Fantasy Garage 2019/2020

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my fellow petrolheads.  It’s that time of year again, when I start thinking about the sort of exotic machinery I’d like to have on my driveway.  I usually pick an amount of money (that I never seem to have), and try to see how I would like to spend it on some exotic dream car.

This year, I’ve decided to bring you along for the journey, and I’ve changed the parameters a little bit.  We need to decide on the funds available, the criteria for the cars allowed on the list, the years between which the cars must be made, and whether to spend it all at once on one car or not.

So, here we go.  The criteria for this year’s Fantasy End of Year spend are as follows:

1. We can spend €1m – this amount driven from the Millionaires raffle in Ireland on New Year’s Eve.
2. The cars can be from the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s (up to 2009).
3. The cars must have been advertised for sale, with a specified price and none of this POA nonsense, at some point in 2019.  Doesn’t matter what country the car is currently in, nor what currency it is advertised in (we’ll convert to Euro).
4. The cars must be ones not seen on the road everyday.
5. This year, we’re filling a Fantasy End of Year garage, so we can buy many cars until we’ve spent the funds.

After much trawling through all the advertisements in my magazine library of this year, which was really enjoyable by the way, I’ve managed to come up with a short list.  Well, I say short … there are 40 cars on this list!  Let me break the list down by decade, and give you pictures of each model (might not be the actual car advertised though).   For a brief write-up on each car in the list, click on the image.    

Contenders

1960s entrants

1970s entrants

1980s entrants

1990s entrants

2000s entrants

Fantasy Garage

So, with that list above, what did you pick for your €1m spend?  And don’t forget to convert foreign currency prices to Euro, as we’re playing this game in the Euro currency.  To keep us all on the same playing field,  let’s take today’s exchange rate from xe.com, which gives us €1.173 for each £1.  Leave me a comment below and let me know how you spent your funds!  In the meantime, here’s what I picked for my Fantasy Garage 2019/2020:

1. 2007 Weismann MF4 GT

   I saw these cars at the Geneva Motorshow, and absolutely fell in love with them.  BMW M5 engines on top of a fabulous body and amazing interior – what’s not to like?!

   Cost: €115,900
   Fund balance: €884,100

2. 1973 Ferrari Dino 246GTS

   The car that Enzo built and named after his ill-fated son.  These cars were belittled for many years, and do not have a Ferrari badge anywhere on them.  Even though I’ve never been up close and personal with one, this is definitely entry #2 on the list.

   Cost: £388,000 = €453,960
   Fund balance: €430,140

3. 1973 DeTomaso Pantera

   I used to have posters of these on my wall, alongside the de riguer poster of the Lamborghini Countach of course.  I’ve always thought these things look amazing – eh, amazing in pictures anyway as I’ve never seen one in the metal.  But it gets entry #3 on the list – think of the looks you’d get driving the road in this!
   
   Cost: £89,000 = €104,397
   Fund balance: €325,743

4. 1967 Austin Healey BJ8

   In my opinion, this is one of the best looking car designs from the swinging sixties.  It always looks like it’ll open it’s bonnet and gobble you up if you should walk past within reach of the bumpers.  I’d love one of these, hence it gets entry #4 on the list.
   
   Cost: £41,000 = €48,903
   Fund balance: €276,840

5. 1989 GTD40

   One of the best Ford GT40 replicas ever made, GT Developments really concentrated on authenticity and attention to detail, along with stunning build quality.  I would actually prefer this over a 1960s, genuine Ford GT40 as it will last longer and drive better.  And nobody watching me drive down the road would be any the wiser … entry #5 on the list goes to the GTD40.

   Cost: £87,500 = €102,637
   Fund balance: €174,203

6.  1979 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo

   With it’s instantly recognisable shape, no matter whether you like cars or not,  this particular 911 Turbo is the petrolhead’s dream.  The 911 suffered from a middle age spread as it got older, but this 1979 incarnation was all lean and mean, ready to fight or just pose in a car park.  The 930 Turbo gets #6 on the list.
   
   Cost: £69,995 = €82,104
   Fund balance: €92,099

7. 1968 Jensen Interceptor FF

   Four wheel drive, anti lock brakes and a Chevy big block 330bhp V8 engine – it’d be a shame not to place the Jensen #7 on the list.

   Cost: £50,000 = €58,650
   Fund balance: €33,449

8. 1995 Lotus Esprit S4S

   I am a huge fan of the wedge shaped Lotus Esprit.  That’s a car that I always hoped to have in my driveway some day, preferably the later S4 versions with the better engines that give it the oomph to match it’s looks.  The Esprit gets #8 on the list, and I’ve actually overspent slightly so that’s the last place filled.

   Cost: £32,750 = €38,415
   Fund balance: -€4,966

And there you have it, fellow petrolheads.  I’m off to buy my millionaires raffle ticket and find my passport.