Comments on: Question of the Day: What’s the Last Car that Took Your Breath Away?

By: oldlt43

oldlt43 — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:36:09 +0000

While I have to agree with the several writers who mentioned the beautiful E-Jag, a car that always makes my worn old heart beat faster, one of the world’s greatest “crumpet catchers”, as an old “Car & Driver” article put it, there are two vehicles I recall from back in the Sixties that seriously impressed me just with their two totally different visual impacts alone.One was one of the first 427 Cobras sitting on the showroom in one of the few Ford dealers in the Dallas area authorized to distribute them. I believe this was ‘65 or ‘66. It was silver with a black interior. I remember it looked so brutal with a ‘take no prisoners” look, that while other super cars or high-priced exotics may look sleeker, have a higher top end, etc., the Cobra would not only beat ‘em up but take their lunch money. I now know that if Darth Vader ever drove a car,it would be a 427 Cobra, in black, of course. The other car that emotionally hit me between the eyes….and I’m actually a lot suprised at this since this is not a type of car I’ve ever been attracted to, perferring small sports cars and hot coupes….was a ‘65 Cadillac Eldorado convertible seen under night-time street lights in downtown Dallas. It was a sea foam green with white leather with the top down and, apparently, brand new since the white interior was spotless. It just seemed to glow with its own internal aura and with its huge length and a “King of the Interstate” appearance, looked like you could cruise coast-to-coast across America while lesser vehicles moved out of its way and you were enclosed in a bubble of serenity and graceful class such that peasants along side the road would tug their forelocks when you slid smoothly and majesticall past. The closest I’ve ever been able to come to either the visual impact and size of the Caddy or the power and fearsomeness of the Cobra is…sigh…my current SE-R specV.

By: cretinx

cretinx — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:09:02 +0000

I saw one of those brand new A5s on the road

holy macaroni – pictures don’t do it justice to seeing that thing in motion.

And I hate Audis

but this thing was just gorgeous.

By: dmk1976

dmk1976 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:42:55 +0000

A 1967 Cougar XR7, I spotted it at a local cruise, I spent a good 15 minutes starring at that car.

By: OffCamber

OffCamber — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:46:26 +0000

At Porsche Rennsport Reunion III last November, I got to sit in the #1 Rothman’s Porsche 956 driven by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell in 1982. That car won at Le Mans that year and took the World Sportscar Championship.

By: Snikster

Snikster — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:14:00 +0000

Red Ferarri F-40 at a toll booth in Southern Wisconsin. I was speechless, but aware enough to roll down the window so I could listen to it. It was cold as hell, and the girlfriend had no idea why I was putting the window down until she looked past me . I’m afraid my ‘91 Accord at the time struggled a little trying to keep up.

By: AllStingNoBling

AllStingNoBling — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:55:38 +0000

I nicely modified Datsun 240Z.

By: Zarba

Zarba — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:44:27 +0000

When I got married in 1995, we rented a car from a local car collection; I didn’t want to go with a high-school-prom-stretch-Lincoln.

The car arrived, and i was floored. i knew what it was going to be, but seeing it in the flesh was breathtaking.

A 1939 Packard 12 Convertible Sedan. Cream.

The car literally stopped traffic on Peachtree Street in Atlanta as we rode to the reception.

Priceless.

By: Matthew Neundorf

Matthew Neundorf — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:30:07 +0000

Back in my valet days, we drove just about everything under the sun. The only car that made me weak in the knees was a fully restored(original, not a Beck-lica) 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster.

Still can’t believe he gave me the keys, but oh so thankful for it. I’ve never been so gentle with anything.

By: AJ

AJ — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:26:47 +0000

Totally different take your breath away… driving at 12,000 ft. elevation on a narrow trail just inches from a drop off down a mountain in a Jeep Wrangler. Try that with anything else. :)

See this…
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3379/imogene17ti5.jpg

By: jaje

jaje — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:20:48 +0000

For me it was the Radical SR3. I’ve never ridden in anything that could go that fast (and this includes PCA GT3 class cars and SCCA ITE Vipers) – simply amazing.

By: threeer

threeer — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:14:05 +0000

The restored 1976 BMW 2002 I came across locally here in Charleston about a week ago. I miss the simplicity and spirit of that little box on wheels. Of all the cars bought and sold, that one should have stayed in the stable…

By: Rix

Rix — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:07:33 +0000

Driving by the Tesla dealer in Menlo Park last Friday night, they had an orange coupe in the window. Amazing looking. Not that I need a two seater for $109k.

By: DeanMTL

DeanMTL — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:15:45 +0000

Jonny,

Cote St-Luc in Montreal is a residential enclave, sort of akin to Medford in Boston or Staten Island in NY. Although a fairly well-to-do hood, there are no cobblestones there – perhaps you meant St. Paul Street in the Old Port?

The car that last took my breath away was a Lamborghini when I was a little kid – must have been an Jalpa or Countach. You can always count on Lambo to freak out the kids!

