YOUR FAVORITE!!!!
November 18th, 2007, Features
We thought we would do something a little different. Select your favorite car, write a comment and then post it. Please send pictures if you want to kk@occarenthusiast.com, we’ll try to figure out how to post them! Here is the deal….money is no object-yeah right! The premise is this: If you could chose just one car, regardless of cost, which would it be? The car can be from any era, just tell us why you would choose this particular car. Get everyone you know involved! This may be interesting!!! The winning article recieves a prize from O.C.C.E. Everyone gets the chance to vote on the winning article as well!!!
O.C.C.E
November 19th, 2007 at 10:57 am
The 1930 Mercedes-Benz “Count Trossi” SSK.
Saw this on a special about Ralph Lauren’s car collection.
Instantly fell in love with the lines.
Could you imagine just cruising the French country side.
November 21st, 2007 at 4:15 pm
If money were no object, I’d want a 1993 McLaren F1. It was so ahead of its time, and still the crown jewel of supercars, as far as I’m concerned. I’d drive up from Southern California, making stops at Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, Sears Point, Laguna Seca and Thunderhill. I’d have a chase car with all my stuff and driven by an accomplished bartender to help me toast each day!
November 21st, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Submited by: Mike Graff
My favorite car? That sounds like an easy question but it’s really not.
Throughout my life I’ve had several cars that I loved. When I was 10 I wanted the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am – yes, TV does influence children. When I hit 16 I wanted a 911 Turbo and held that dream for another 16 years until I bought an ’87 911, not turbo-charged but close.
When I was 20 I decided that an Eagle Talon TSI was the perfect car, so I saved up my money and bought it the day before my 21st birthday. The best car I ever owned – fast, stylish, and a blast to drive!
But more to the point, if price is no object and availability is of no concern, then what would it be? Perhaps a Porsche 959, or maybe a Malaren F1, or a ’67 Ferrari GTO…ugh, I can’t decide. I guess I will have to consider something that I would enjoy driving on a daily bases, on the road or on the track. The car for me is the new 997 GT3 RS. This is a car that one can drive to the store yet absolutely take it to the edge on the track. I realize in a few months Porsche will come out with the GT2 in race clothing but I have to say at this point the GT3 RS is the best car out there.
Thanks for letting me share,
Mike Graf
Mission Viejo, CA
November 21st, 2007 at 8:26 pm
My dream cars are all over the place… They range from the influential McLaren F1 to the power and beauty of the Shelby Daytona Coupe. I love the lines the 1971 Plymouth Superbird and the simplicity of the 2007 Corvette Z06… But since I’m now an aspiring road racer if I had to choose one car to own over ALL others it would be the 1967 24hrs of Le Mans winning GT40 that was driven by Dan Gurney & AJ Foyt.
Catch me in it
J. Mueller
Burbank, CA
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:44 am
Tucked away in a back corner at the Los Angeles auto show was my dream car. As I basked in its beauty and elegance I affirmed to myself what I already knew: if I could have any car, this would be it.
The car tucked in the back of the BMW section in a display flaunting BMW’s history was the BMW 328 roadster. No, not the 3 series, but the roadster from the days when the Axis powers were still powerful. Back then, the first step in making a fast car, you designed a car that looked fast.
Oh and she is one to look at. Her sumptuous fenders roll like crashing waves. The boot curves around with the spare tire so nearly embossed into its face. The bonnet is a long cylindrical shaped wonder, held down with two leather straps and adorned with two elongated and almost pretentious kidney grills. To drive this car is to be exposed to the entire driving experience: the feel of the road, the sounds of the engine, and the breeze blowing over the low slung windshield and doors onto the bulk of your body. The car reminds us of the true definition of a driver’s car. The steering wheel looks as if it belongs in a bus, and if only the storage was as large as it was. The car is one of form and function. Enjoy the drive, and look like a million dollars while doing do.
Aside from being a visually stunning car, the car was also a technological and racing landmark. The six cylinder engine produced 80 horsepower, 135 on the Mille Miglia. The frame was steel, however the body was aluminum, and inside, one would find a push button start. The Mille Miglia dominated racing in the late 1930s and early 1940s, winning at the 24 hour of LaMans and sweeping the Mille Miglia race both in 1938 and 1940.
