a Holden Special Vehicles W427), and sometimes a Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0. The latter becomes, depending on the day, an Ariel Nomad, a Porsche 909 Bergspyder, a Porsche 917K or a 1967 Honda RA300 F1 car, or something else absurdly wonderful.
What I haven’t done before, mind, is make this into a survey. I say ‘survey’ as if it’s something scientific, but I asked some people on the internet, and just over 100 answered.
They said all sorts, mostly of impeccable taste and at all ends of the market. But there were trends and, as you’d expect, there were some repeat appearances worth mentioning here. They were: 20 Porsche 911s; 19 Range Rovers, 12 McLaren F1s, 10 Audi RS6s, six Ferrari 458s, five BMW M5s, four Ferrari GTC4/FFs, four McLaren P1s, three Rolls-Royce Wraiths and three Volkswagen Campers. (Plus three Ferrari 250 SWBs, gratifyingly.)
So the ‘idealised’ dream three-car line-up would be a Range Rover, a Porsche 911 (2.7 RS or more modern GT3 being the most common derivatives) and a Mclaren F1. Which wouldn’t be a bad garage to be getting on with, would it?
There were fewer classics than expected and only one pre-war suggestion. Pity, I thought.
Conclusions? Not many, although the need for something practical or useful exists just as much in made-up life as it does in real life, which is why so many Range Rovers, Audi RS6s, BMW M5s and Ferrari FFs appeared on the list. Wealthy people have friends and families too. Who knew? People want, or need, four seats and a boot.
Hence the arrival of the Bentley Bentayga and the upcoming Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce SUV, I suppose. It’s a market that won’t stop growing any time soon.
Big car vs small car
My passenger on this road trip has been spending a lot of time in a Ford Ka+ recently. Trouble with it, he says, is how other people treat you on the road. He’s getting bullied by bigger boys in Mercedes-Benzes and Audis.
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My Top 3
RS6 - Because it's the perfect day to day wheels
Alfa Romeo Montreal - Because its gorgeous for those occasional great weekends, plus a great investment
Ariel Nomad - Because nobody needs a Nomad, buts its brilliant
I am sure i will change my
An HSV Commodore Estate, the current generation, but pre facelift when it still could be had with a manual box. That will do for the daily duties, and fit almost anything in it.
A C7 Corvette convertible. It looks fantastic, sounds even better. Cant think of anything better when you want the roof down
And a classic, i think a Lamborghini Islero would make up my ideal 3
OK, my current top three are
1: Ariel Atom 3.5 - For weekend fun, and track days.
2: Telsa Model S P100D - For everyday practicality and cutting off Vauxhall Zafira drivers on my way to work.
3: 2017 Vanquish S - for Grand touring... And I would like to keep it in my living room as an art piece.