I have good news, dear reader. A car genie has emerged from your vehicle’s oil pressure warning light. He wants to grant you one wish, but with one caveat. He is willing to give you a brand-new garage and any vehicles that you want to put into it. The catch is that this garage has a magical limit of 10 wheels. You can put anything in this garage so long as the wheel count doesn’t surpass that. How are you going to spend your 10-wheel budget?
For the purpose of this exercise, dually rears are counted as four wheels. Likewise, if your vice is aviation, every landing gear with more than one tire counts as more than one wheel. However, I will add a twist, and it’s that this magical garage will fit an unlimited number of vehicles with zero wheels. So, if your dream is to own a fleet of Sea-Doos that don’t have trailers, congratulations!
I sometimes like to think about what I would do if I were forced to dramatically cut down on my fleet. What if I were allowed to have no more than maybe three vehicles total? What would I do?
I think I would go back to my roots. As much as I love my Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI and as much as I adore my MGF, they would have to go. I would spend eight tires of my 10-tire budget on Smarts.
Specifically, I would keep my very first Smart, my 2012 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe, and I would keep my second Smart, my 2016 Smart Fortwo Edition #1. These two cars got me through some of the hardest parts of my life and were there for some of the best parts of my life. Yes, I have “better” cars in my fleet, but I don’t think that there’s a better pair of cars that represent who I am as a car enthusiast and person.
That leaves me with two tires, and I would spend them on my 1976 Suzuki RE-5 Rotary. This motorcycle was one of my holy grails, and I finally have it. I’m never letting it go!
Now, it’s time to have some fun with my wildcard. For my vehicle without wheels, I’d choose a Saunders-Roe Princess.
Only one of these was ever built, and it was the largest all-metal flying boat ever constructed. Look, my garage is really big. The Princess is so huge that, come to think of it, the flying boat could have made for a pretty awesome flying home. The failure of the Princess project could be a fun story for another time.
Here’s where I turn things to you. You have a budget of 10 wheels and as many vehicles without wheels as you want. What are you choosing?
Top graphic: Audi
I’d take an upgrade on my Allroad to an RS6 Avant, a R129 SL500, and with the last 2 wheels I’d risk meeting my hero (and maker) with a mid-90s CBR900RR.
Hmm, maybe a Corvette ZR1X and a Tatra 815 6×6 built as a camping rig
1966 Nova L79 and a Ferrari F40
Currently my garage barely fits 8 wheels, and that’s with nothing in it but the two cars. My Maverick sits outside :(. If I could get a motorcycle in there as well, that might be nice.
I’m a simple man I’ll take a GY6 swapped Honda Ruckus
Lamborghini Diablo (purple plz)
and for the daily any Amg wagon
What? Why? Is this a thing?
Why should you swap out a Honda engine, known for quality and durability and swap in a Chinese clone known for being cheap but with dubious quality.
Because it’s faster? and a fun project?
HMMMM do we have to live with those 10 wheels for the rest of our life? Or can we swap them out as long as we never exceed 10 wheels. I currently have a self imposed 10 wheel limit excluding my utility trailer and I will likely continue to impose those limits, but I am a simple man.
I think my dream 10-wheel garage has some flavor of air-cooled 911 or BMW clown shoe, a Lexus LX450 or Manual Transmission 80 Series Landcruiser or w124 wagon, and a Ducati scrambler.
I forgot I have a dirt bike in the garden, does that count? It doesn’t have to be stored inside… okay, good I will replace that with a Suzuki Van Van or TW200.
I would remove the wheels of the vehicles of my choosing and roll them in on dollies, is that allowed? Then it would be basically limitless for wheels as long as I could figure out where outside the garage the rest of the wheels would be stored in waiting for the cars to be dollied back out.
Or if I cant do that, then probably my c6 corvette, a Cayenne Turbo, and then pull only the front half of something electric in, so only two of the wheels are inside, not sure what that should be though. I feel I need a real truck or something great at offroading/overlanding, so maybe not electric just yet? maybe not the Cayenne and instead a taycan wagon, then a 392 wrangler with only 2 wheels inside. I would fashion some kind of curtain system that largely protects the two full vehicles from the obviously open door with half a vehicle sticking out.
A Volkner Performance S RV will take up 6 wheels, and the Bugatti or equivalent that goes inside it, takes the other 4. (Cars same size or smaller than a Chiron: Ferrari F40, LaFerrari, McLaren F1, McLaren P1, Aston Martin Valkyrie, etc. So, lots to pick from!)
Now, I can go to track event weekends in extreme comfort and style. In fact, at that point, who even needs a house? Me, my RV, and its car garage is all I need! Just traveling from track to track, putting in lap times, and hoping each time, the next track, will be the track that leads…. home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDBjGOytYYc
Several hovercraft, for sure. For the wheeled vehicles, I’d probably have the Mercedes AMG E53 Wagon that Thomas says is such a great deal and maybe a Rivian pickup. And a single-axle rafting trailer with a couple really nice rafts of different sizes and configurations.
Maybe a couple kayaks, too.
Daily driver: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Enthusiast car: 1910-15 Ford Model T custom speedster (I hope spare wheels don’t count)
Two wheels: BMC Fourstroke R 01 ONE (a high-end mountain bike)
Do spare wheels count? If so, I’ll take a Lancia Stratos (5) and the Mercedes-Benz Red Pig for my full wheel count. If spares don’t count, give me an R80GS for do-anything biking.
Then I’ll start thinking outside of wheels, a composite sailing dinghy (one-handed), a wooden sailboat (two-handed with room for passengers) and a wooden sailing yacht (40ft is a bit excessive, but I might as well take the genie to the cleaner’s and become a veritable captain), and a Chriscraft and a couple Seadoos for when there’s no wind.
