I got my first free MotorTrend magazine in the mail the other day. It far surpasses Popular Science as bathroom reading material. In fact, the only better bathroom reading I’ve had is a Calvin and Hobbes book. Anyway, all the car-reading I’ve been doing has had me thinking about cars lately, so I think I’ll post my dream-garage. When I’m worth a billion dollars, this is what I’ll have either parked in my garage or wrapped around a tree on a bendy road.

1. 2002 Passat W8

I couldn’t write my current car out of this post. I just love it way too much. For just three years Volkswagen took the top-of-the-line Passat and crammed a monster 265hp 8 cylinder engine into it. Just to make it fit the cylinders had to be bunched together, giving it the distinctive “W” shape that provides the name. It proved to be a solid test bed for their later W8 and W12 models (including the Bentley Continental GT and the Phaeton).

The interior is simple and classy and the drive is outstanding. The exhaust note when you rev it up is as satisfying as any I’ve driven (or heard for that matter). A lot of the parts are taken straight off Audi’s A4 and S4 and the similarities are obvious if you’re looking for it. It’s also got a special place in my heart for being the first car I’ve truly owned. I may one day upgrade to a manual or a 2003 (the pictured year, actually) when it it inevitably explodes on me, but I will never pass on my W8.

2. Audi RS4 B7

Like I said, the Passat will inevitably explode on me. The engine is just too big for the engine compartment, and it makes maintenance prohibitively expensive. There are horror stories of having to drop the entire engine out to replace the O2 sensors. Virtually any maintenance requires everything forward of the drivers side doors to come off. So, I’m putting another S4 based car on the list, only this time I’m going up the line instead of down (in case you’re wondering, the fake line that I’m making up right now goes Passat V6 -> A4 -> Passat W8 -> S4 -> RS4).

The RS4 is basically my Passat but better in every way. It looks better, sounds better, is faster and more powerful with a nicer interior. It fills the same niche though – the sporty, classy sedan. I’m not saying it’s going to be more reliable than the Passat, but at least I’ll be able to get one pretty new, probably. Mostly I just like this car way too much to not put it in this post.

3. BMW M3 E92 in Laguna Seca Blue

And yes, I want it that blue. Apparently the new M3 doesn’t come from the factory in Laguna Seca Blue. But I’m not going to let that stop me, this is my dream garage after all. I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’ll have my E92 M3 painted Laguna Seca Blue like the one above. Why not, it’s supposed to be flashy.

Anyone who knows me knew the M3 was going to be on this list eventually. I realize we’re talking roughly the same performance factor as the RS4 above, but I just don’t care. The M3 is to other drivers as a perfect game is to opposing fans. They hate you a lot but they recognize how amazing it is. The new one broke the 400hp barrier and my God do I want to get my hands on one. For the price, there’s no better balance of performance and luxury. I promise this is the last of the reasonably attainable cars on this list.

4. 2007 Ferrari F430 Scuderia

Told you it was the last reasonable car on the list. I don’t really have much to say about this car besides that I believe it’s probably the most beautiful thing to ever have an engine in it. In fact, this is the only car in the world that can actually pull off gold rims (*cough* STI *cough*) although I wouldn’t have it that way given the choice. It doesn’t hurt that the engine they crammed into it is a 500hp 4.3L V8 that will push it from 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. 3.1 seconds. Sign me up.

5. Ariel Atom 3

No Doors, No Roof, No Compromise is right. This is gonna be my track-day car. Granted, the top speed leaves something to be desired, though the 300hp variant I’m asking for does a bit better with that. Of all the cars on this list, if someone asked me today, “if you could drive just one right now, what would it be?” there’s just no compromise. It’s the Atom. I realize this thing is a bit hokey. It’s not really a car, it’s not a bike, it’s really just a crazy go-kart. I don’t care though. It’s not my dream garage without one of these parked inside.

6. 1968 Camaro SS 396

I have to have a bit of muscle in the lineup. The 67 didn’t have the 396 engine and in 69 they straightened up all the lines and the car started looking “harder” – a precursor to the 70s. The profile of the 1968 Camaro should be the starting point for all cars, ever. Combine those looks with the proper rumble of a big, nasty carburetor-fed V8 and there’s no better car for a summer drive.

7. 2009 Ducati Monster 696

I’m a little girl so I can’t handle the big-brother of the 696, but provided I figure out how to ride a bike I suppose I’d eventually want that one. Still, the 696 is plenty of bike for me, and it’s just beautiful. It’s the perfect mix between the rugged naked street bikes and the hardcore crotch rockets. This is probably the best looking bike I’ve ever seen, and it should satisfy my need to have a bike in the stable somewhere.

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