100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART X

Now that we've come to the final installment of The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars, you've become accustomed to unique choices, an emphasis on character and class rather than fame or popularity. This trend continues in cars 91-100 below. A couple examples never made their way to North America. Others did so, but did so a very long time ago. Regardless, these ten vehicles round out the 100 cars GoodCarBadCar Towers should most definitely house in the parking garage beneath. Donations will be accepted. Owners may hand over the keys at their leisure.



SUZUKI CAPPUCINO: Why aren't tiny little roadsters with teeny-tiny little engines and itsy-bitsy pricetags commonplace? Probably 'cause they're slow. Cappucinos are still cool.
TOYOTA 2000GT: No automaker can follow up such a beautiful design. Unfortunately for Toyota, their most beautiful car was finished half a century ago and they haven't done anything half as good since.
TOYOTA SUPRA (MKIV): As the end-of-an-era sort of car, the fourth-gen Supra also marks the end of an era when manufacturers stuck gigantic wings on the trunk at the factory, and is also so politically incorrect in Toyota culture that nothing like it has come along since.
TVR TUSCAN ('99): Don't try this at home. Nobody but TVR could design a car with so much weirdness and so much danger in its dynamics and still find buyers. Okay, well actually TVR isn't finding any buyers anymore but....
VOLKSWAGEN GTI (MK1): Revolutionizing performance cars isn't an easy trick to pull out of the hat. Light weight and lift-off oversteer were helpful generals in Commander GTI's army.
VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 1 BEETLE: Greatness doesn't come from being cute. The Beetle was intelligently designed, priced for huge volume, and surprisingly accomplished on the road. And cute.
VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 2 BUS: Count yourself lucky (or unlucky) if you've found an example without marijuana under the carpet. The Bus wasn't just special k special for inebriated folk, it's layout is genius and its style iconic.
VOLVO AMAZON P122S: Curious details abound, but what drew people to the P122S originally was its toughness and safety advances like three-point seatbelts. Now it just looks like something beautiful eccentrics should drive.
VOLVO 850 TURBO WAGON: At the time 222 horsepower seemed utterly untamable. And in a staid boxy Volvo, at that. It wasn't the dynamic equal of its counterparts but it sure was a blast.
VOLVO C30: Since the 3CC concept of 2004, a curvaceous rear window has been at the top of my best window shapes list. The C30 has made it mainstream but not routine.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART IX

There are days when lunchtime rolls around that I do not feel like eating pizza. These days are rare; few and far between, if you will. At the same time, there are days when the hour of writing arrives and the advent of a new supercar excites me not at all. I'm in the mood for something.... oh, I don't know, with less than 200 horsepower? Perhaps narrow enough to be used on the narrow downtown streets around GoodCarBadCar Towers, possibly high enough to exit the parking garage without undue harm?

This is the reason you'll find automobiles of all types on The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars list. The AC Shelby Cobra, Bugatti T35, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, and the eighth car you'll read about below have little in common but remain near and dear. Have a look through the slideshow and the explanations below for cars 81-90.



