1. They must all be chosen to be used, to fulfil different needs. Strictly no investment opportunity garage Queens (and no-one in their right mind would choose ten supercars).
2. Only one car per manufacturer.
Daily: BMW M2 CS (£75,000)
Let’s start off nice and straight forward with the car used to go to the supermarket. This is the car which will actually fit into a London multi-storey car park and, once it’s there, I won’t spend the entire time I’m away from it worrying about whether it’s been keyed or stolen.
This choice could have easily been the M5 CS but, with some large cars further down the list, I went for the small and nimble option. The M2 Competition is already a driver’s favourite, but this limited edition model gains 10% more power (climbing to 444bhp) and loses a chunk of weight. Usability is key though, so while having a fun daily driver is important, it also needs to be capable of lugging my two kids around. Box ticked.
Let’s start off nice and straight forward with the car used to go to the supermarket. This is the car which will actually fit into a London multi-storey car park and, once it’s there, I won’t spend the entire time I’m away from it worrying about whether it’s been keyed or stolen.
This choice could have easily been the M5 CS but, with some large cars further down the list, I went for the small and nimble option. The M2 Competition is already a driver’s favourite, but this limited edition model gains 10% more power (climbing to 444bhp) and loses a chunk of weight. Usability is key though, so while having a fun daily driver is important, it also needs to be capable of lugging my two kids around. Box ticked.
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Daily: Range Rover SVAutobiography (£149,000)
The go-anywhere, in any weather, load lugging, vastly more practical alternative to the M2. Given that I’m married, and my wife drives, we’d need two daily drivers and here’s the second one. Some might go for the sportier SVR but that would be a mistake: choose the 565hp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 and the big old tank will still hit 60mph in 5.1 seconds, all while transporting your family in relative luxury, surrounded by enough gadgets to keep even the unruliest kids entertained.
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Track: Lotus Exige 430 Cup Final Edition (£102,000)
The Exige goes out of production in 2021 and what better time to grab one of the little rocket ships than on its “final edition” run. Powered by a 3.5-litre supercharged V6, producing 430bhp and weighing just 1,098kg this is my favourite candidate for use on the many track days I’d be doing to alleviate the lottery win day-to-day tedium. First world issues of the highest order here. 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds, a 174mph top speed while sitting a few inches off the ground in a grown-up go-kart makes all the sense in the world for circuit use.
The Exige goes out of production in 2021 and what better time to grab one of the little rocket ships than on its “final edition” run. Powered by a 3.5-litre supercharged V6, producing 430bhp and weighing just 1,098kg this is my favourite candidate for use on the many track days I’d be doing to alleviate the lottery win day-to-day tedium. First world issues of the highest order here. 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds, a 174mph top speed while sitting a few inches off the ground in a grown-up go-kart makes all the sense in the world for circuit use.
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Sunday Afternoon Countryside Drive: 1960s AC Cobra (£575,000)
What better car to take on a drive out to a country pub for a spot of lunch on a summer’s day? The visceral engagement of the old school two seater (there’s no power steering here), coupled with the bellow of its glorious V8 and wind whipping through your hair (or, more accurately, whipping around my bald head). I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Cobras and one would definitely find its way into my garage. Modern replicas are available, so pricing varies hugely, but this would have to be a ‘60s original, and the one in the picture is priced at a heady £575k.
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Muscle Car: 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 (est. £200,000)
Staying in the ‘60s, the next car on my list was made famous to younger audiences by the ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ remake, where Nicolas Cage’s vehicular nemesis was christened Eleanor. My love affair with Mustangs predates that and this model is, to me, the coolest available. Shelby took the Ford Mustang and equipped it with a 7.0-litre V8 (producing a comically unstressed 355bhp) together with some wonderfully aggressive external changes. Only 2,048 were made, so they’re pretty rare now and costs reflect that. The price I’ve listed here is an estimation for an immaculate low milage example, based upon those currently on the market.
Staying in the ‘60s, the next car on my list was made famous to younger audiences by the ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ remake, where Nicolas Cage’s vehicular nemesis was christened Eleanor. My love affair with Mustangs predates that and this model is, to me, the coolest available. Shelby took the Ford Mustang and equipped it with a 7.0-litre V8 (producing a comically unstressed 355bhp) together with some wonderfully aggressive external changes. Only 2,048 were made, so they’re pretty rare now and costs reflect that. The price I’ve listed here is an estimation for an immaculate low milage example, based upon those currently on the market.
