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it would have to be a UK lightweight car (so you can fix it your whole life long )
Ariel, Ultima, Caterham, Radical
i chose the 620R:
silver 620R was exchanged against a better speced (rubystar ) 620R
as you see the Porsches come and go because so many better models are popping up.
at the above named manufactures there is a model change / life cycle impulse up to 15-20 years possible
I would exchange my mother in law and stuff for a CGT, 458Speciale, etc. but not against the 620R.
Lovely garage? What's the floor covering? Have you driven an Atom? Curious about your thoughts on how it compares to the 620R?
Some of us don’t have the funds or the room to enjoy multiple “fun” cars, which got me thinking… If you could only have ONE car for fun, what would it be? This car would not be needed as your daily driver. It’s would simply be a toy. Any year, any manufacturer, any model. The other critical element of the question is that the car has to be “affordable” to YOU. You must be able to purchase the car, and pay for it’s maintenance, etc. Each of us has a different level of affordability, which should make for some interesting options.
While I’d love to have a Carrera GT, I’ll choose the GT3 Touring.
A late model mustang GT with manual. I drove my 06 coupe for 170K miles and enjoyed every moment of it before retiring it to pleasure use.
It is special and cool without costing a ton of cash, very practical, quick, makes all of the right noises, was fun to drive slow, etc.
It is "appropriate" for all occasions. I could roll into work, a business meeting, out to dinner, date, friends, cruise night, and always have the right car for the occasion. In my mind you cannot go wrong with a Mustang.
The Porsche's are fun in their own right but attract a different level of attention that is sometimes not welcome. Also I find I am more stressed with parking and worrying about the car when I am away from it than I probably should be but it is what it is.
Singer 911 classic or DLS (the latter would require a total consolidation of everything) without thought given the stipulation it doesn't need to be the family car too haha...followed by the 16 911r.
Some of us don’t have the funds or the room to enjoy multiple “fun” cars, which got me thinking… If you could only have ONE car for fun, what would it be? This car would not be needed as your daily driver. It’s would simply be a toy. Any year, any manufacturer, any model. The other critical element of the question is that the car has to be “affordable” to YOU. You must be able to purchase the car, and pay for it’s maintenance, etc. Each of us has a different level of affordability, which should make for some interesting options.
While I’d love to have a Carrera GT, I’ll choose the GT3 Touring.
Criteria: one car for fun, any year/make/model, affordable to me, toy only (non-daily driver).
Answer: 1995 F355 Challenge race car.
Why: Fun = racing/tracking a street-registered race car with period race history. No street production car has ever made me giggle more than a race car. Since a significant part of the car’s value is in race history, I can put on miles without worry. Subjectively, 355 has timelessly classic mid-engine looks. Engine exhaust sound that is bested only by a v12 race car from the same marque (though I have fond memories of racing my early 911S at >8k rpm; a GT3 @ 9k rpm is also gaining ground). Love the 90s sweet spot era of street-registered race cars. Others are McLaren F1, 911GT1, F40 LM/GTE, but those are >$4M and climbing. 60s era streetable race cars (250GTO, 718RSK/904/906/910) are great too, but those are even more expensive. Definitely not in my current budget. Meanwhile, happy with what I have.
Here’s most recent photo taken earlier this year.
Last edited by mclaudio; 09-04-2018 at 08:29 PM.
Reason: Added text.
Lovely garage? What's the floor covering?
1) Have you driven an Atom?
2) Curious about your thoughts on how it compares to the 620R?
its regular stuff. synthetic resin... but go tiles if you can. i would had to renew all the foundation if i would have gone with tiles.... to pricy... OT... please see garage thread...
1) yes.
2) as long it is about a one and only FUN-car - excuse me within RL to say - but the main decission between Ariel and Caterham was: Engine in the front + drive to the rear = smiling piece of meat in the middle.
was driving too long M3 in my youth.
Originally Posted by mclaudio
Why: Fun = racing/tracking a street-registered race car with period race history. No street production car has ever made me giggle more than a race car. ... I can put on miles without worry. ... Love the 90s sweet spot era of street-registered race cars. ...
a lot of true words spoken!
as long service/maintaining is not a fun killer --> go with a street legal real racecar (welcome to the legal grey zone).
as long you just want to drive and not want to spend (or pay) 2-5h in the workshop for each hour driving - go for a (GT) Porsche
911R, without question. I'd buy one tomorrow if I weren't married.
Funny you should mention these two, as In chance coincidence, i happen to have Spent a good amount of time this week comparing these two and a few others. Wouldn't have brought it up except I'm reading this thread it seems apropos.
Drove with buddies all over the mountains over Labor Day weekend with Tdf, 812, 918 weissach which I'm already quite familiar with, and a very pretty 458 Speciale Aperta.
What I can say is that the Tdf has a fantastic front end grip, really allows for aggressive corner entry, very surprising for such a big GT car. Has a beautiful sonorous intake and exhaust sound. If you dream at night as a kid of what ferraris sound like (I did).. the Tdf IS that dreamy sound. From a dynamic perspective it has a rear end which wants to play like a puppy dog skidding around chasing a Toy ball. Comes out easily but never bites you.. just playful not dangerous feeling. If You like large front engine v12 cars, this baby ticks all the fun boxes, its so dialed in. I'm having fun editing a little video of where we did some nice runs in CToff mode.. I maypost it here when I finish it. Anyway, Tdf is such a fun car, really really playful for such a big machine.
It's greatest party piece however.: is how it brings all the girls to the yard..