There are so few cars that can match it in styling, technology, and racing heritage. The 328 is an outstanding automobile that easily wins my heart and my soul in the contest for my favorite car. To own one would be a dream. And until I own one, I can only dream.
Lets see if this works:
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm
If price is no object then price shouldn’t be important. Remember when you didn’t need a dealer, DMV, computer, or much of anything electronic and only a basic tool kit did the job. Yet you enjoyed every mile of the journey. Well in that case, my favorite car was conceived by a handful of early 20’s guys in a garage, one of them my son. What I valued the most is that it harkened back to my good old days when you simply built whatever you needed. Not because I am particularly talented, rather, cash was always the object and there was never enough of it beyond beer and the odd date.
If the Porsche 550 Spyder is considered by many to be the essence of the new Boxter, then the 550 Coupe is the DNA of the latest dream ride, the Cayman. Only two were built in 1953 to debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Like the boys, Porsche has zero budget, hadn’t an engine at the design stage ( all 78 hp) but with borrowed this part and that and some talent, the car eventually went on to a victory.
So you want a multi-million dollar car but don’t have the rich uncle? Or the story goes a marketing agency wants you to build one for Porsche and have it beside the Cayman at the LA Car Show. Well, build a frame chassis, hand craft a fiberglass shell, import a tweaked VW engine, scrounge, beg, borrow and steal whatever you can and most of the rest is plain fun and lots of Budweiser. Until you discover at the show there was no advertising agency and you have some real explaining to do to Porsche executives about who, what and where did this car come from.
In the end, I was both envious and jealous. Hence, it will likely always be my favorite pick.
November 24th, 2007 at 9:25 am
If money were no object it would be a 1974-1990 Lamborghini Countach.. I fell in love with this car when i was young watching the movie cannon ball run! Not to mention in love with the two girl driving it! HA HA! This would be my pick. This flip up door are classic and cant be beat and if you have ever heard one in person it give you chills listening to that motor!
November 26th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Submitted by Nissan Steve:
It was a typical Saturday morning in late July 1982. I had just finished breakfast and went into the family room to watch television. Like death and taxes, you could count on my father sitting in his favorite spot with his nose stuck in the paper. I just sat there and flipped through channels. I finally got bored and asked by father to take me out to practice driving. I had my permit and loved being behind the wheel. My dad said, “okay, but I have to make a call or 2 and I’ll be right out.” I waited outside for him for about 5 or 6 minutes until he appeared. He brought the paper with him, which was something he never did; that should have been a clue. We jumped into his black, 1970 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ (Jeez, I miss that car!) and we were off. Little did I know that this would be a day that would literally change my life.
We must have been driving for about a half-hour when my father looked back at the paper he brought with us. We had been all over the city when I asked my father where else we could go. He told me to hang on. I glanced over and he had scribbled something on the paper. He told me to keep going straight. After 3 or 4 more turns he told me to pull over and stop. I asked him why, but he didn’t reply. He told me to wait in the car and that he would be right back. I thought my mom kicked him out and he was looking for a condo or apartment to move into. He came out with a lady (you can imagine what I thought then) and she waived at me. I was 15 ½ , so I naturally waived back and smiled. Well, what would you do? I then watched them walk into a covered parking area where they disappeared behind a big blue car. A minute later, the lady had pulled out an orange, long nosed coupe with white interior. “What a cool looking car!” I thought. My father looked at the car for a couple of minutes and then waived for me to get out of the car.
I got out and walked over to the car. I thought my dad was going nuts. Me, my mom and my 2 sisters were never going to all fit into this car. So I assumed that this was going to be a car for one of my sisters. My oldest sister had a ’63 Plymouth Valiant and the other had a Datsun B210. He told me to get in and tell him what I thought. I figured that because I was once the king of Hot Wheels, he would consider my expert opinion as to the condition of the car. He told me to take it up and down the street and check it out. I was glad to. So I fired it up and put the car through its paces. When I came back, I had a smile that you could not have removed with a jackhammer. That was my first ride in a Datsun 240Z.
