For it’s 60th anniversary, Motor Trend recently came out with its 60 coolest cars of the last 60 years. Not surprisingly, two of them were Jaguars (the Mark II and the E-type). But I must admit that a few cars were missing that would have made my own list. But then again, who am I?
Well, let me answer that questions. I’m a car salesman who has owned and driven a number of interesting cars over the years. And I’m a blogger who happens to have time to write an article about his own coolest cars. So, let Motor Trend have their own ideas … and I’ll express my own.
1. 1982 Jaguar XJ-S V12 HE
This is my favorite car of all that I’ve owned or might have a chance to ever own. It’s one of those designs that some people love and others can’t stand to see. But to me, it’s the ultimate car in my budget range. The beautiful sloping hood and raised headlights along with the V-12 engine make this a car that won’t easily be forgotten.
2. 1988 SAAB 900 Turbo 5 speed
After owning two other Classic 900s, I found this one on eBay in the Washington DC area. The price was right and the performance exhilarating. What a difference the upgraded suspension and turbo charger made over the model S. And having found an SPG box in the junk yard also bumped up the horse power and throttle response. It was quite the car because of it’s classic Swedish styling, powerful kick, comfortable leather seats, and nicely upholstered plaid door inserts.
3. 2008 Volvo C30 2.0 6 speed
Yes, the Volvo S60R should probably be in this spot, but there’s something about the styling of the C30 that bumped the R down a notch. With a 227 hp turbo charged 5 cylinder mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox, this was one fun car to drive. I may never own one, but I’ll take every chance to drive one!
4. 1980 Chevy Monza
I was a poor college student working for the Tradin’ Times in Columbus, Ohio, when a college chum gave this car to me. At the time, it was the coolest car I had ever owned. It had cloth bucket seats, a leaky automatic 3 speed, and the iron duke 2.5 liter four cylinder. It’s nothing compared to the cars above, but at the time, it was “pretty cool.”
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