Then give me a DeHavilland Beaver, a Supermarine S.6 and a Piper Cub on floats, a PBY Catalina (early model without landing gear) and a helicopter with skids, just in case I develop an interest in rotorcraft later in life.
If we’re being creative, let’s grab hovercrafts of a few different sizes, one of those Soviet propeller-powered sleds, and a dozen or so horses, camels, mules and elephants. I’ll also take one of those enclosed jet dolphin things with dive planes that can jump. Give me a jet-pack, because I know we have actually for realsies made them happen now, even if exclusively military-and-genie-issue. I would probably enjoy having the Ekranoplan, if our genie can make it functional. Do zeppelins have wheels? I want one. Let me have a Saturn XIV just for the collection.
I assume/hope this garage can be manifested on the coast, and if it doesn’t come with a house, then I’d like a hilariously lavish yacht to live on.
If these vehicles have to be taken from somewhere, meaning a current owner loses theirs when I get mine, then I want to take every yacht over 10 million dollars, just out of spite. Those can be stacked on land or underwater in whatever orientation takes up the least space. I’ll also take all the Space-X and Blue Origin rockets, also out of spite. I’m willing to ransom back however many are strictly necessary to keep current astronauts alive.
I’ll also have our genie pull up some famous shipwrecks for my curiosity, and maybe some sunken treasure for pocket money.
As someone who lives in a condo and only has access to 2 parking spaces and an overcrowded bike room, this is a dream come true for me. Here are my ten wheels:
I recently saw a property for sale near me that had a recently built oversize 3 car garage. Sadly it was double what I could afford to pay (said property also had a pool and a private dock). As long as I am living condo style, my parking will be limited.
[Misreads post] “Aw jeez, I’d have to get rid of 4 wheels?”
OK: BMW i8 roadster, BOTT XC1 (Buell XB12 running gear on a cafe racer frame), Zero FXE (the “Mama Bear just right” model), KTM 350 EXC (under 250# and fast enough for the freeway)
As it happens, I just moved into a house where I have exactly 10 wheels of parking space…on the ground, at least. Since I have 14 wheels of vehicles, I cheated and put in a 4 post lift. On the lower level is my Prius, my truck, and my camper (single axle, so only two wheels). On the lift is the Corvette.
In my previous house I had 10 wheels of parking, albeit not all indoors, which meant one vehicle was always in storage/a barn. So I guess my real answer is that if I’m limited to 10 wheels, I’m moving. 🙂
BMW ix3 Neue Klasse, light interior with the panorama roof, seafoam blue exterior. Don’t judge 🙂
Porsche 911 Turbo with the beautiful Sport Classic interior for the weekends. Oh wait, the genie says any car? Then maybe Singer 930 Turbo.
And I guess any nice motorbike to start learning 🙂
But realistically, as with any of these scenarios, for how many years am I not allowed to sell the cars? I would of course get three insanely expansive vehicles, sell them for tens of millions, then buy a house, invest the rest and buy just the BMW and the Porsche for the spare cash. Sorry, I know, I know.
dully pickup and a miata.
Just for fun. A Can-am Spyder, Polaris Slingshot, Ural Gear-Up and a unicycle.
GMC 3500HD Denali Ultimate Dually and a Tri Axel 5th wheel Camper.
I’d be quite happy with just the garage that can fit my current two cars (and bikes, skis, etc). But with the unlimited vehicles with no wheels, I’d add in a bunch of things like Ferrari 250 GTO’s, Porsche 959/918’s, Duesenbergs, McLaren F1’s, all on blocks with no wheels, so I could then auction them off for millions of dollars, and use that to buy/build whatever house (and more normal vehicles) I wanted, and maintain it all in the future. A (wheelless) helicopter for heli-skiing would be nice as well, if it came with a pilot. Is that cheating?
Well, I’m going to stay honest and deal with the fact that those 10 wheels need to accommodate two drivers. Toyota Sienna AWD Hybrid as the ultimate do anything tool, mildly modified Miata as the toy that can be a daily as needed. The bonus two would be used on a Seven Cycles gravel bike with fender and luggage mounts. The good part is, I have recently made that garage happen.
If I got 10 wheels for just myself. I would likely go Toyota Series 70 pickup with dropside bed and the 1HZ, a 993 Porsche 911 Carrera RS. Also, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. The bike would remain the same.
Just one vehicle for me… a Boeing 787 Dreamliner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787_Dreamliner
It has 10 wheels and it will make my garage/property magically HUUUUUUGE.
Now given I’m not a pilot nor have the money to operate a 787, you may ask… WTF am I gonna do with that 787 in my garage?
And that’s simple… rent it out as an AirBNB.
Plus with it high off the ground and the size of the wings, there will be tons of space underneath or next to it to store other stuff in my garage.
And with the AirBNB money, I can turn around and buy a number of other vehicles… with the only downside being that I’ll have to find elsewhere to store anything with wheels.
I’m not into bikes, but I’d love a Can-am Spyder, so step one would be to haggle for a limit of 11.
Some of you are going to be real sad when your steering wheels have to be changed out for yokes
Perhaps all the steering wheels could be removable, and stored outside the garage as a work around? Just drive whatever car is chosen, with some oversized vice grips on the steering shaft, out of the garage, and then stick the steering wheel on? Could be good for anti-theft.
(1) Panther 6
(1) Morgan Trike
(1) Cislaghi Motoruota Monowheel
Done!
Morgan is the correct 3 wheel answer here
Raptor for the wife and kids and a Boxster Spyder for me. For the last 2 wheels, the best gravel e-bike I can get for the fake money we’re playing with