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The premise of this feature is dazzlingly simple.
We asked everyone who works for Autocar to name the car they would buy tomorrow, if they could. Here’s what they came up with.
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FERRARI 250 SWB (1959)
In my head a keep an ever-changing list; a sort of Desert Island Discs of motors. If I could have any three cars, but only three cars, what would they be? The practical runabout changes from Holden Special Vehicles W427 to Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG; the ludicrous giggle monster is sometimes a Porsche 917, sometimes an Ariel Atom V8. But the main spot - the desirable car I’d drive the most - is always, but always, a Ferrari 250 SWB. I’ve never driven one, but apparently they’re brilliant. Which helps.
MATT PRIOR - EDITOR-AT-LARGE
How much will this dream cost? One of these sold for $8,305,000 (£6,475,000) at Pebble Beach in August 2017. - Slide of
FERRARI 430 SCUDERIA (2007)
The car that taught me not to be afraid of wide, noisy, raw, savagely powerful supercars. A proper Ferrari, red in tooth and claw and with naturally aspirated V8 wail that a 488 GTB will never match, the Scuderia was all relentless excitement and speed. But its chassis had a tolerant side more forgiving than a mid-engined Italian on trackday slicks could ever be expected to be. It allowed a young road tester to knock off the electronics, dial up some oversteer and enter the lap of the Gods for a few circuits of an empty Castle Combe one belting summer’s afternoon. I’d encase one in a bank vault just to gaze at in my dotage if I could.
MATT SAUNDERS - ROAD TEST EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? From £175,000 in the UK and US$170,000 in America. - Slide of
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 2.8 RSR (1973)
The original RSR’s proportions have never been bettered and I prefer the little ducktail spoiler to the later ‘74’s whaletail. I would have mine converted for road use, do away with the racing livery and paint it silver. If money really were no object, I’d have a crack at using it every day, too.
DAN PROSSER - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
How much will this dream cost? They sell from £100,000 in the UK and $110,000 in America. - Slide of
ALFA ROMEO CANGURO (1964)
This is properly a dream, because it never quite became real. A Bertone showcar based on the Alfa TZ1 racer, the Canguro’s spare sensuality, small scale, perfectly positioned ‘A’ pillars, 650kg feather weight, five speeds and fizzing 112bhp Alfa twin cam would have made a brilliant, beautiful driver’s car.
RICHARD BREMNER - SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? Thought lost for years, it turned up at the 2005 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in restored condition, owned by a Japanese collector. Because of its ultra-rarity, it would be very valuable today if ever sold. Alastair Clements, editor of Autocar's sister title Classic & Sports Car reckons potentially up to US$13 million (£10 million). Richard, you need to start saving up. - Slide of
AUSTIN-HEALEY 100/4 (1953)
My love for this car probably has something to do with the fact that it was my first-ever model car. But for me nothing expresses those swoopy lines (used by Aston Martin, AC and plenty of others) and I especially love the grille, the size, the painted dashboard, the seat design and that pert, short boot. This car, so perfect, was created long before designers routinely made full-size clay models: it just popped out perfectly with a minimum of fuss. I like it all the more for that.
STEVE CROPLEY - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
How much will this dream cost? Decent examples sell from upwards of £50,000 in the UK and US$50,000 in America. - Slide of
DEEP SANDERSON 501 GT (1964)
Well you don’t ever see many of these, ever. It’s a twin mini engined fibreglass bodied racer that made an unsuccessful stab at Le Mans. Not only that, was partly named after Jazz musician Deep Henderson. There is no cooler car on the planet. And it’s got two engines. Two.
JAMES RUPPERT - USED CAR CORRESPONDENT
How much will this dream cost? One sold back in 2011 for £36,000 (US$47,000). - Slide of
FERRARI 365 GTB/4 DAYTONA (1968)
There are so many multi-million dream cars on my list, but my pick is a car I’ve actually driven, a stirring experience that remains fresh in the memory. Styled by Pininfarina, the 365GTB/4’s bodywork may well be the most sensual ever-created, while Colombo’s throaty 350bhp V12 delivers ferocious and instantaneous thrust. Totally, utterly fabulous.
