Editor’s Note: This is the second part of an article I intended to finish a few weeks ago. I got distracted. It happens.
Moving along in the dream garage, we come to an absolutely crucial choice:
6) 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R Estate
While I would love to write a very Jeremy Clarkson-esque piece on power and why old cars are boring, I won’t. Not because I disagree, but simply because I realize power is meaningless when stuck sitting in a soul sapping surround of gridlocked traffic. In this light, my dream car garage tries to balance street-ability, fun, and hoonage. I admit it is difficult, but I’ll give it a whirl. While we would all love smoke whirling and billowing from the rear tires of our very own dream car it is not practical, so here is my mix of brilliant engineering and old school muscle.
1.) B5 S4 Avant
2.7T Dolphin grey 6 speed with black leather interior. Engine modified with K04/20’s, 650cc injectors, water injection, OFE Southbend clutch, new boost tubing, radiator, and stealthy exhaust. Tinted tails and RS-4 front bumper riding on BBS gunmetal RC wheels and F&K suspension with Porsche 4 piston calipers front and rear. Equipped with front mount intercooler the car will boost 25psi and make 450 horsepower. Perfect for hauling some ass through the twisties, cruising on the highway, or hauling some lumber this car is good looking and quick to boot…
Spend some time on any automotive web forum and you’re bound to run across the ultimate hypothetical question: “what is your ultimate dream garage?” Sometimes 5 car, sometimes 10, sometimes more. Many people like to fill their fantasy garage up with dream exotica, many people like classics. If you’ve been reading my site, by now you know my choices are somewhat odd. So here, friends, is my 15-car dream garage.
1) 2001 Audi (B5) S4
Nogaro Blue, six-speed manual, converted to RS4 engine spec (forged internals, lower compression, K04/20 turbochargers, etc etc.) 450-500whp would be sufficient for a daily driver. I’ve always admired the B5 S4 for a lot of reasons. Primarily, it’s a spectacular mechanical package: 2.7L 30 valve V6 with twin turbochargers, a six-speed manual and Torsen AWD make for an extremely rapidly accelerating automobile…
I’ve come to realize one thing that bonds “car guys” together, even if they don’t know it. No matter who you are, what you’re into, where you’re from or how old you are, you have that “dream project” floating around your head. You might ponder on while sitting in a soul-crushing sales data meeting. You might imagine it as you fall asleep to bring ease to your mind. Hell, you might even be picking the right A/R ratio for that huge turbo while your girlfriend goes on about shoes. Whatever it is, you know you have one.
My interest of things with wheels is pretty broad. I’ve been a road-biker for years, I love cars, motorcycles, trucks, Jeeps… pretty much anything with wheels. I haven’t developed a love for the unicycle yet, but I’m sure it’s time is coming.
One of things about the whole bicycle industry is that very few components are proprietary. That is to say, if you are building a mountain bike, a Shimano XTR rear derailleur will work on a Santa Cruz frame, or a Trek frame, or a Cannondale frame. A rear derailleur is a rear derailleur. Same thing with seats. Love your Selle Italia carbon saddle? Put it on your new bike. Shifters, handbars, stems, brakes, cranks, crank arms, pedals. grips, shorties, forks, head units, computers - most everything will fit on anything. You can theoretically build a bike exactly the way you want it. Wouldn’t that be amazing if you could do that with a car?…