MORGAN AERO 8: If retro harks back to another time, what do you call something that drives like a modern car but does much more than hark back? Call it the Aero 8.
NISSAN CUBE (GEN2): Before the Cube hit North American shores, Nissan had the design down pat. The second-gen Cube was Japan's design gift to the world in 2002.
NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R R34: Not that the new GT-R isn't desirable; but the older Skyline-based car was a brusque and bellicose steroid-infused speed machine and distinctly more enticing.
PAGANI ZONDA: In all its forms - C12, C12S, F, and R - the Zonda is a unique creation. Priced obscenely, the Zonda is the thinking man's alternative to the Bugatti Veyron.
PORSCHE 911 2.7RS '73: Before Porsche decided its customers needed 450 horsepower to be happy, the 2.7RS was a delectable device meant for charming roads into servility.
PORSCHE CARRERA GT: Ridiculously difficult to drive and frankly rather powerless compared with its contemporaries, the Carrera GT was beautiful and characterful.
RENAULT CLIO V6: Imagine Honda taking out the rear seats of a Fit, installing the Accord's 268-bhp V6, converting the car to rear-wheel drive, and selling it. Your inability to imagine it goes to show how flavourful the Clio V6 really was.
SMART FORTWO: Every car could be better. The fortwo could be a little bit better in a lot of areas. But by being so close to bang-on in every area, it is the perfect car for the right person.
SUBARU IMPREZA WRX (BUG-EYE): Sometimes it's the nasty imperfections which allow us to see shining examples of virtue. See the Impreza's front end and compare with on-road dynamics.
SUBARU LEGACY 2.5GT WAGON (GEN4): A "sleeper" or a "Q-car" travels by unnoticed. In reality, its competence would shock the common man and please the enthusiast. So it was with the turbocharged Legacy wagon.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART VIII

What qualities are typically found in the automobiles introduced in GoodCarBadCar.net's 100 Favourite Cars so far? For starters, good looks really help. But Ferrari's Dino isn't here. Good looks aren't enough, then. Phenomenal engines or terrific handling could put a car over the top. Oh, Dodge's V10 didn't pave the way for the Viper, though. Complete dominance in a vehicle's area of expertise should be a boon, as was the case for the Jeep Wrangler. Hummer, however, was left to dry its own tears in absence. How about good looks, great dynamics, the right engine for the job, and a job well done? Surely that's enough to merit a vehicle's admittance into The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars? Sometimes. Yes, sometimes.

MAZDA MIATA (MK2): As the most handsome modern Japanese answer to old British roadsters, the second-generation Miata matches image with dynamism.
MAZDA RX-7 (FD): There's a certain C3 Corvette feel to the final RX-7. Except here, there's also a wonky rotary engine and delicate balance.
MCLAREN F1: On tracks straight or twisty, in life virtual or real, the McLaren F1 is a supercar's supercar. McLaren got everything right with the F1; just without the whole sales/selling bit.
MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL GULLWING: The doors aren't the only cool-to-look-at part. 300SLs are the most beautiful Benzs ever; the best poster car before Lambo's Countach.
MERCEDES-BENZ CL-CLASS: In profile, it almost seems as though you feel the impact of the CL's roof forming with its trunklid, perfectly arched. Then the windows go down to reveal zero pillars. Glory.
MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS (W463): Germany's Jeep is a little, umm... heftier than its American counterpart. Aerodynamically, the G-Wagen is a brick wall. No, really. Supercharged V8s are overcomers.
MERCEDES-BENZ GLK-CLASS: Not overly capacious or capable, the GLK isn't priced right or positioned ideally. Yet every time I see one I want one.
MERCEDES-BENZ SL55 AMG: Who can't appreciate the benefits of 497 horsepower? Make it a coupe and a convertible and a Mercedes. Now everybody appreciates.
MINI COOPER (BMW MK1): Sublime steering, premium pricing, sophisticated styling, and positive progress. BMW got it right the first time around. The image and symbolism weren't let down by the Mini's chassis.
MINI ('59-'00): Truly miniature, the Issigonis-designed BMC Mini was not subject to class distinctions and did not subject its driver to anything but fun.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART VII

Count the Kia Soul as one of GoodCarBadCar.net's current favourite cars, certainly. But as far as The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars of all time, no Kia stood a veritable chance. Every single Hyundai was passed over, as well. GMC? Ignored. Hummer, Isuzu, and Geo make nothing worthy of a list of this magnitude. Fortunately, this leaves plenty of room for high-end machinery. On the opposite end of the Kia Soul's pendulum sits the first vehicle in today's edition of 100 Favourite Cars, cars 61-70.