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Supercar: Porsche Carrera GT (£750,000)
Easily my favourite classic supercar and one of the best sounding. I was fortunate enough to be driving on the Nurburgring in Germany when one came past me at full bore and the sound from its 5.7-litre V10 was divine. It kicks out 603hp, is capable of 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds and a 208mph top speed. Its quirky but, seemingly timeless, styling appeals greatly to me but, given that only 1,270 were made between 2003 and 2007, they’re rare and expensive. The 2004 model in this picture, with 2,516 miles on the clock, is priced at three quarters of a million pounds.
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Injection of Drama: Aston Martin Vantage GT12 (£300,000)
Only 100 GT12s were produced in 2015. They each sport a 6.0-litre V12 engine outputting 592bhp. They’re capable of 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 185mph, but it’s not about outright speed. The Vantage may be the baby of the Aston Martin range, but the theatre of that enlarged engine (yes, I’ve heard one in the flesh) together with the outrageousness of all that added aero make this an idea car for those times when you’re looking for a little drama in your life. (*Insert married life joke here*) When new one of these would have cost £250,000, so rarity has already seen them appreciate in value.
Only 100 GT12s were produced in 2015. They each sport a 6.0-litre V12 engine outputting 592bhp. They’re capable of 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 185mph, but it’s not about outright speed. The Vantage may be the baby of the Aston Martin range, but the theatre of that enlarged engine (yes, I’ve heard one in the flesh) together with the outrageousness of all that added aero make this an idea car for those times when you’re looking for a little drama in your life. (*Insert married life joke here*) When new one of these would have cost £250,000, so rarity has already seen them appreciate in value.
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Any garage of this type needs a Ferrari and next up is, on paper, my ideal GT car. A big roaring 6.5-litre V12, some usable storage for luggage and a hard top folding roof so that the glorious weather (not to mention sound of the aforementioned engine) can be enjoyed on long road trips down to southern France and Italy.
Could it be one of the last naturally aspirated V12s? That big engine produces 789bhp and 529lb/ft which, in turn, produces equally outrageous performance figures: 0-62mph in less than 3 seconds and a 211mph top speed. Given the ease with which this car is apparently able to gain speed it’d probably be wise to avoid Switzerland and its draconian speeding fines on my way south.
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Luxury: Bentley Flying Spur (£175,000)
I struggled a bit with this one. Traditionally, I’d have gravitated towards a Rolls-Royce without a second’s hesitation but there’s nothing I like in their current line-up. They all seem like they’re trying a bit too hard and reek of ostentatiousness. So, while a Rolls-Royce Phantom is worth more than twice the money, I’m going with the Flying Spur. This is, after all, a list of cars I’d want to use; not a list of the priciest models on the market. It’s available as a V8 but, obviously, I’ve chosen the 626bhp W12 model. Despite its luxury underpinnings, it’s still hugely fast (3.8 seconds and 207mph, if you’re interested). There are not many places where that level of performance is available in such a plush environment; at home hammering down the autobahn or rolling up to the red carpet.
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Hypercar: Koenigsegg Jesko (£2m+)
Okay, now it’s time for the big daddy, worth almost as much as every other car on this list combined and it comes from the smallest manufacturer here. I’ve always admired Koenigsegg; that a tiny company, relatively speaking, from Sweden manages to produce such outrageously capable cars which take on (and often beat) the biggest names in the business is to be applauded.
The Jesko, one of their most recent offerings, continues the trend for performance and innovation. If some of the numbers attributed to the cars above look crazy then you’ve seen nothing yet. Power and torque? 1,603hp and 1,106lb/ft from a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Performance? Unconfirmed, but expect 0-62mph in less than 2.5 seconds and a top speed nudging 300mph (the Absolut variant has a theoretical speed of 330mph). That huge boomerang rear wing produces a staggering 800kg of downforce at 155mph. As is usual with Koenigsegg, the production run is limited, in this case to just 125 cars. They’re all sold out, so getting hold of one now would likely involve offering a proud owner a significant profit on his.
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So, there you have it: more than £4.6m worth of motoring heaven. Ask me for a list of cars, with the same limitations, tomorrow and you may well get some different answers. For example, I had a hard time not choosing a Porsche 911 Turbo S as my daily driver but then I wouldn't have been able to have the Carrera GT. I'm also reasonably surprised I didn't find room for a Lamborghini or a Mercedes. And, yes, I know. No EVs. Well, when something interesting gets made I'll consider including it. Of course, in reality, these are exactly the sorts of dilemma I'd welcome into my life.
Now, with that out of the way it’s probably time to turn my attention to the motorcycles which would accompany them...
Very interesting. Nice to see a Beemer and no Merc but no Lamborghini??? Never liked the styling of any Koenigsegg if I am being honest so that would be replaced by a Sian (Euro millions is £176m this week so you can afford it).
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