Frisky Dingo

Mercedes made an SL70 and SL73 AMG in the R129 generation AKA the best looking modern SL. Here ya go- That's a helluva daily.

That is one damn ugly car. I'll take a Volt, thanks.

Jeez, really?? I thought this was the thread everyone was clamoring for......

I've always been on the fence regarding my feelings toward the Enzo. It's certainly not pretty, but I sometimes almost like it because of that. But the SV is just over-the-top mental styling, and I love it. It evidently drives damn good too, so it's not giving up anything to the Enzo, really.

Time for a new 'WYR' installment. The unloved-by-many Praning Horse halo supercar is beginning to be looked upon more fondly these days. In a world of hybrid hyper cars, the sharp, less digital approach to mega speed inevitably has begun to win over more fans. That said, 650ish horsepowers ain't so much anymore, not in a world of muscle cars, luxury sedans, and even SUV's touting similar or larger numbers. There's a who's who of supercars with over 600hp these days, and one of the most powerful is the new Aventador SV. Looking as much like a F Zero racer and stealth fighter hybrid as much it does a car, it has all the drama and aggressiveness one associates with Lamborghini. So, which would you rather have, Ferrari Enzo or Aventador SV

Camaro Z/28 Bugatti Chiron HSV W427 Pagani Zonda Roadster SRT Viper Vapor Edition I guess I'm dailying the Z/28. There's just too many other awesome cars in this segment to ignore.

Okay, I'm lumping everything above 7.0 liters of displacement all together. As always- 1)5 vehicles max 2)Production only 3)These are your only vehicles 4)Any market and era is allowed 5)7.0 liters or greater displacement.

I think this has been a long time coming. In a world of back-up cameras, lane-departure warnings, cross-traffic alert, and everything damn thing else, it boggles my mind how many cars squeak by with crap headlights. Hopefully reports like this will motivate the powers-that-be to loosen up regs and let some of the new lighting technologies we're seeing elsewhere be legal here.

So this is pretty interesting- http://www.motortrend.com/news/iihs-issues-first-ratings-headlights-one-car-earns-good-score/ Discuss,

Thanks! Only one 4 door, but between the Camaro and the FF, I figure they could do occasional kid-toting duties.

C63 AMG Black Series McLaren F1 (w/ High Downforce Kit) Ferrari FF Ford Raptor New ZL1 Convertible Pics to follow.

Neither the Viper, nor the Shelby Cobra fit within the rules.

Moving on to the 'normal' cars, I'll do the Jetta. The Good- *Interior space- By far the roomiest car in the class. The rear seat rivals many cars in the midsize segment. *Powertrains- From the base 1.4T, up to the 2.0T in the GLI, the turbo engines offer good power coupled to great fuel economy. *Value- A low starting price, and generous options give you solid bang-for-the-buck. The Bad- *Styling- It's not really bad, but it's bland and anonymous. It also looks physically large. *Interior- You can tell this is one area of the car where VW pinched pennies. It's towards the rear of this segment. *Driving dynamics- There's a decent ride here and competent handling, but it's not exactly fun. The engines are in need of a more engaging chassis. The Sweet Spot- Hard to go wrong with the SE w/ or w/out Connectivity or the Sport. The Sport would get my money. Would I buy One? Probably not, because I simply prefer the Golf. But if my wife wanted a cheap, efficient sedan with room for the whole family, I'd highly consider one. Summary- This car is a model of VW's mentality on catering to the US market. By all accounts, this car was at most a lateral move from the previous car in terms of driving dynamics, refinement, and build quality. It suscribes to the 'bigger is better' philosophy, and while it certainly makes it a stand out in it's own way, I'm not sure it's better for it. I would like to see this car's replacement be a comprehensive product.

Eh, I may have overembellished a bit on the Eos, but I have a hard time restraining my disdain for the car. They're expensive, boring to look at and drive, and I'd much rather see VW build a proper sport roadster to slot below the Boxster. In truth, it's fine for a Sunday cruise to your favorite winery, and they actually have a usable rear seat, but still. They might as well be a nicer, smaller Sebring, imo.

Here you go, boys- getting into the heavy hitters. As always- 1)5 car limit. 2)These are your only vehicles. 3)Production only. 4)Any market and era is allowed. 5)Displacement between 6.0 and 6.9 liters. Knock yourselves out.

