My first car was a 1979 Mercury Capri, so I have a soft spot for these. The Capri was the cousin of the Ford Mustang (1979-1986). The main differences were flared fenders, the bubble hatch, and a more aggressive-looking front end, which was a styling theme of the earlier European Ford Capri. My best friend has this one, and I'd buy one in a minute if the right car came along. 

This was my 1992 Mustang LX 5.0, 5 speed. It did good donuts. The third fox body I owned, and the lightest, it was by far the most fun. These cars were cheap, plentiful, and responsive to modifications. They are now being rediscovered by a new generation and good examples have crept up in value. I expect that trend to continue.

I love this car. Make mine black. Of course I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard, so this is definitely one of my dream cars. I learned how to drive watching this car slide around corners in Hazard County. I've made the acquaintance of quite a number of ditches as a result, but had a lot of fun, too. Never underestimate the thrill of sliding a big car through gravel. Put it on your to do list.....

A man who was one of my heroes had one of these when I was a kid. He's gone now, but I owe him a lot from my formative years and then later as a man - but that's a different story. This is the ultimate snow rig and hunting truck, and I saw him do things with his Blazer that awed me as a child. I have a soft spot for them as a result, and someday hope to have one of my own for a while.

My first car that wasn't really mine was this truck - but yellow. Just look at that beautiful chrome grill and bumper! The Chevy version can't touch it with a stick, in my opinion. I worked for a carpenter friend of the family for a while as a teen, and he gave me his to drive to and from work since I didn't have a car. Why would he do that, you ask? Long story. The end of the story is me and the truck in a ditch upside down, which led to his wife trading the wreck for a new vacuum cleaner a few months later. I was sick about it. I am still sick about it. I want two. One for him and one for me...

Back in the 80's and 90's they used to hold drag racing events between these and Mustang 5.0's of the same era. Watching one of these black beauties do a wheelstand on slicks next to a 5.0 with a similar attitude was enough to make me want one. I've had a couple 5.0's, but never a GN. It helped that when I was old enough to cruise in my little hometown, a guy had a black Buick Regal T-type, a cheaper model of the Grand National. He always had it shined up and looking good, so I have a soft spot for these everyday supercars. 

It's my dream to build a Factory Five version of this car with a Shelby Voodoo V-8 and 6-speed Tremec. Man, would that be a screamer at 2,000 pounds on 15 inch Halibrand knockoffs. I like the old-school look. My wife's uncle just finished his with a 429. The sound it makes will curl your hair and make you smile. It helps keep my dream alive...

I've always had a thing for Mopar B-body cars. We had a 4-door Coronet for a while growing up, and I have fond memories of it. Particularly the way dust filled the car in the summer through the rusted inner fenders and doors. But it never lost it's coolness factor in my eyes with its coke bottle shape and blinkers on top of both fenders. I felt like Bo Duke every time I rode in it. We ended up giving it to a guy named "Tex" who needed a car. It made me sad. The last time I saw it, it was rusting in a horse pasture, the rear suspension jacked up high with tall mud tires filling the fenders. That Coronet died there, and a little of me stayed with it....

During my brief, and highly unsuccessful, stint as a car salesman at a Cadillac/GMC dealership in east Texas, I had the privilege of driving a lot of different cars which came in on trade, including a Viper ACR. Unfortunately, I never made it out of the parking lot. Someday, I hope to own one for a bit. It's styling is classic and beautiful, and it's personality authentic and wild. In other words, perfect.

 If you've never owned a Wrangler, go out and buy one. Of all the cars I've actually owned, my 1992 Wrangler Sahara was and still ranks as one of the most fun. Probably THE most fun. Mine had a soft top, which was like driving around in a tent in Ohio winters, but hilarious fun. Capable in snow? Check. Fun in the sun? Check. Doors off. Top off. Top on, doors off. Top off, doors on. Mud, snow, gravel, ice, blacktop. It didn't matter. It was all an adventure every time you left the house. It's no wonder Jeep still makes the Wrangler. People who know, buy them. People who don't should buy one - at least once. Trust me.