My dad could not shut me up after driving it, which I found out later did not help negotiations on the price much. About 10 minutes later, we left. I asked my father what that was all about and he said that he thought it might be a fun car. I bugged him the whole way home about how lousy that car would be for one of my sisters and that the car should be driven by someone who knows how to drive it. I had hours of go-kart experience and was happy to volunteer for the job. I told him, “it should be painted blue, or something, but it’ll do.” He laughed and just looked back at the paper.
Later that day, he asked me to come with him to get something. I said I would if I could drive. He agreed and told me to go on the same route we went that morning; but did not say why. Dad told me to pull over at the same address and park the car. After parking, we got out and looked at that same car. The color was not one I would have picked, but that car was looked like it was going 100 Mph just sitting there. My father walked up to the door and talked with the same lady who pulled the car out that morning. I kept looking at the car and imagined what it would be like to call it mine. In no time flat, my dad came out of the building with a bunch of papers and was smiling. He handed the keys to me and said, “follow me home.” I was so excited and so upset; all at the same time. I thought the car was for one of my sisters. I had the time of my life going home. I would lag back and then step on it to catch up to my dad. I could already feel the butt whoopin’ I would get when we got home. But until then, I was Mario and the streets looked like Sears Point to me at that age. We arrived back home and as I stopped, you could smell the brakes. I just looked at my father and said, “what?” He shook his head and just walked in the house.
The car was moved to the driveway for a couple days and then it disappeared. A few days later, the car was back in the driveway and had a cover over it. I didn’t think much of it since I thought the car was going to one of my sisters. About a week later, my father took me outside and asked if I wanted to go for a drive. I was not very excited, because I figured that we were going to get in the B210 to practice; and we did. I knew it! I was going to inherit that car and my sister would get the cool one. That was a sad day.
My 16th birthday came and after school, I went for my driver’s test. I passed my test but was still not really all that happy. I would be driving a pumpkin orange, Datsun B210 in front of all the guys. However, some of my friends did not even have a car. Nevertheless, I was not exactly all that thrilled. It would be a tough time attracting the babes with those honeycomb hubcaps. My dad got home and congratulated me on passing my driver’s test. He said,” I guess you will need a car” and told me to meet him outside. I knew what was next. I came out and asked him what he wanted. He told me to take the cover off the car in the driveway. When I lifted the cover up, I could not believe my eyes. It was that 240Z and he painted it blue. I looked back at him and he tossed me the keys. He told me, “just don’t crash it the first week.” I was in heaven! I went through a tank and a half of gas taking that car to my friends’ houses. From that day on, I would be a Z man.
That car and I were inseparable. I washed and waxed that car every Sunday. I visited that car like it was church. I had more fun in that car than the law should allow. I added special little things to the car but kind of customized it to death. This was to be the beginning of something that would not go away. I would become a Z-a-holic; I’m talkin’ 12-step program and all; but what a way to go. Little did my father know what he had done. I grew up and went through a bunch of cars, but none of them were like my old Z. I had a ’79 280ZX and an ’84 Anniversary Edition 300ZX, but I always missed my 240Z.
As my 32nd birthday came around, the self-denial was too much. I was on a quest! The prey would be an early 240Z. I found one that was in pretty good shape and thought, what the hell! I should have asked my wife first. Naaaah, I was not going to wait any longer. I began tearing that car apart, just to put it back together again. That’s when I made the acquaintance of a very funny Frenchman named Pierre. I was reading about the Nissan restoration program and that Pierre has closed his shop to work on those cars. Everyone said that he was the man to see if I had a Z problem. I made an appointment and came it to see him and his son Mike.