LAMBORGHINI MURCIELAGO: Exotic cars, the cars you never see in all your life, should look like something you'll never see in all your life. That statement is embodied by the Murcielago.... and its V12 engine.
LANCIA FULVIA COUPE (GEN1): The problem with the Fulvia concept of 2003 wasn't that it lacked design quality. No, the original Fulvia was so simply stunning that a predecessor was bound to disappoint.
LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER (L322): Being labelled as the best vehicle on Earth comes with expectations. Imagine how much stronger those expectations would be if the Range Rover had the potential for reliability.
LEXUS LS400: Acquainting a continent with a new luxury brand and its S-Class/7-Series competitor should be a huge challenge. This car made Lexus the kind of brand that would outsell Benz and BMW in total sales.
LEXUS SC400: The SC400 was and is the only Lexus design Jaguar's Sir William Lyons could ever be proud of. Long, low, and wide; the original V8-engined SC was high-value luxury and pace. With space and grace.
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL ('64): Only a few years after the loopy Cadillac Eldorado, Lincoln adopted an understated art deco feel for the Conti and wowed everyone.
LOTUS 340R: Because the Elise wasn't completely stripped to the bone, Lotus felt another step was necessary. Behold, a true bare-bones Lotus.
LOTUS ELAN ('62): Tiny in every dimension, the Elan's best quality was "less". Though likely not a star in modern crash test safety, the Elan is the vehicular equivalent of an Olympic triathlete; a lean and lithe multi-faceted athlete.
MASERATI 3200GT: "Rediscovering mojo", aka "getting groove on for another run at life", is difficult. For an automaker to do so, a 3200GTesque vehicle is a big help.
MASERATI QUATTROPORTE (V): New Subaru Legacy commercials mock the "sedan" - the Accord, Camry, Fusion group - while trying to sell you... a sedan. The Quattroporte puts the words "four" and "door" in its name and will never be taunted. Nay, never.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART VI

Now that The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars introductions are past the halfway point, let's take a look at a few statistics. Fourteen (or fifteen if you don't count the AC Shelby Cobra as British) of the fifty have been American vehicles. Two have been Japanase. So, carry the one; multiple by seven; divide by three.... that leaves forty-four or forty-five European automobiles in the first fifty of GoodCarBadCar.net's 100 Favourite Cars. Take the hint: only sixteen out of the next fifty are not European. Here are cars 51-60.

HONDA INSIGHT (GEN1): Honda thought not highly of luxury or weight with the first Insight. Light weight, just enough power to live normal life, and strong aerodynamics made the little Honda rather chic.
HONDA PRELUDE (BB5-BB9): By the late '90s, Preludes had long since secured their place in the pantheon of junior sports cars. This final Prelude may have secured its place as the best-handling front-wheel drive car in history.
INFINITI FX45: A fan of both generations of the FX, including the FX35, the absurdity and bodaciousness of the 4.5L V8/bionic cheetah styling combo knocks me over.
JAGUAR E-TYPE: Every picture is able to tell at least a thousand words. I could write a few thousand on this picture of the E-Type.
JAGUAR XJR (X308): Before Jaguar softened and made the XJ's back seat liveable in 2003, the XJR was a supercharged sport sedan capable of wild & wooly or serene & smooth.
JEEP WRANGLER: Why do we need our off-roaders to cart six kids to school with a grocery load in the back and a 25-ft trailer attached? Actually, that's kind of nice. For every thing else, there's the Wrangler.
KOENIGSEGG CCX: Any of Christian's cars will do, but the CCX is certainly the most photogenic. Its mid-engine, cab-forward proportions weren't allowed to compromise the Swedish style. An IKEA supercar? Form and function united.
LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH: One of my older brothers knew cars like the back of a stranger's hand. Which is to say, not at all. But he loved the Countach. Smart choice.
LAMBORGHINI DIABLO: Changing from Countach to Diablo was like switching Dos for Windows (or Windows to Mac's Snow Leopard). Somehow Lamborghini kept the drama cranked up to 11 while ironing out the kinks.
LAMBORGHINI MIURA: The Picasa slideshow seen above will be forever thankful that it was able to hold both the Jaguar E-Type and the Miura, the two most worthy candidates for most beautiful car of all time.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART V

