No...it's not a picture of a structure with a roller-door, but what would be inside it. It's a motley crew of machines that won't be to everyone's taste but I'm sure we'll all be in agreement on a couple. If I had a all my dream machines, this would be them. They're in no particular order of favouritism.
Below: The Aston Martin DB5. It's a bit of a no-brainer. Who doesn't want one? You might recognise this from Bond, James Bond. I may be wrong, but I have a suspicion this example is owned by Jason Kay of Jamiroqui fame.
I just love a classic mini. This one in particular is actually modern, being built by Rover as a recreation around the late 90s/ early 2000s. As a little runabout it would be fun. Or stealing copious quantities of gold bullion, as per its role in The Italian Job starring Michael Caine.
The Range Rover. What a quintessentially British icon. You might recognise it from, well, every TV show and movie ever made in Britain. It's getting a bit of a gaudy reputation now but that wouldn't stop me. My favourite is the classic shape of the newish one. The brand new 2012 model is a bit 'bling' even for me though. I guess it's meant for soccer stars who have more money than sense. Speaking of which...did you ever hear of this version?
Click here to watch.
We had two '70s Fairlane 500s, a '78 LTD and a '77 LTD Town Car when I was growing up so they've always been close to my heart. Even the sight of them brings back great memories. Of massive long trips in the Australian bush. Eating minties and tearing up the wrappers into the longest strip possible. Nausea.
Anyway this is a 1977 LTD P6 and I hadn't heard of a P6 until recently but this is one sweet car. I don't know if I'd go the full custom spokes and lowering but it looks fantastic. There was one similar in the great Aussie crime film Gettin' Square starring David Wenham. Check out 10sec into
this trailer.
The Lincoln Continental. This is the JFK-assassination convertible model (I'm guessing that's not the official name!). The hardtop version can be seen in the Matrix films and was sourced from Australia by an Aussie collector.
A Mustang Fastback GT. What a beast. This wheel and tyre combination complements the machine perfectly. These are relatively cheap in the US, expensive in Oz and rare in Europe.
A 1954 Bentley R-Continental Fastback. I love the spats over the real wheels. Look closely and you can see the little Bentley wings attached to them.
I absolutely love the Rolls Royce Corniche fixed-head. You can pick one up for around £15K in England but the thought of maintaining one makes me shiver. One day... One day.
This is the Mercedes Benz 280SE Cabriolet and while the SL was always a glamorous ladies' car, the SE was a man's car. My friend in Sydney has one of these in burgundy and it is absolutely stunning. A silver version like this one can be seen the movie The Hangover. And you can just imagine what happens to the car in a movie with a name like that!
Like everyone else, I fell in love with the Ferrari 250 GT California roadster after seeing Ferris Bueller's Day off. These cars are so valuable though that rather than damage a Ferrari, the producers put a replica body over an MGB! The hide of them. Being an ex-MGB owner...that hurts me. Still, I'm glad no 250 GT California's were harmed. These babies come in short and long wheel-base, but I think the long wheel-base is better proportioned.
I remember seeing one of these Mercedes 600 Grossers for the first time on Top Gear UK. And as they pointed out, this is the all-time choice of dictators the World over. Idi Amin, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Ferdinand Marcos, Saddam Hussein and the Shah of Iran all owned them. So basically, I'm trying to decide whether I take over the World first, then get the car. Or get the car, then take over the World. This also comes in a Pullman (stretch) version and a
Landaulet but give me the standard 600 any day.
There's something about old Jags I just love and the Jaguar MkII is such a beautiful car. I love the interior too and would love to take a long trip in it. With a mechanic trailing me, of course. I think the MkII is a much better looking car than the sportier and arguably more valuable S-Type from the same era. In their day, the MKII was like owning a WRX and was the choice of getaway drivers and crims. It'll suit me fine.
Yes, who doesn't want an E-Type? But for me (and this will be controversial) I want a fixed-head coupe. The roadster doesn't do much for me and the lines of the coupe just feel more complete. Yep, fighting words, I know.
And that special occasion car would have to be a Jaguar XK140 with it's split windscreen and curvy hips. What a looker! You might know this car from the 90s reinterpretation of Dangerous Liaisons called 'Cruel Intentions'. What's more, this is such a pretty car I think it looks fantastic in any colour. I used to love the Jaguar XK150s but the side profile of the 140 is to die for.