Now for the Eos! The Good- *Power- The 2.0T is just a gem. It's great in everything they use it in. The Bad- *I'll make this easy- pretty much everything else. The Sweet Spot- There isn't one. Would I buy one? If I had 'eff you money'. Then I'd set it on fire and push it off a cliff. Summary- Go buy a convertible from somewhere else.

Okay, I'm moving on to the car line. I'll start with one of autodom's all-time greatest icons- the Beetle. The Good- *Design- Love it or hate it, you have to admit, this retro done right. The proportions, the details, everything is right on this one. *Space- The interior is surprisingly roomy for the size of the vehicle. Back seat is actually usable. *Powertrains- Both the 1.8T and 2.0T are used to good effect here. Plenty of power to have fun with, but still efficient. Manual availability on all trims. *Quirkiness- In today's world of CAFE regs, safety ratings, and bottom lines, the fact that cars like this exist is really great. *Price- You get quite a bit of kit for the money here. Both in terms of hardware, and equipment. A ~26K SEL is really a nice little car. The Bad- *Lack of diversity- This model could really benefit from an AWD, sport, and retro-themed variants, They're not capitalizing on car's nature enough. *Stigma- This is not a car that's going to get you oohs and ahhs, or make instant friends with enthusiasts at the gas station. *Excitement factor- Though the car drives competently, it's not exactly thrilling, and is clearly geared towards the leisure crowd. The Sweet Spot- There's really no bad model in the range, so it's hard to go wrong. The R-Line is kinda overkill, though. My money would go to an SEL. Would I buy one? Probably not, but only because I wouldn't be in the market for such a car. If I were, then I would strongly consider it. It's a cruiser and fashion statement above all else, but there's no denying it has a certain appeal. Summary- Though it may be lacking in appeal to enthusiasts, it's not geared towards us. When judged for what it is, it's a solid, and surprising little car. It does it's intended job really well, and there's a decent amount of value here.

I think Mitsubishi, and to a lesser extent Subaru, really lost a lot of their identity when they pulled out of top level international rallying. With no motorsports tie in any more, they probably just weren't sure which direction to take. Coupled with an ever decreasing relevance in the mainstream market and poor sales across the board, they just couldn't justify evolving the car and keeping it competitive. Subaru had cars like the Legacy, Forester, and Outback to fall back on.

This one is always the hardest for me, because there are just so, so many amazing choices. Some of my absolute favorite cars ever reside in this category. I could probably compile this list 5 times and have 5 different lists. But, here goes- Porsche Carrera GT- My favorite car of all time. Had to be here. MB CLS63 AMG- A surprise coming from me, but too much car to overlook. My DD and grand tourer. New Land Cruiser- Family hauler and off-road fun. Diablo SV- Another all-time fave of mine. Reserved for special events/date nights. Shelby GT350R- Had to have a Domestic, and something for the track. Having to leave off the Ferrari Maranello, some V12 Aston, the E38 750i, along with a few others really, really hurt.

Okay, I have to make another change to my original list. I just realized the Mercedes G500 4x4² uses their 4.0 bi-turbo V8. So it boots my JDM-market 4.6 Land Cruiser off the list. Extra pics for extreme badassness.

LOL, you could not tell that in Seattle, the amount of STI and EVOs on the road here is crazy. Maybe a High Tech Young Engineer thing BMW and MB cannot touch these cars with the young engineering crowd. I have found that a LOT of STI/Evo guys make the move to BMW and Audi. It's really an easy gap to bridge. Both have numerous turbocharged models, they have sporty offerings, and both offer AWD. It's a natural transition. And with young buyers, the Evo and STI don't have that footing they had back in the 90's. When these cars dropped in the early 2000's, they hurt sports and muscle cars' feelings. That's no longer the case. The rest of market caught and surpassed them in bang-for-the-buck and especially refinement, and the Fast & Furious craze has died off. They just don't resonate with the newest crop of drivers, even among enthusiasts, really.

All BMW list, just because- E90 M3 CRT Z8 M6 GC E34 M540i E53 X5 4.8is

Okay, you guys should have the hang of this by now. And all of domestic guys, here's your playground. Rules- 1)Maximum of 5 choices. 2)Production cars only. 3)Any era and market are allowed. 4)These are your only vehicles. 5)Displacement must be between 5.0 liters and 5.9 liters, with any number of cylinders.

smk and Olds, you guys have awesome lists. Aside from maybe the Aurora, that is. I didn't include any older stuff because there's just too many newer cars in this range I love. I could have easily put another 5 cars on my list without trying.

^ I really don't think any of them care. The cars were fading into irrelevance already.