We had a truck exactly like this when I was a teen. Except gray with blue accents. With faded and scratched paint. And lots of dents. Half rotted with rust. So not really at all like this, save for the year, make, and model. Ours was a 4 speed with the venerable 300 straight six. Cancer would have taken it's life if my brother hadn't sent a rod through it's block. Minnesota  and teenagers are tough on a truck. Even a Ford tough truck. 

I loved it, and want another one. Make mine two-tone any color, 4 wheel drive,  an auto with a big block. 

At 475 horsepower, this 4wd SUV is one of my top choices for an everyday driver. I fell in love with these in 2008, when the original SRT-8 came out, with its center routed exhaust and amazing looks. Driving one is an exercise in restraint - just the way I like it. But now I need the Trackhawk...

The late '60's early 70's brought us this car from the east. It's proportions are beautiful with the long, graceful hood and short rear deck. I had a friend who owned a later version of this car with T-tops, badged a Nissan. My only complaint is due to the 6'3" body I was born with, which finds it difficult to fit behind the wheel. I wouldn't let that stop me from owning one.....

 In 1981 a Disney movie came out titled Condorman. It was kind of along the lines of The Love Bug of the early 80's. I was 8 at the time, and a lover of cars for most of my life. The hero drove a...something full of crazy techno gadgets. The bad guys drove black Porsche 911's. The villain leader drove a slant-nose 935, and his henchmen drove Turbo 930's. It was my first introduction to these cars, and I was hooked. I don't even remember the hero car, but will never forget the Porsches. Give me a wide body and whale tail, staggered Fuchs wheels and bug-eyes. I'd drive it every day.

The Toyota one. 

The turbo version of this Supra has some serious street cred. It's not just a car made famous in Fast and Furious, it was badass before anyone knew anything about it. It's a twin turbo hammer of Thor that has proved to be almost infinitely tunable. When it first came out to replace the previous generation, I scoffed at the bulbous styling. My best friend had the two versions before it, and I thought they were super cool and great looking cars. It didn't take long to realize that this new car was Godzilla in disguise. I finally got past the styling and gave it my full respect. I think this is one of the greats.

This car starred in a Clint Eastwood and a Fast and Furious film, but has been a favorite of mine long before that. I love the tucked bumpers and wide grill, before the government ruined cars by mandating unsightly bumpers that stuck out a mile in front and behind. The Gran Torino is a big car, but the proportions are just right in my opinion. Make mine a fastback with a big block. Very cool.

I've always been fascinated by the hot rods of other countries. From their unique styling to their reasoning and engineering, the differences of our cultures come together and speak the common language of beauty, power, speed, and fun. What an amazing car from a beautiful country. It is as foreign as it is familiar, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Back when they use to design cars using ideas like aesthetics and proportion, the C2 was born. It had beautiful lines unspoiled by regulatory concerns such as crashing or pedestrians. Simple, elegant, beautiful and powerful for the day, this car represents the fine art of marrying design with function. The Corvette has gone through some major changes over the years, but I think this is the best. (If by "the best" I mean the one I would want in my garage.)

This picture speaks the thousand words in my heart when it thinks of the 2001 F150 Lightning. Smoky burnouts, whining blower, thundering exhaust; this is a 380 horsepower bucket of fun that can haul in more ways than one. The prices on these are on the rise, and it can be difficult to find one unmodified, but worth having as a collector. It would be a shame not to drive it, though.

Magnum P.I.

Need I say more? Of course I fell in love with this car. I was just a boy watching TV at my Grandparents house when Tom Selleck played Magnum. It was disappointing even then that the car didn't play a bigger role in the show. Who cares about drama when there are car chases to watch? These are about as fast as a slow Honda minivan in today's world, but get me one and I might totally grow a mustache.