It’s not uncommon for the car bug to bite at an exceptionally young age. After all, there’s a reason why the Scholastic book fair sold Lamborghini posters. As a result, many enthusiasts have held certain cars sacred as subjects of childhood adoration, much like professional athletes. Some of us have even been able to experience these dream cars from behind the wheel, although there’s always that cliché about meeting your heroes lurking in the background. I’ve been colossally, ridiculously, unfathomably lucky, in that my life around cars has let me drive a ton of personal childhood favorites, and even own one or two. Some have been everything I’ve ever wanted, and some definitely haven’t.
Every E39 BMW M5 I’ve driven has been absolutely spectacular. Sure, the steering isn’t phenomenally sharp and the stock shifter has truck-like throws, but the engine is one of the finest V8s on the planet. It howls up top, bellows down low, and serves up just the right mix of intake and exhaust song. The chassis actually breathes with the road, and the whole car shrinks around you as you press on, reveling in the balance and sheer excellence of the world’s most legendary sports sedan. It’s one of the dreamiest of dream cars, the real deal everyday four-door supercar.
On a note closer to home, my little Boxster is an absolute treat. I love the talkative steering, I love the surprising refinement, and I really love the little crescendo once the tachometer needle swings past four. It’s not just great value, it’s a great car, serving up just the right mix of classic feel and modern livability. Sure, it might be modest as far as dream cars go, but it’s easy to forget how much of a stir this little thing caused back in the day.
Conversely, the Honda S2000 just didn’t cut the mustard. Sure, a sky-high redline is cool, but power under the curve is meek, the AP1 suffered from noticeable bumpsteer, and the electric power steering calibration is, uh, not good. You don’t get anything through the wheel, requiring you to rely on your inner ear and sensations through the seat to feel what the car is doing. The Mazda RX-8 is a better driver’s car, and the S2000 feels like a car largely running on myth.
So, have you driven any of your childhood hero cars? How did they stack up? Whether a car you loved since childhood drove beautifully beyond your wildest dreams or fell flat, I’d love to hear about your experiences.
(Photo credits: BMW, Thomas Hundal, Honda)
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Drove a V8 Vantage (2006ish?), the single clutch automated manual felt like it did when I was learning to drive stick… totally ruined the experience.
Car I most regret selling was a MY2000 E39 540i MT. Replaced it with a 997 that was a lot less fun and a lot less practical
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity driving a very nice E30 M3 on some back roads with its second owner. These cars have exploded in value over the last few years and I can no longer justify owning one.
That said, I’m glad I didn’t drop serious money on one as I was left underwhelmed and disappointed. The car is beautiful to look at, and handles well, but my E36 M3 completely blows the doors off of it in acceleration, sound, and steering feel.
Don’t get me wrong: I’d still love to own an E30, but I don’t think they’re worth anywhere NEAR what they’re trading for (in terms of driving experience anyways).
1979 MG B. Looked great, and going down the road at 25 MPH, top down, marvellous engine noise floating back at me? Felt great. And hell, everything worked- for about six miles in a stretch. Then it vaporlocked, or electrofoamed or something. Engine died- you got a couple stutters as warning so you could flop it into neutral- and you either coasted on momentum or pushed it to the side of the road. For about a half hour. Then it restarted and you got an additional six miles or so.
Which is exactly as bad as it sounds. And even the specialty mechanic with the British accent and the shop that looked like a surgery could not sort it.
1973 Ford Mustang II. Bought it cheap, knowing it was possibly a piece of shit. But it started, it ran, and PintoStang or not, seemed like it could be sorted into reliable in town transportation. Door windows- mechanical winders, mind- fell into the slots. The hatch trunk thing popped open randomly. It developed fuel line leaks, electrical shorts, and I could not keep up. It’s the reigning king of my crap box car college student series- I’ve had a Honda where the ignition key system was somehow totally wrecked, and which was started by twisting wires- I drove that all over the state. Had another Honda where the trunk had been welded shut- with something rattling around in it- that shed exhaust bits randomly, and which once dropped every bit from the header output through the cat – on the street and _still_ drove me home. Had a funky Geo Tracker that I bungie corded the doors shut on and on which you had to beat the hubs with a hammer to get them to lock or unlock, and- bonus!- on which the struts had rusted completely off their mounts, and the disk brake pads fell off at about the same time. And I drove that for quite a while- slowly and carefully- until I got a raise and could afford better. The Mustang II out craps them all.