Some of us can never have too many Italian supercars. Okay, I don't actually have any, but it was difficult keeping others of GoodCarBadCar.net's 100 Favourite Cars list. With the introduction of cars 41-50 below, it's now evident that not a single Chrysler or Daewoo made the cut. Buick was also shut out. Ferrari, meanwhile, which managed to sell about 40,000 cars in the last decade, takes up 5% of the list. Sucks to not be an Italian supercar, eh?

FERRARI 458 ITALIA: Not yet independently driven, the Italia has about as much chance of failure as its predecessors. Compared with the F430, visuals are improved and the Italia will also be faster and likely more fun. No problems foreseen.
FERRARI 456M: Isn't this what life's all about? Twelve cylinders, supreme bodywork, a manual transmission, one seat for the significant, and space for friends or stuff. And 186 miles per hour.
FERRARI 599 GTB FIORANO: The 599 is a hardcore exotic disguised by its status as the "typical" front-engined V12 Ferrari. It's just that, well, it's umm... crazy fast and really good-looking.
FIAT 500 (ORIGINAL): Power corrupts. So I guess the Cinquecento is absolutely uncorrupted. Dante Giacosa was a genius; ranking up there with Alec Issigonis and The Good Car Guy.
FORD SVT LIGHTNING (GEN2): Burnouts are cool. So are red pickups. Combine for satisfactory results.
FORD FOCUS RS (MK1): Sure you can't power out corners safely. But drivers of cars worth four times as much envy your exclusivity and serious sportscarship.
FORD MUSTANG ('64.5): If there are genuine 100 Favourite Cars lists without this beautiful, iconic, evocative car, the editor should be fired.
FORD MUSTANG GT ('10): The '05 car was on the right track. 2010 Mustangs are cleaned up, powered up, and slimmed down. New 'Stangs are just what Mustangs are supposed to be.
FORD TAURUS SHO ('89): SHOs were so subtle that car-loving kids of the early 90s had to inspect the rear bumper for the faintly indented badge. And then we wondered why Yamaha had to build an engine for freakin' Ford Motor Company.
HONDA CRX: Cheap fun shouldn't be so hard to execute. Economical and really quite quick for its day, the CRX was harshly handsome and loved by the whole of a generation.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART IV

Problems immediately arise when kicking off one's 100 Favourite Cars list. The Good Car Guy has always said that GoodCarBadCar.net represents a new generation of first-time new car buyers. How? It helps to be part of that generation, for starters. Of course, we Generation Y kids love modern cars. Looking back with the help of 67-year old automotive journalists to cars that make outdoor appearances only at Pebble Beach and Christie's auctions just ain't our thing, right? (Don't forget to make way for the Bugatti T35, natch.)

Regardless, young readers be wondering, "What's so great about the Integra GS-R?" while older readers are surely thinking, "He forgot the BMW M1". Nope, these are just my 100 Favourite Cars - this ain't a democracy and I don't have to care what you think. Submit your list in the comment section. The slideshow below has cars 31-40.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE (C3): Check out that bulging hood. C3 Vettes might have been strangled by emission regulations, but there was that hood.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE (C5): All of a sudden the outgoing C4 looked like it was from another era. Which it was. More importantly, the C5 was world-class and stinkin' fast.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE (C6): All of a sudden the outgoing C5 drove like it was from another era. For some of us, it was too bad that pop-up headlamps had to go. The C6 goes too.... like stink.

CHEVROLET NOMAD ('57): Some people these days think the current Malibu looks good. It surely couldn't spawn a wagon like the Nomad; a car that made a lot of suburban late 50s mothers look good.