The 812... it May be faster, gearing maybe a little shorter??, some extra hp over Tdf.. but feels relatively heavy and ponderous. .. the suspension just leans too much, it feels like there is a lot of mass. The front end somehow doesn't feel quite as sharp as the Tdf, which is strange as they should be similar in theory??. The 812 just Lacks the amazing noise factor of Tdf also.. and that counts for a lot with driving enjoyment. 812 wins in the interior, as these on ferraris keep improving with each generation... 812 makes Tdf already feel a little dated inside.
The 458 aperta is a screamer, but somewhat flexy convertible chassis like all open top cars without a carbon chassis. Possibly too low to the ground to use easily everywhere... possibly too rare and expensive.. I think. I would go 458 Speciale Coupè.. but, I'm splitting hairs. This is not a super fast and torquey 488.. it's possibly the best sounding NA V8 in the world though.
918 is almost too perfect, too remote, too capable, too fast, makes you feel like a driving god but, it's not got the perfect level of engagement and feel.. almost like it's doing all the work for you. I've been on track with 918's and on road for long road trips.. the party piece is ballistic speed, but it's not the most engaging. Repairs and maintenance costs make me shudder just to think of them. Also, after riding in carbon buckets from mclaren Senna and Ferrari.. you wonder why Porsche had to make the LWB so damn upright?.. definitely needs the Autoquest LWB reclining kit, definitely.
Which brings me back to... the 911R... this one now had a full akrapovik exhaust which sounded like gods own bellowing voice.. beautiful, like a lemans racer from 70's-80's. Screaming up mountains the Tdf and 911r went decibel for decibel in the beauty of exhaust sound context... hard to pick a winner between them here, which is saying A LOT for a flat 6 vs a v12z. But most importantly, the 911R Is the most fun to drive.. it's much smaller than the Tdf , so you can really hustle it. The 812 feels positively gigantic.. can't let it slide on the road. Tdf somehow disguises its size and weight to an extent, but you're taking up the entire country lane and then some if you start sliding the rear out. 911R is Goldilocks.. and it's the one which doesn't attract unwanted attention, unlike the others. An example of this: , We took the kids in the group tubing, and whole damn village came out to talk. Felt like we could just leave the cars parked, and had to ask a guy if we could hide the cars in an abandoned school bus lot so they wouldn't attract so much attention. it just shouldn't be that complicated. Wouldn't have had that issue if it was just the 911R. Also, the 911 doesn't feel impossibly expensive to maintain like the Ferrari's... and really offers a middle road exotic package which says "forever car" to me. I would equate this to my gt3 manual.. so.. is it bad if I just settle on gt3 manual as my THE CAR?
A few pics for fun...Highway driving shots, Took the missus for some fun also. I'll post a video at some point.. from Mexico.
Anyway, in summary... pick the finest NA high revving 911 GT product you can afford, and that should be your car.
I have to admit i'm really enjoying Calexio's driving impression posts as well as his photographic skills..His driving reviews sound to me upfront,genuine,enthusiastic and totally unbiased, in fact more enjoyable reading than many pro journalists i could mention.
His honest 812 review is refreshing and tallies closely with Autocar magazine's recent 812 roadtest.The TDF is the king especially in terms of rarity and stunning looks with an unashamed singularity of purpose..The car screams 'i'm uncompromisingly brutal with no time for pussyfoofing down the high street'..I much prefer the 458 Speciale as a closed coupe however in the 488 i prefer the Spider version.
So for me it would be the TDF or even more likely a Porsche Carrera GT..
Unfortunately in my case its dreaming as i can't afford to buy either except in my dreams..
...a lot of true words spoken!
as long service/maintaining is not a fun killer --> go with a street legal real racecar (welcome to the legal grey zone).
as long you just want to drive and not want to spend (or pay) 2-5h in the workshop for each hour driving - go for a (GT) Porsche
Thanks, jo_ker. There are certainly less expensive cars to run as well as more expensive. Good thing my days of proving I’m the next Schumi are over. Lol. Nowadays, I just want to enjoy the drive with like-minded racers/race enthusiasts in cool venues. So far, maintenance has been manageable.
Also, while I don’t have any experience racing a Porsche GTx car, my most reliable race/track cars were a longhood 911 and a SC. They just ran and ran; I spent more money racing my 944 Rothmans compared to those 911s. However, hanging a license plate on a period-raced GTx may swing way over on the legal grey zone. Lol. Having said this, I’m definitely for a GT3 as an occasional track and street car combo.
Originally Posted by CAlexio
...Anyway, in summary... pick the finest NA high revving 911 GT product you can afford, and that should be your car.
Great input, CAlexio. Thanks. If I could only have one car to do it all, 911 GTx all the way. If I can have two, a street 911 (a GT3T perhaps in the future) and a street-legal race car fits the bill. Hyper/super cars without race provenance are of much less interest to me.
I have to admit i'm really enjoying Calexio's driving impression posts as well as his photographic skills..His driving reviews sound to me upfront,genuine,enthusiastic and totally unbiased, in fact more enjoyable reading than many pro journalists i could mention.
His honest 812 review is refreshing and tallies closely with Autocar magazine's recent 812 roadtest.The TDF is the king especially in terms of rarity and stunning looks with an unashamed singularity of purpose...
Agreed. Allesandro, thanks for contributing! Have you previously published your thoughts on the R vs. your GT3 MT? Would be interested in hearing.
09-04-2018, 01:32 PM
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