By: matt

matt — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:23:23 +0000

Almost any Alfa. I always walk a little slower when I pass by an Alfa.

By: GiddyHitch

GiddyHitch — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:33:19 +0000

Yesterday, it was a silver 430 with red Brembos sitting in front of my hotel. In Shenzhen. China. Last week it was a white S5 on the Autobahn and last month it was a black Ford GT at an HPDE. I always wonder if I would enjoy driving them as much as I enjoy ogling them.

By: bowtieboy

bowtieboy — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:54:10 +0000

I test drove someone’s 2004 ZO6 Corvette with mods. It had super sticky Toyo rubber and the handling was crisp and stiff. And when I hit the throttle it was breathtakingly quick, especially with the mods that it had over factory!! And open borla exhaust!! What a beast!!

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:41:15 +0000

I was enchanted by the ‘64 Chevrolet and Chevelle when they came out, and I still think they are particularly beautiful cars. When I think of the early ’60s vision of Southern California (quintessential song–California Nights by Leslie Gore), I think of the ‘64 Wildcat. I was 11. I can still look at those cars and conjure up the feelings I got from them then.

Similar set of feelings though different associations with the Peugeot 404. We took delivery soon after we got to Paris when I was 12. It was the first new car since I was four.

I also think the 1960 Valiant was a stylistic tour de force.

I was very excited the first time I went to a Microbus show at the Larz Andersen Museum in Boston. I also think VW Real Beetles had exceptional artistic integrity, although the big taillights and the vents that came in ~’68 were dissonant.

I don’t think any modern cars take my breath away stylistically. But I (warning–some of you should maybe skip what follows immediately) love the side and rear view of the Bangle 3 series. I love modern Porsches (not including the obscene Cayenne) and old ones.

The ‘48-’53 Buicks were cool-looking. There was a Panhard coupe 50 years ago that looked great. Oh, and Volvo p544, 122S and P1800.

By: srclontz

srclontz — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:26:20 +0000

Just a couple weeks ago I saw an Aston Martin DB9 in St. Louis traffic. I worked hard to catch up with the car, and was able to follow it for a couple of miles before it took a different exit. As crazy as it sounds, I even thought about going out of my way to follow it for another couple miles.

By: Dr Lemming

Dr Lemming — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:14:22 +0000

Interesting question. My neck of the woods is rather cold, wet and plebeian, so not much to see aside from the occasional XKE, Avanti or 65 Mustang GT fastback. All very cool and nostalgic, but not terribly exotic.

In my web surfing the other day I came across a photo of a late 60s De Tomaso Mangusta. What an utterly gorgeous car, particularly given its timing. Imagine having designed it — you’d have earned your magic kingdom card in one fell swoop. (And to the “designer” who penned a recent revival of that nameplate. . . .)

Last year I went to a fundraising event of the nascent LeMay automobile museum. It was fun, but somehow seeing great cars in “captivity” isn’t anything like catching an unexpected glimpse of one driving up the street.

By: obbop

obbop — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:07:04 +0000

1971 Plymouth GTX with a 440-6 and a 4-speed.

By: Usta Bee

Usta Bee — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:53:15 +0000

The only cars that have given me anything close to a “take your breath away” experience were a Brumos Porsche 917/10, a silver Martini Porsche 917 formerly driven by Vic Elford that won the 12 hours of Sebring in 1971, Porsche 935/78 “Moby Dick”, and a UOP Shadow Can Am car.

Street cars really don’t do it for me.

By: PG

PG — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:51:15 +0000

Call me crazy, but I took a good, long look when I saw the new Evo. It looks like it wants to eat the other cars in the parking lot.

By: thetopdog

thetopdog — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:50:39 +0000

Michael Karesh :

The Lexus was also a little too boring for my tastes, which is why I only owned it for about 6 months. It was my first car. I bought it shortly after I graduated in ‘06, and I had lusted after one since high school. I liked it, but I remember thinking “that’s it?”. It was not as spectacular as I thought it would be, although it was a decent car. Definitely not as reliable as you would think though, I’m glad I got rid of it when I did, because it was due for countless thousands of dollars in repairs

On a side note, I met my girlfriend when she was an au pair about a year and a half ago. I love that au pair program!

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:47:28 +0000

I can think of at least 20 cars, but ‘THE LAST’ car was the Lambo Miura Concept car at the North American International Car Show. I stood there with my jaw open for 15 minutes. I’m not a big fan of the angular designs of most Lambos, but the Miura was/is smooth and flowing. The new concept just builds on this design, and let me tell you it was breathtaking.

http://cdn-www.rsportscars.com/images/lamborghini/2006-lamborghini-miura-concept/miura06_041600.jpg

By: blindfaith

blindfaith — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:23:18 +0000

I owned a 1978 triumph spitfire convertible/hardtop. Children loved it, Woman loved it, and I loved it. And it weighed around 1600 lbs if memory serves me, proving that the AVEO does not have to weigh 2500 lbs.

I got 35 in city/highway driving with more looks, thumbs up, and smiles than I deserve.