Seven Days of Dream Car Garages: Day Four by Stephen Elmer

Assembling a list like this is actually a hard thing to do. Surprising as that may seem, putting together the perfect combination of vehicles, imaginary as it may be, needs to be carefully assembled, thought through, with each option weighed and considered. So submitted for your reading pleasure, here is what my garage would look like, if I could have any vehicle I wanted.

A 4,300-lb wagon that can sprint from 0-60 mph in just 5.1 seconds? Yes please. There are few station wagons capable of this performance, and even fewer that wear an American badge. The Dodge Magnum SRT8 is loaded with 425 hp of HEMI power, accompanied by 420 lb-ft of torque. And with all that power going to the rear wheels, this family hauler promises a ton of fun.

Plus with the iconic cross-hair grille, and some bold style, I would venture to say the Dodge Magnum is the king of bad-ass wagons.

While it is still only a concept, word from Kia is that a hot-hatch is on its way to North America from the Korean brand, and one can only hope it looks half as good as the Track’ster concept.

With its futuristic style, wide fenders, and low stance, the Track’ster concept looks ready to tackle any track. And with 250 hp under the hood, 19-inch HRE wheels, six-piston front calipers and 14-inch rotors, it seems ready to deliver.

Trust me Kia, if you build it, they (I) will come.

Basically, take the 510-hp V10 out of the Viper and stick it in anything and you get a winner. In this case its a pickup, which also happens to be the best looking truck on the road.

The Dodge Ram SRT10 offers everything pickup buyers could have wanted. A crew cab setup for the family, a six-foot bed for hauling stuff around and a ridiculous engine that will eat every other truck on the road for breakfast. With about 9,500 of these trucks built in total over a three year run, the Ram SRT10 is pretty hard to find.

Oh, and did I mention its rated by the EPA at 9 mpg city and 12 mpg highway in crew-cab form. You may want to secure a small oil patch before picking one of these rigs up.

Yet another vehicle I want but can never have, the Jeep Hurricane Concept made its debut in Detroit in 2005, showing lots of new features which have yet to make it into production Jeeps.

The first trick up the Hurricane’s sleeve is four-wheel steering which allows the concept to spin in 360 degree circles, on the spot. If that’s not awesome enough, how about a 5.7-liter HEMI engine? Still not extreme enough? That is what Jeep must have been thinking, so they stuck in two 5.7-liter HEMIs, giving the Hurricane an overall output of 670 hp and 740 lb-ft torque.

Mercedes G63 be damned, this is a real performance off-roader.

Although the F-Type RS will likely take its crown whenever it is concieved, the current pinnacle of Jaguar sports cars remains the XKR-S. And to push it to excess, the brand recently gave the car a convertible version, making it even more of a cruiser.

A 5.0-liter supercharged V8 lives under the hood, delivering 543 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. But more than just the performance, the interior of a Jaguar is elegant, simple and comfortable, making this a great car to rip around a mountain road on a sunny day.

And of course, there is only one color choice for anyone with eyes: French Racing Blue.

Since I was a kid ogling the big rigs rolling down the highway, I have longed for a vehicle with a set of twin vertical-stack chrome pipes obnoxiously jutting into the sky, belching out smoke. Hence, the 1979 Dodge Little Red Express.

The Little Red Express debuted in 1978, and was a great performance package at the time, making about 225 net hp thanks to a 360 cubic-inch V8. The truck even managed to forgo a usually-required catalytic converter so that it could squeeze as much power as possible out of the engine.

Part of Dodge’s “Toys for Adults” line, the Little Red Express was little more than flashy style that only enjoyed a two year run.

The HSV Maloo R8 is a performance truck that goes heavy on the performance, and light on the truck. Plus, everytime someone asks what it is, I get to say the word “Maloo,” which is a pleasure in and of itself.

The Holden Special Vehicles team’s take on the Holden Ute checks all the boxes. Six-speed manual transmission, Brembo brakes, 435 hp, 405 lb-ft of torque, small truck bed, and some stunning good looks. The HSV Maloo is just another take on a performance truck, which as you may have noticed, I just can’t get enough of.

Oh, and did I mention that the word Maloo is the Australian Aboriginals word for thunder.

As a straight from the factory package, the F-150 Raptor is a mean-looking off road machine that’s capable of dune bashing with the best custom rides on the road.

Not one to be bashful, the Raptor’s appearance is that of an F-150 on steroids, with a roided-out engine to match. Under the hood lives a 6.2-liter V8, putting out 411 hp, but more importantly, 434 lb-ft of torque. To help its owner conquer the backwoods, the Raptor is equipped with a full size spare tire, a front mounted camera to see obstacles ahead, beadlock tires, front skid plate and FOX racing shocks.

It all sounds good, but the stat that really lets you know that this is a serious off-roader is the 11.2 inches of front suspension travel, and 12.1 inches of rear travel.

If you took away the amazing performance, power, and luxury of the C63 AMG Black Series, and simply left the exhaust note, I would still buy it.

Sounding like a roaring gang of angry saber-tooth tigers, the C63 AMG Black will catapult you to 60 mph in a scant 3.6 seconds thanks to a 6.2-liter V8 with 517-hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. Combined with the fact that there are only 800 of these cars out there, exclusivity helps make it that much cooler.

And of course, it needs to be finished in matte black, with those beautiful red brake calipers.

It may not have the best handling on the list, or be the most powerful, but I would say that the 1969 Camaro Z28/RS has the most presence of the bunch.

In 1969 the Camaro Z28/RS got some improvements, including standard front disc brakes, the option of four-wheel disks, and a cowl-induction hood. Under the hood is a 302 V8 rated at 290 hp (many say it is under rated), along with a 850-cfm four-barrel carburetor. Chambered exhaust pipes were an option, and offered some of the least restrictive Chevy exhausts ever.

The added Rally Sport package brought some new good looks to the car as well, adding simulated rear fender louvers, front and rear wheel opening moldings and black body sills. It also got RS emblems on the grille, steering wheel and rear panel, and Rally Sport front fender nameplates to name a few of the changes.

This is a car that demands attention with its slick style, offering up the best looks in the American Muscle field. Which is why it would fit nicely in my dream car garage.