As a counter, though? Despite every burn and barked knuckle and random boilover of fury, so angry that I lost verbal function and could only gently beat my skull against the nearest flat surface? Despite howls to the gods, cursing designers and mechanics and their families unto the end of time?
I loved them all.
I have driven better cars- of which, despite a wide variance in makes and marks and prices, the salient point is that they were all dead flat reliable- but!
There is something about driving a car so breathtakingly bad that you cannot depend on it for a second. About a car which- as was the fate of one of them- you can just _let_ the city tow it away and auction it to pay the parking ticket. About turning the key- or twisting the wires- and having that base level wonder, “Will I get away with it _again?!?”
A car which, when it’s burgled in the lot, the radio they pulled, as well as the contents of the glove box, are- having been looked at in the cold light of day- simply dropped back on the passenger seat. After which- due to some private, secret list or maybe a sigil, discretely scratched into it- the car is never burgled again, ever, even as the cars around it are.
Lotus Europa. Nope. Shoulda stayed a dream.
I’m ashamed to say it but the Chevy SS. On paper, it’s super cool, essentially a four door Camaro SS. I even loved the styling! I drove a later year 6MT however and was nonplussed. It was too heavy and long for my tastes.
I still love the car but it’s just not my thing.
I’ve owned a handful of 95-97 Volvo 850 T5 wagons. I also had a 98 V70R. Owning them was every bit the experience I hoped it would be. Great power (for the mid 90s) out of a family car. Through the years of ownership, I learned too much about them to own one as a daily anymore.
My only regret was not owning or driving a manual swapped one. Of course, my son just sent me a FB marketplace ad for one a couple nights ago so who knows?
I had a 90’s era Volvo and it costs a fortune to keep on the road. The last straw – Nivomat self-adjusting struts, or were they shocks? Anyway, They were north of $1,200 to replace so even if they were struts, it was a shock.
I got an s2000 to test from my dealership in Germany while they were working on my ED9 CRX.
I somehow expected more. Not sure why.
I drive my dream car constantly, and I love it ( kustom 1962 Lincoln Continental)
Next on my list is a 53-56 Ford F100….by the end of 24 I’ll have and be driving as my daily shop truck go getter!
Follow my car on insta @sykolincoln
I was 13 when the GM Dustbusters hit the showrooms, and those were my dream car. I would own one someday when they got old and cheap enough. And I did, actually 2. I did like them, but they had their pitfalls, especially the 3800 one. While the 3800 was bulletproof, the 4T60E had nagging issues. The larger 3800 was harder to work on, and it ate front end parts.
I drove a Lotus Evora GT 6spd from turo for one day. I did 265mi over 8hr of driving. It was everything I wanted and more. The handling, the power, the feedback. All the lotus mythology is absolutely real. I’m gonna get an Evora one day no matter how much of my budget it takes. It rode well and got great fuel economy too, which just made it all the more realistic.
I also own an S2000, which was my affordable dream car, and it has also lived up to expectations. No-frills driving fun with the most perfect shift feel of any car under a billion dollars. Though their values are going up, I’m keeping it forever. Everyone on the forums who has sold one regrets it. Thing is like a damn go kart, I feel like it’s hard to find something so focused on the driving experience these days.
2002 BMW Z3 Coupe with the S54 motor. It was sapphire black and I drove it for 2 years. It was noticed wherever I went. A customer passing it in a grocery store parking lot said: “That’s the funniest lookin BMW I’ve ever seen”. Everyone else seemed to like it. Thing is, it was not a great daily driver. The 5 speed transmission was a recalcitrant POS and the clutch was left foot numbingly hard to work. Oh, and lift throttle oversteer? Better not take your foot off the gas in any turn if you’re over 35 mph. Want to take a long sweeping curve at speed? Be very smooth or else.
I miss owning something unique but not the M Coupe.