What a morning that was. Pierre and I were like two old friends that had never met. We talked, joked and laughed most of the morning. In fact, I think I was about 4 hours late for work that morning. I had found that he was just like me, a huge fan of the Z car. He took me into another side of his shop and I saw where the Z cars that were being restored were worked on. I found myself facing east and bowing to my Mecca. We talked about all the possibilities that could be accomplished and how to get the car the way I wanted it. He answered every question I had and gave all kinds of insight on the car and it’s history that I never knew about. I was, and still am, in awe of him. I also loved the fact that he was obviously a lover of the Z car and has been for years. He has a passion for the car like nobody I had ever known. He reminded me of myself when I was 16 years old. I left the shop with 100 ideas and a budget for only 2 of them. A week later, I left my 240Z there and kissed it good bye. Pierre said, “Don’t worry my friend, you will be thrilled when it is done.” I gave him a down payment and trusted him with my baby. It was like a mother taking her child to school for the very first day, but knowing Einstein was going to be his teacher.
2 years later, I came back to what was my childhood dream. Driving that car home was a religious experience for me. Pushing on the gas pedal was like a gulp of Jack Daniels to an alcoholic. I simply could not get enough of it. I drove that car for over 250 miles that day. Keep in mind that I live only 35 miles from his shop. I finally got home and tucked that car in like it was a newborn the first day home from the hospital. This time, the car will not leave my hands. This one if for keeps. I have already begun to think of ways to punish my unborn son for even thinking about driving the Z without my permission or when I was out of town with his mother. However, I have also started to rehearse my “when I was your age speech” to him. I keep getting stuck on the “I know how you feel” and the “I did the same kind of thing when I was a kid” parts. You see, I am torn between teaching him about the love and appreciation his father has for his 240Z and only seeing him on visitation days due to his Joy Riding conviction. Tough call…
November 27th, 2007 at 8:08 am
It ain’t the most expensive ($3,200 when new) or the most exotic, but it sure does have the spirit of a true drivers car. The Datsun 240Z is on the Car and Driver top ten best cars ever for one reason, it was a ground breaking car with style, power and performance like no other in it’s day. Forget the price tags & just love the car.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Ok, our pick.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to play, we wish that more would have joined in; maybe next game.
What ONE car would we have chosen? The car would have to be significant- significant in design, performance and style. It would have to be a car that made you scream yes every time you walked into the garage. It would have had to have been an influential car and a car that has significant presence.
A number of great cars come to mind. The Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, the great Packard 12’s, Mercedes-Benz’s 300SL Gullwing, Jaguar’s XKE, the Ferrari 250GTO, the Lamborghini Miura, the Zagato bodied Alfa’s, the Ford GT40, most certainly the early Porsche 911RS and in recent times; the amazing BMW Z8.…the list is virtually endless and a single car, is at best, difficult to choose. Yes, we know that we left out a few……which ones?
But, if we had to choose ONE car, regardless of price that has and had all of those attributes, we would have to choose the Ferrari 250 California Spyder.
The car is just, so right.
While the Ferrari California Spyder is considered a production car, no two were alike as all were ordered to meet the customers’ demands. Both short and long wheel base spyders were manufactured. We are particularly fond of the SWB, covered headlamp cars.
Big Sur, highway 1 and the sun is just beginning to set, the delicious symphony of a perfect exhaust note on a perfectly executed double clutched down-shift. The sun and redwoods glisten and shade the long sculpted hood as gloriously as a Monet. As the sun sets further colors intensify, all goes still; all but the grand concerto.
Perfect!
O.C.C.E
November 28th, 2007 at 8:50 am
I’d love to vote for mine but Nissan Steve Fooshe wins in my book
November 28th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I vote for Nissan 240Z. The story is tops!
November 28th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Any 240Z is far superior, regardless of $$$. I vote for Steve and his 240, nice choice in weekend wheels!
November 28th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
First of all Im not even going to tell ya’ll how old I was in 1982, and unlike the rest of you motorheads, Im not going wax poetic about horsepower, wet dreams or $$$ spent on a new ride as I have always preferred to be driven than drive unless we are talking Thoroughbreds, however, my money is on the big Steve’s hot Blue 240Z! This car rules! It reminds me that one of my Father’s wives had one in the 80’s that my older brother kept stealing out of the driveway at night to go pick up Kelly, or Jenny or what was her name….? He even drove me to Thrifty one time to get a Double Chocolate Malted Crunch ice cream! Smooth, fast ride and Blondie blasting, those were the days; the salad days as they say.