CHEVROLET SUBURBAN: Roundly criticized for being gargantuan guzzlers, the Suburban defends itself as one of the most capable family vehicles on the planet.

CITROEN C6: Any car with a concave rear windshield deserves attention. Conveniently, there's plenty that's normal about the C6 to mate with its extraordinarily odd everything else.
DODGE RAM (BR/BE): Oh, so trucks are supposed to be styled and interiors are intended for life; not pain infliction? Thank-you, Dodge.
FARBIO GTS: Arash Farboud saw no need for anything outlandish. Classy looks, slick dynamics, and impressive straight line pace nets admirers.

FERRARI 250 GTL BERLINETTA LUSSO: If any Ferrari today appeared to be going after Aston Martin, we'd be horrified. The 250 GTL was all Ferrari, with a hint of Britain.
FERRARI 360 MODENA: Allegedly, Aston Martin drove the 360 Modena and came up with the "Power, Beauty, Soul" thing they use on their cars. This list is done alphabetically. Otherwise....

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART III

Over the course of releasing pictures and explanations of the first twenty of The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars, only nine brands have been represented. In other words, based on the alphabetical order in which these cars have been disclosed, you already know that there'll be no Acura NSX in TGCG's 100 Favourite Cars; no Audi R8; no Bentley Continental GT Speed; no Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Four cars dearly loved by The Good Car Guy, they may be, but not to the degree that cars in this 100 Favourite Cars list are.

Ten more cars can be seen in the slideshow, with explanations of why TGCG named those vehicles to GoodCarBadCar.net's 100 Favourite Cars group.

BMW M3 (E46): Good looks help make the E46's case; six cylinders strengthen it; and sublime 50/50 balance seals the deal.
BMW M5 (E39): The E39's successor, though incredible, is a brute. Pretenders to the E39's throne, though frequently impressive, are not the all-around devices the M5 proves to be on each and every drive.
BMW 7-Series (E38): Before BMW turned the 7-Series into a recipe for disaster, the E38 was a clean, classy, very prototypical BMW package: a sport sedan in limo clothes.
BMW Z8: Just prior to the height of the automotive retro craze, BMW's Z8 was the preeminent retro-modern automobile which happened to be.... a junior supercar.
Bugatti Atlantic: Imagine if the Bugatti Veyron in all its W16-quad turbo glory looked good. Ah, that'd require inspiration from the Atlantic, but Bugatti was unfortunately inspired by dual-colour boats.
Bugatti T35: Something like the Caparo T1 of its day, the T35 of the '20s was thoroughly simplistic in its design and thoroughly extreme in its capability.
Cadillac CTS-V (Gen2): Dreadfully ugly in its first version, the CTS-v is now handsome and even more powerful. What more want ye?
Cadillac Eldorado ('59): Generally speaking, when automakers go out of their way to design obnoxiously American cars, they get it wrong. The '59 Eldorado is crazily American yet perfectly formed.
Caparo T1: Something like the Bugatti T35 of its day, the T1 of today is incredibly simplistic in its design and thoroughly extreme in its capability.
Chevrolet Camaro SS ('02): Camaros weren't cool in the early part of this decade. Fast but not sophisticated; sporty but not sporting. On the other hand, it was really fast in SS form and supplied country roads everywhere with awesome burnouts.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART II

The introduction has already been made. Without pouring over the details or the process again, it should be made clear that certain vehicles in Part II (cars 11-20) and succeeding postings of The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars are clarified with code names or model years. That wasn't necessary in Part 1 and will remain unnecessary for all those vehicles for which every example and every model year was formed with greatness; the kind of greatness meriting admittance into The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars. Certain car names have lent their badges to some terrible and terrific models. GoodCarBadCar.net accounts for this fact. Now it's time to check out cars 11-20 in The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars.