JULIAN RENDELL - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
How much will this dream cost? One sold at Pebble Beach in 2016 for US$715,000 (£550,000). - Slide of
FERRARI 458 SPECIALE (2013)
Technically, the Ferrari 488 GTB is the best mid-engined V8 Ferrari produced yet. Subjectively, the 458 Speciale is the one I yearn for most. Far from the priciest machine I could opt for, but with an atmospheric engine that revs to the moon contained within a supremely agile carbonfibre and aluminium structure, it’s all the car I’d ever need.
SAM SHEEHAN - SENIOR STAFF WRITER
How much will this dream cost? They go from £300,000 upwards in the UK and US$400,000 in America. - Slide of
FERRARI F40 (1989)
I recall watching slack-jawed as one drove through my home town in Cornwall when I was on my way home from school. The memory of how it shone out among the beige Ford Escorts and grey Vauxhall Cavaliers on the road is as vivid as the car’s scarlet paint. I’ve been a passenger in one, but never experienced that mix of anticipation, exhilaration and fear that undoubtedly comes when you squeeze the throttle for the first time.
MATT BURT - EXECUTIVE EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? At least £800,000 in the UK and US$1 million in America. - Slide of
FORD GT40 (1964)
Henry Ford II commissioned the GT40 after a deal to buy Ferrari collapsed. Enraged, he tasked Ford’s racing division with developing a Ferrari-beating Le Mans 24 Hours racers. They succeeded – and also, to my eyes, created a machine that looks better than any Ferrari. I’ll take mine in Gulf Oil blue, please. Although I wouldn’t be fussy.
JAMES ATTWOOD - DIGITAL EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? One sold at the 2016 Amelia Island auction for US$3.3 million (£2.5 million). - Slide of
FORD RS200 (1984)
Right now I'm fantasizing about Ford's homologized eighties curio, the RS200; darling and detonator of the Group B era. A proper prototype, with a granite-tough Cosworth BDT in its belly and a fiendishly complicated all-wheel-drive system, it came with twin coil springs front and back even in road-going format and had a practically overhang-less fibreglass body built by Reliant. It also cost more than a Ferrari 328 in its day. Dreamy.
NIC CACKETT - DEPUTY ROAD TEST EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? At least £100,000 in the UK. A handful have made it to America and reckon on paying at least $150,000, if you can find one. - Slide of
FERRARI LAFERRARI (2015)
Whenever anyone asked me to name the greatest road car I’d driven, I’d just say F40. And then I drove the LaFerrari. It’s neither the speed of the thing, nor its grip nor even the sound of its mighty V12. It’s the accessibility. The McLaren P1 may be quicker over a lap, the Porsche 918 more practical, but for pure driving pleasure, the LaF beats not just them, but everything else I’ve driven.
ANDREW FRANKEL - SENIOR CONTRIBUTING WRITER
How much will this dream cost? Originally on sale for £1 million in the UK and $1.5m in the US, and with only 500 produced in coupe form, a LaFerrari was sold at auction in December 2016 for $7 million (£5.5 million). - Slide of
MASERATI GHIBLI GT (1996)
In metallic navy blue, please. With a large wad of cash, for those hefty potential repair bills. Its sportier cousin, the Shamal, found a home near my parents’ house in my childhood, and I’ve been smitten ever since. The 168mph, 335bhp Cup variant was found to be M3-beating in its handling and was more powerful, but I’ll settle for the more restrained standard Ghibli. No other car has such mystique, poise or elegance.
