Congratulations, you have won Powerball. Your total return on the one-dollar ticket after giving half back to your state is, oh, let’s say $50,000,000. Obviously, there are some purchases to be made. No more Malt-O-Meal Crisp Berry Crunch for you, it’s gen-yoo-wine Cap’N Crunch’s Crunch Berries from here on out. Twenty bucks to watch a still-in-theaters movie on Amazon Prime all by yourself? Screw it, you’ll still have $49,999,994 to burn through.
After the thrill of watching The Accountant 2 with a big bowl of Crunch Berries on your TV tray wears off, you’ll no doubt begin shopping for a larger home and a much larger garage. But what to park in there? Now that you can afford pretty much anything, the decision-making process has new facets to consider – which brings us to today’s Autopian Asks.
Even though fifty mil in the bank means I could fill an oil drum with c-notes and light it ablaze without feeling it, boy would I feel it. That’s money. And so, when it comes to cars, I’m not sure I could enjoy really romping on a car that’s a very-low-number collectible, or a unicorn such as a McLaren F1. I might like owning such a machine as an investment and occasionally driving it gingerly, but when it comes to a car I can take on an impromptu road trip that begins with a lurid slide out of the gated community I moved into five minutes ago, I would not be able to relax unless I was in something much more off-the-shelf.
Honestly, a Corvette Z06 would be more than enough car for me, overstuffed bank account or not. I doubt I could ever appreciate something that performs at an even higher level, and if I wad the thing, big whoop. It’s only $130,000 or so. It’s not a museum piece. No one will care. More importantly, I won’t care. I’ll just get another one.
I’d be a lot more upset if someone rear-ended my mint Dodge Omni GLH-S.
Your turn: What’s The Most Expensive Car That You Can See Yourself Actually Enjoying/Hooning?
Porsche Cayman or BMW M2. Supposedly fine machines, but not over-the-top conspicuous consumption.
. . . and the alternate answer would be a base Ford F-150 single cab with a 5.0, steelies, and a supercharger – https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6066-F150SCA
My mentor bought a 2021 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and told me I could drive it as hard as I was comfortable pushing it with the understanding that:
1) I would not Paul Walker him.
2) If I crashed it I crashed it. He was taking a risk telling me to drive it.
Holy hell was it fun. I took it to a seasonal mountain area at a quiet time of year and got to dive twisty 10 mile an hour marked mountain roads at speed I’m not willing to discuss on the internet. What I learned is that a $200k car has capability way beyond my appetite for risk and driving abilities.
If I had the money, I’d buy one in a heart beat… but it took away the mystique of true super cars as machines way outside of my skill to really use them.
I have no idea why, but for the last several years I’ve been really wanting to hoon a Renault Megane RS. I guess with the left over money I’d buy a chateu somewhere on the coast in france and turn it into an air-bnb so I’d at least break even the 2-3 times a year I’d visit it and drive it.
Whatever Emerald Aisle vehicle I get.
New: Civic Type R or GR Corolla (after break in period and through the first fluid changes)
I’d have to go for a late C4 or early C5, with a manual, and enough miles and wear on it to flog it hard.
There’s a rough-around-the-edges ’95 six-speed near me that is giving me the urge.
Ferrari like Cameron’s dad had. (The real deal, not the kit car.) Then I would go crazy and drive it to destruction. Then sell it, since it is one of those cars that can’t be totaled. Drink the tears of Ferrari fans. Maybe wrap it in a stupid wrap while at it.
They’d be at your door, wielding torches and pitchforks, screaming curses in Italian. Lots of that finger-flick-off-the-chin sort of thing.
Good. Italian is delicious.
Citroen DS convertible. For country drives. In deep red. Probably need a garage in southern CA to put it in. Maybe a house attached to the garage. And a tiny home for the french live in mechanic. Also since it is a 2 car garage a Ford GT in Gulf livery. The blue and orange version.
Aston Martin or Porsche I guess.
Also- Accountant 2 was mid at best. The Random Joe Shoot’em Up genre is getting played out.
Ooh, mint GLH-S? Omni or Charger?
I had an Omni GLH with full Charger GLH-S powertrain and suspension swap. Lots of fun. I had no problem hooning it – in fact, this ticket I received in it was actually due to me lighting up the tires from a traffic light, and I was lucky to only get a fix-it ticket out of it – but I don’t think I could really beat up on an actual numbered GLH-S.
Something that I can mash through all five forward gears before I cross the intersection.
Ergo: Ford Festiva/Kia Pride/Mazda 121.
It should have been a sanctioned race series.
I don’t hoon, but I would have no problem driving my Iso Grifo to the hardware store.
New: LC 500. Older: Ferrari 550 Maranello. What the hell, 330 GTC too.
I think for me that kinda of money would be more of “what would I enjoy doing with a car” than “what kinda of car would I enjoy”.
Buick Reatta.
Honestly, the best answer here.
A person of fine taste you are!
A Saab 9-3 Viggen. And… Probably a spare 9-3 Viggen. 3-door. Lightning blue metallic.
I get that this wouldnt be the most expensive thing to pull off after winning Powerball but it’s what I want.
Edit: If to be enjoyed in other non-hooning ways, an LC500 would be swell.
Not much, I’ve never been into super cars really, and getting older don’t relish the thought of getting into/out of one. It’d probably be electifying something, but not something classic that people would get all atwist over.
My thoughts on what that would be though keep changing, maybe make the e-Bugster that VW promised but didn’t deliver, maybe an old 80s coupe with a widebody and digital dash. Maybe just saw screw the effort, get a Taycan and then visit all the places I want to before I’m out, Scotland, Europe, Japan, the Mediterranean.
One of those six Shelby Daytona’s will be mine. I will take it out and use it for what it was built for. I will be racing it yearly in SOVREN Vintage events.
My immediate gut reaction was that I’d have some flavor of Porsche 911. Probably a GT3 4.0 6-speed.
But on second thought, that kind of money means I’d blast canyons in a loud AF Ford GT. First gen 2005-2006 supercharged V8 6-speed. No Fs given about how much they’ve appreciated.
McLaren F1. It can’t be totaled so no matter what, I’m in the balck
No limit.. If I have that kind of cash then clearly I’m able to afford repairs, maintenance, etc. to keep it fresh and in good shape. I’ll buy my car to enjoy, and not worry about resale value.
Hellcat Charger (at presently inflated prices). Born to hoon.
Anything more expensive seems like it’s built for people who are serious about going fast.
Not a fan of hooning. IMHO it is pretty much slapping crap on from MMAJ with nothing improved. However there was an old panel van near me that looked abandoned, I offer combined the idea restore and customize with the patina. Apparently someone bought the property tore down the building and hauled off the panel van. Probably could have gotten it for removing it for Free. It has no bad rust but looked worn, WWII tires the rounded body parts I was enthralled
Funny how things change – in the 90s/00s, it literally was an Acura NSX for me.
A good friend had one, and we drove her as intended b/c catastrophic damage aside, everything was Honda-fixable. Sure, going to the grocery store was fun and easy, but I’ll never forget that F1 car wail when you got on the throttle.
But now, I’m sure he wouldn’t even let me drive and would baby her mercilessly.
I’d go order a new Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing (with a manual of course) post haste. And speaking of fast Cadillacs, a big “WAY TO GO!” to Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA on securing the entire front row for the 2025 24 hours of the Le Mans earlier today – #12 on the pole and #38 parked right next door!
For me that would just be a Lancia Delta Evo 2. Honestly, I don’t really want anything fancier than that in general, the rest of my lottery purchases would just be things like a mk1 Fiat Panda, Multipla, etc.