ASTON MARTIN DB9: Even I complain that it looks too much like other Astons. But other Astons look better than anything else.
AUDI 5000 TURBO QUATTRO: I grew up buckled in the back seat of red and beige Audis. It's hard to lose that loyalty.
AUDI RS4 AVANT (B7): Stupendously fast wagons are even more incredible when pushed along by high-revving V8s found underneath a strong and handsome body.
AUDI RS6: Sedan or wagon, the RS6's phenomenal engines are always far more powerful than ridiculous and the wheelarches far more bulged than bulging.
AUDI TT: The first pictures did nothing for me - the first real-life example sent me over the moon.
BENTLEY ARNAGE: Learning that Wayne Gretzky was a Bentley fan helped me along, but the Arnage's classic lines - drawn by designers who ignored aerodynamicists - shout out the words, "A quarter-million dollars".
BENTLEY S1 CONTINENTAL FASTBACK COUPE: It suits the dream I've only daydreamed of The Good Car Girl and me driving the Cote d'Azure in 1959.
BMW 135I COUPE: I was the only fan of the BMW X1 concept. The 135i Coupe is a successful reinterpretation of that odd duck.
BMW 2002: Walk around an old 2002 and I'd be surprised if you didn't speak more quietly and stand on your tiptoes just a little; exactly like it does.
BMW 5-SERIES TOURING (E39): If only humans could force themselves to be as practical, athletic, and good-looking all at once, all the time.

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100 FAVOURITE CARS - PART I

Over the course of the next ten days, The Good Car Guy will reveal the most subjective prose in the history of GoodCarBadCar.net. Divided into ten separate postings will be The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars. Current, old, or ancient, these 100 Favourite Cars won't be arranged in order of greatness for two reasons: alphabetizing is easy, decisions are hard.

These are not necessarily the 100 Best Cars - certainly not in my view. They won't be the 100 Most Beautiful or the 100 Most Fun To Drive. These are my 100 Favourite Cars. Each car is pictured and provided with one brief dictum. Will you disagree with The Good Car Guy's choices? I certainly hope so. If you were to heartily agree then we're clearly long lost twins and should really have gotten to know each other already. These cars are displayed in this setting because I love them; not because David E. Davis Jr loves them or because Csaba Csere loves them or because Barack Obama loves them or because they were "voted on by the public". Often times there's no specific reason. With some of my 100 Favourite Cars, the reasoning is almost definitely embarrassing.

But with more than two years of GoodCarBadCar.net under The Good Car Guy's belt, it's past time to make my subjectivities known. Behold, the first ten of my 100 Favourite Cars.

AC SHELBY COBRA: When immense power meets immense curves in a small package, everybody wins.
ACURA INTEGRA GS-R: What Honda blended perfectly in this small front-driver (steering feel, hi-po traction, a modicum of luxury) hasn't been found since.
ALFA ROMEO 147: Aren't hatchbacks supposed to be a lesser species? No detail was executed incorrectly on the 147, except perhaps the 147 GTA's dynamics.
ALFA ROMEO 156 SPORTWAGON: Hidden doorhandles speak volumes about the efforts undertaken by Alfa designers to make this the most beautiful station wagon of all time.
ALFA ROMEO 8C COMPETIZIONE: Alfa prices the 8C in the stratosphere for two reasons: carbon fiber... and the inherent knowledge that the 8C competes for the crown of most beautiful modern car.
ALFA ROMEO GIULIA SPRINT GTA: Simple sporting cars named Sprint which splurge on style are spectacular.
ARIEL ATOM: Though Caterham still sells variations of the Lotus 7, the Atom is the true modern return to bare bones sports cars; with the emphasis on "bare".
ARTEGA GT: While nowhere close to a household name, the GT's hips ensure we'll all remember the name Artega in 25 years.
ASTON MARTIN DB4: The DB4's sense of occassion ranks with that of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Thankfully the DB4 also has a sense of class.
ASTON MARTIN DB7: In the most intense years of my automotive education, the DB7 was the most beautiful car available to mankind.

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