Deck Discussion: For those who love cars: The one car you would buy today (old or new) that would see you out?

[El Hoze]

2 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Siding on practicality? 

I was going to say 1959 DBR1 but, yes, decided I didn’t want to get too crazy. 

[garnett]

A 1954 vet.

[zacca]

The one I’ve wanted since I had a poster on my wall as a kid…

95 or 96 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta

…with the gated shifter. This was the last of the “analog” 355s because they went to F1 paddles in 97 and added OBDII and a lot more sensors an electronics. 

[rcarlson]

289, not 427.  Big blocks screw real performance.  

[ThePolskiOgorki]

Since this is a hypothetical question I am playing 3D chess. Endless possibilities to do good things...for myself.

[El Hoze]

On 3/11/2026 at 12:25 PM, rcarlson said:

289, not 427.  Big blocks screw real performance.  

As a 427 owner, I don’t disagree. The sensory element on the 427 is hard to beat, however. For driving around the 289 is alot more fun. I’d prefer it in a slabside, love the lines on a slabside. 

[rcarlson]

Holy Moley!  

[El Hoze]

24 minutes ago, rcarlson said:

Holy Moley!  

It’s a beast! 20 minutes in it you laugh out loud, fear for your life, then head home and need a cigar.  

[rcarlson]

7 hours ago, El Hoze said:

It’s a beast! 20 minutes in it you laugh out loud, fear for your life, then head home and need a cigar.  

Dang. I can only imagine what it's like to open that up. One day. . .one day.   

[Mr. DD]

I’d like a McLaren Speedtail please.

[BrightonCorgi]

11 hours ago, Mr. DD said:

I’d like a McLaren Speedtail please.

You can use either window to exhaust your cigar while driving!

[Fuzz AI]

1959 Corvette restomod, upgraded with modern equipment..

[Malt]

16 hours ago, rcarlson said:

Dang. I can only imagine what it's like to open that up. One day. . .one day.   

 

16 hours ago, El Hoze said:

It’s a beast! 20 minutes in it you laugh out loud, fear for your life, then head home and need a cigar.  

There’s a saying, “there’s no replacement for displacement”. This is a video of 550 Hp 550 ft/torque, pure fun!

[Dadof3]

Hey folks, I'm new. Not sure why my first contribution is in a car thread but I do love cars. In any event, I could not pick just one car. I'd be ok with two, some sort of sports car and some sort of SUV. Right now, the wife has an SUV and I have a Boxster and an A4 in case I need seating for more than two. I've had a number of fun cars in the past. An M3 a 318ti a WRX an MR2 Spyder and some other SUVs. Heaven help us we even had a Land Rover which was great for about 100k miles at which point everything started to break. I do enjoy the driving experience of a mid engined car. I'm attaching a photo of my Boxster. Truth be told, I would have opted for a Cayman but the wife wanted the convertible. At least it's manual transmission.  

[El Hoze]

11 hours ago, Malt said:

There’s a saying, “there’s no replacement for displacement”. This is a video of 550 Hp 550 ft/torque, pure fun!

My 427 is bored out to 482 CID and puts out around 670HP. The car weighs around 2,200 lb. One could call it overkill, but in the best possible way. 

[Malt]

7 hours ago, El Hoze said:

My 427 is bored out to 482 CID and puts out around 670HP. The car weighs around 2,200 lb. One could call it overkill, but in the best possible way. 

I can see why it’s hard to handle. All the weight is in the front. I have impalas and they are 4500 pound lead sleds!

I'm not sure why the video I uploaded didn’t populate.🤷‍♂️

[BrightonCorgi]

7 hours ago, El Hoze said:

My 427 is bored out to 482 CID and puts out around 670HP. The car weighs around 2,200 lb. One could call it overkill, but in the best possible way. 

ABS or any kind of traction control? I would imagine limited slip if anything.

[rcarlson]

20 hours ago, Malt said:

I can see why it’s hard to handle. All the weight is in the front. I have impalas and they are 4500 pound lead sleds!

I'm not sure why the video I uploaded didn’t populate.🤷‍♂️

My first car was a pristine '64 Impala SS with a 327, 4 speed, power nothing, 750 double pumper, drums (constant adjustment required) etc. Definitely a lead sled. In a straight line it was a dream. But through a turn or quick brake? Good Lord hold on. Had to fight to keep it on the road. Straight outta Compton. Had to sell it for tuition in the late '80s for around $3k with less than 60k original miles. Although I'd probably have to remove hydraulics put in by whoever owns it now, I wish I could have it back. I loved that lead sled.   

[El Hoze]

12 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

ABS or any kind of traction control? I would imagine limited slip if anything.

It does have limited slip and 4 piston brakes, but that is about it. The idea is to try to get the cars as close to the original as possible. I have seen guys build 427s with more modern tech, in particular on some really over the top builds (1000+ HP engines, etc.) but I personally like keeping it traditional on these. 

[BrightonCorgi]

4 hours ago, El Hoze said:

It does have limited slip and 4 piston brakes, but that is about it. The idea is to try to get the cars as close to the original as possible. I have seen guys build 427s with more modern tech, in particular on some really over the top builds (1000+ HP engines, etc.) but I personally like keeping it traditional on these. 

A friend of mine on the Cape dad has an original wrecked Cobra he bought in the early 70s. He buried parts of it in the back yard to keep it from being stolen until he could restore it.

[El Hoze]

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

A friend of mine on the Cape dad has an original wrecked Cobra he bought in the early 70's. He buried parts of it in the back yard to keep it from being stolen until he could restore it.

A friend of mine from high school has an original restored 427, he did a lot of the work himself over many years. He has been an absolute car nut his whole life…he has forgotten more about cars than I know…and is now a super successful lawyer. His garage is like a fortress, he has several cars whose values are in the stratosphere but the Cobra is the crown jewel.