JIMI BECKWITH - STAFF WRITER
How much will this dream cost? Compared to most cars here, this dream is quite attainable. A decent one will cost from £20,000 in the UK; this model was never officially sold in America. - Slide of
MCLAREN 540C (2016)
Why would you pick the cheapest car from a supercar maker, I hear you cry? Well, the 540C does it all with enough pace, agility and spine-tingling fun for me, and has the added bonus of being useable every day, thanks to its superb visibility and beautifully weighted controls. This is a supercar that makes you feel good all the time, rather than mildly terrified some of it.
JIM HOLDER - EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
How much will this dream cost? Used examples start at around £120,000 in the UK; this particular model isn't on sale in the US. - Slide of
MCLAREN 720S (2017)
You could call me short sighted for naming a very new model as my dream car – but the 720S (like most McLarens) ticks every box you could wish for, and few cars on the planet can match its sheer breadth of talent. Cross continents, turn heads down to the shops, lap faster than a P1 – nothing else is as capable and as easy to live with.
DOUG REVOLTA - REVIEWER
How much will this dream cost? Used examples start at around £250,000 in the UK; it hasn't gone on sale as yet in America, so when it does you'll have to pay sticker, which we estimate will start at US$290,000. - Slide of
MERCEDES-BENZ CLS63 AMG SHOOTING BRAKE (2013)
Twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 gives you 518hp, 516 lb ft of torque, and 62mph in 4.4 seconds. Its looks are a study in understated malevolence, has room for the kids, and it’s Niki Lauda's daily driver - which is good enough for me.
TOM EVANS - SENIOR CONSULTING EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? Used examples start at £40,000 in the UK; America doesn't get the CLS-wagon, which is frankly an outrage. - Slide of
PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD (1970)
If I ever own any 1970s American muscle car I’ll be happy enough, but I especially love this super version of the Plymouth Road Runner for taking things a bit too far. Designed to race in NASCAR, it has a 7.0-litre Hemi V8 with 425bhp, so is probably petrifying to drive.
But that long body, tapering nose, comically high rear wing, and the huge ‘Plymouth’ graphics on the rear quarters make it, to me, immeasurably awesome.
KRIS CULMER - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
How much will this dream cost? Good question. Decent condition American examples start upward of US$140,000. There are so few in the UK it's very hard to make an estimate for that market. - Slide of
PORSCHE 356 A SPEEDSTER (1957)
A near impossible call to make but I’ve gone for the Porsche 356 Speedster. The rear-engined rear-wheel-drive 356 became the blueprint for Porsche’s sports car success. And for me, the 356 A Speedster’s design is the most perfect of them all. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of fans; so much so that 356 replicas are a popular phenomenon in classic car circles. Not for me. I’d only have the original, and with auction prices well above £200,000, I’ll be waiting a very long time.
RACHEL BURGESS - NEWS EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? As Rachel said, a lot. Less than-totally-special examples can be had for £100,000 in the UK and US$130,00 in America - if you're lucky. - Slide of
PORSCHE CAYMAN GTS (2014)
Spending of lottery winnings is a surprisingly regular discussion in the Tisshaw household. A desire to blend in often wins out in the end, ruling out anything too exotic. A Volkswagen Golf R is too boring an answer to admit to here. A 911 remains a touch flash. Step forward the Cayman, the perfect everyday tool, and in sweetspot GTS spec not too flash, not too soft (like, say, an S), and not too hard (GT4). It is the perfect one car garage, as even Windsor townhouses bought with lottery money only have one parking space…
MARK TISSHAW - EDITOR
How much will this dream cost? Used examples start from £58,000 in the UK, and US$67,000 in the States. - Slide of
PORSCHE MACAN TURBO (2015)
Old cars are a pain. The trouble with supercars is that there’s too much of them. Too big, too wide, too loud, too in everyone’s face. The Macan Turbo is the right size for the road, has supercar pace (and rather more in bad weather) and a 911 driving position, but a far better view up the road. A precision tool and unbeatable cross-country.
HILTON HOLLOWAY - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
How much will this dream cost? Used examples start at £57,000 in the UK and $62,000 stateside.
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