My 1980 Euro-spec Porsche 928
I always wanted a Porsche 928 - I think it's a gorgeous body, and the engineering underneath is mind-boggling. This car is a grand touring coupe, designed to get you wherever you're going really quickly and comfortably. It's the ultimate road trip car.
The 928 was a clean-slate design for Porsche AG. It's design predates the other front-engined water-cooled designs such as the 924 and 944, though the 928 took longer to make it to market. Porsche had some trouble selling the car at it's expensive price because traditional Porsche buyers were evidently not interested in a car that used a foreign fluid for cooling. This is great for enthousiasts like me though, because it makes the 928 more affordable on the used market.
There are many design features of the 928 that make it particularly interesting, and fun to drive. The body has many panels made completely of aluminum (for weight reduction) such as the hood and the front fenders. The engine is an all-aluminum water-cooled 4.5L V8. The transmission is actually a transaxle, and is located at the rear axle (rather than being attached to the rear of the engine) for better weight distribution.
My 928 is a 1980 euro-spec. I call it "euro-spec" because it was originally a German-market car that was (legally) imported to the USA. This means it is a little closer to the original (1978) 928, and has a little more power. I love the way the car handles. It looks big and feels big when you get in it, but when you start hustling it down a twisty road, the car behaves quite well - like a much lighter car. My car has upgraded springs and shocks, which helps a little too...
I have a few other wheeled toys as well: a '72 DeTomaso Pantera , a '97 Mazda Miata , a '91 Mazda Miata , a '96 Audi A4 Quattro and an '84 Yamaha RZ350