I did like the S54
I’ve wanted a 5-speed, turbo, 2G Eclipse GST since I was in high school and the first F&F movie came out. A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to buy one in good condition and stock! I had the money in hand, wife was on board with it, so I went to test drive it, and… came back home with the money. It was a decent car, but it wasn’t nearly as awesome as I expected it to be.
They say don’t meet your heroes, after all.
I was given, as a birthday day present in 1983, a weekend with a Lamborghini Countach LP500S. I am 6’7″ tall with four fused vetebrea and a coggly left leg. I drove the thing for about 50 yards. Sitting on the sill.
I’d admired some exotics like old Ferrari Dinos purely from the pictures (no idea how they drive or were reviewed), but my dream cars have always been highly modified (tastefully, like OEM+) or hot versions of cars I grew up with or currently own, like Volvo 140/240 series wagons or second and third gen Subaru Legacy wagons. The dream would be to make everything better with an emphasis on touch points/feel — add my favorite 3-spoke airbag STI steering wheel, perfect seat with nice graphic pattern, flocked dash top, custom or customized pedal box for perfect heel-toe, perfect shift linkage from the aftermarket, an EJ engine from Vermont Sports Car, a suspension carefully tuned to be soft but balanced, STI driveline with the helical LSDs front and rear and the DCCD, etc.
Though Youtube build series like Mighty Car Mods’ Gramps (2nd gen Liberty/Legacy) are inspiring and aspirational, I haven’t modified any of my cars or owned any of the hot versions. The dream would always be a better version of what I have. I can see why some project cars never get finished.
I’ve been lucky enough to drive a good chunk of the Japanese bubble economy hero cars in relatively stock form and some of the results were surprising. The mk4 Supra, R33 Skyline both feel weirdly pedestrian in our modern times. They’re quick, but like not stunningly fast by any means. Both are fairly heavy as well. And in the Supras case it really shows. Both absolutely gorgeous in person though.
As a big Nissan guy, it pains me to say this, but the FD RX-7 is the best car I’ve ever driven. Like could it hit 60 quicker, sure. But behind the wheel of that thing, absolute perfection. It feels special and different. Like you’re actual in the presence of a hero. Does literally everything you’d expect. It feels oddly pure. Also maybe the best looking car I’ve ever seen in person.
Note: Never driven an NSX, would love to, please let me burrow yours.
I hero-worshipped the C4 Corvette when it came out. Had the poster, built the model kits, you know the drill.
Got to drive my neighbor’s ’87 automatic when I was in high school. Fun, fast (especially compared to my elderly Scirocco), but I was disappointed by how ordinary it felt.
Years later, I got to drive an ’86 with the Doug Nash 4+3. It was just kind of a hassle. Shifting felt like a chore. I liked the automatic better. The guy who owned it also let me drive his ’58 C1 four-speed Vette… and THAT was fun. Scary as hell, but fun.
Oh, and I currently own one of my dream cars from way back when I was eight years old: an MGB GT. It has been nothing at all like what I imagined: frustrating, heartbreaking, exhilarating, and rewarding, sometimes all at the same time. I love it dearly, but let’s just say the halo is a bit tarnished. But it turns out I prefer it that way.
I have a fortunate life when it comes to cars.
Besides prideful ownership with a faithful Buick, I am the owner of a 2021 MX-5 RF Club 6MT that I bought brand new a couple of years back. That’s only because I was selling Mazdas at the time.
What’s happened though, is that every time I drove something new after it, I can’t help but compare because of how the Miata achieves overall refinement that makes it useful as a sports car.
The Honda S2000 was a dream to drive. I’ve always wanted to drive a Lotus Elise because I will never forget my experience as a passenger in Germany. She was a Kindergarten teacher.
I personally never am crazy about steering feel. Miata and S2000 steering feel light but darty without feeling like you’re going to lose control at highway speeds.
I owned a third-hand 1970 Porsche 911 for a while. Lots of fun except for worrying about it being stolen — which it was, but discovered in mostly one piece by the PD before I even knew it was gone. Then there was the time the wheels were stolen. At least they were nice enough to leave it on blocks. I ended up trading it in for a first generation GTI, which was also a lot of fun and never stolen.
If motorcycles count, the Ducati Monster 620 is exactly as much fun as I hoped it would be.