We asked our Driving experts about the car (or cars) everyone should drive before they die. Here’s what they told us. Share your own bucket-list cars in the comments below.
David Booth
Trying to figure out which one car you should drive before you die is probably the hardest question my editor has ever asked. There are just so many. I’d say the 1993 BMW M5 that I continue to rave about, but everyone would find it so pedestrian. Then I’d say Audi’s new RS7 because it is my new favourite car. So many cars, so little time.
In the end, I’ll break it down like this. If you’re an engine guy, you owe yourself a ride in a Ferrari 458. Yes, I know V12s are supposed to sound better (and Aston Martin’s comes deliciously close), but nothing makes music as exotic as a Ferrari flat-plane-cranked V8 at 8,000 rpm.
If you appreciate the car as art, then you need to get behind the wheel of a Pagani. As fast and as competent as the 730-horsepower Huayra is, it’s the interior, and its jewelry-like construction, that beguiles.
2015 Pagani Huayra
Darren Begg, Driving
And if you’re a classic car nut, you need to drive a D-Type Jaguar. The predecessor of the world-acclaimed E-Type, the D might have clumsy-compared-with-today steering and wimpy brakes but man, oh man, is it ever amazing how Jag’s iconic inline-six is still a marvel that could pass muster as a modern powerplant. As smooth as anything under a hood today, more sonorous and, contrary to reputation, plenty reliable, the XK6 was introduced in 1949 and was still au courant (except for emissions) when it was discontinued in 1992. Amazing!
Brendan McAleer
David Ellis had his 1969 Lotus Seven completely restored to factory spec.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
A Lotus Seven. I’m tempted to say Miata here, as that would be a much easier prospect (and more comfortable), but the Lotus Seven is the most pared-down driving experience you can have short of an Ariel Atom.
The wind in your hair, the bugs in teeth, very small rocks in your eyes; if you’re not a gearhead, it might not be considered much fun. But oh, the elemental feeling of speed you get from the little Lotus. It’s the exact opposite of some overpowered behemoth of a German crossover. It’s the feeling those first pioneering motorists felt, the glee and the speed.
I’ll also add “pre-war Alfa Romeo” in here, as I hear those are pretty good. And, if I haven’t already mentioned it four hundred thousand times, the one car I personally need to drive before I die is the Ferrari F40.
Lorraine Sommerfeld
1953 Cadillac De Ville Coupe, Eric Tremblay of Quebec City, Quebec.
Jim Leggett, Driving
This is a loaded question, because those of us who write for this site get access to the most amazing cars in the world. To toss off the Rolls-Royce Phantom or the Porsche 918 Spyder is a cop-out; I think if you adore cars and love driving, you need to make sure you drive one of the boats we’ll never see again, something like a ’67 Pontiac or some ballin’ Caddy from the 1950s — when gas was cheap and the cars didn’t all look alike, when aerodynamics were for rockets and bench seats reigned. No, cars weren’t better in the good old days, but they sure had more character.
Brian Harper
2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Coupe
Brian Harper, Driving
It’s not so much a specific car; rather, it’s an engine. Everybody should get to hear and feel a car with a well-tuned V12 engine. Many of the great marques produced these mechanical marvels at one time, but they are increasingly becoming a rarity as automakers substitute cylinders and displacement for smaller, yet just as powerful, turbocharged and supercharged engines to meet evermore-stringent fuel economy levels.
While I understand this rationale, I stubbornly reject it. I want 12 angry pistons giving their all! Some like theirs in Italian stallions or German luxury. Me, I have a weakness for British sports cars, which makes Aston Martin’s Vanquish my particular addiction. I drove one last year in the Scottish Highlands and can attest that when the gas pedal is given a good prod, its 568-horsepower 6.0-litre V12 unleashes an exhaust-tuned aria that makes motorheads of all ages weep with joy. The sound hangs in the air long after the car has rocketed off into the distance.
Graeme Fletcher
There are just too many choices (Lambos, Ferraris and Bugattis et al.), so I opted to take a different route — jump into a Van Diemen Formula SCCA car at the Bridgestone Racing Academy. It gives the driver the opportunity to experience an open-wheel race car firsthand.
Van Diemen Formula SCCA
Handout, Bridgestone Racing Academy
These purpose-built single seat racers are responsive and have a power-to-weight ratio quite unlike anything most have ever driven — the 170-horsepower engine gets the car to 96 km/h in just over four seconds, while the brakes stop it from the same speed in three seconds. They are also quite unlike other cars in that there are no electronic safety nets to catch an overly exuberant driver. It is a real eye-opener for anyone who has not pushed the edge of the performance envelope — the rear-mounted engine likes to toss the tail out, and it happens very quickly! The experience is as educational as it is adrenaline pumping.
