Collectible Wheels Garage Part 2

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If Money was no object our Garage would be filled with the following Top 22 Cars. Whilst there are probably about another 100 odd Cars that could make this list as well or rather fill our warehouse the list we have compiled are cars that we have physically driven and also happen to own a few of them.They are cars that You can just get in a simply drive them out on to the open roads where heads will turn, hooters will be blown, thumbs up signals will be given and new friends Young and Old will be made.     

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR

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Only 25 examples of the CLK GTR road car were ever made, which makes it rare and cool. Built to race in the FIA GT Championship series in 1997, the Mercedes-AMG CLK GTR was powered by a monstrous 6.8-litre V12 engine.Its successor, the CLR GTR is infamous for the horrific accident that took place at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans where Peter Dumbreck’s car flipped off the track and catapulted into the trees next to Circuit de la Sarthe. The road-going version of the CLK GTR had a 6.9-litre V12 engine.

Mercedes Benz 190E

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At the time of launch in 1982, the 190E was the smallest car in Mercedes-Benz’s product range.In the 1970s, Mercedes Benz competed in rallying, but without much success. The Three-pointed Star wanted to campaign the 190E and turned to Cosworth, which built a decent engine with which to compete, the car was completely outclassed by the Audi Quattro. Frustrated by rallying, Mercedes turned to DTM, which required the race car to be based on a road car. And so the 190E 2.3-16V “Cosworth” was put into series production and went on sale with a detuned version of the Cosworth motor. The simple squared-off design was an instant classic and has aged well. Whenever we see one on the road we cannot help but smile. It’s timelessly cool.

BMW 3.0 CSL

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The BMW E9, with its sleek, Karmann-designed contours, was a desirable compact sports car, but it was the rare 3.0 CSL version of the coupe that cemented the Munich-based firm’s sporting pedigree. Built in 1972 to comply with homologation requirements (to enter a circuit racing series), the lightweight 3.0 CSL sported aluminium body parts, less trim, soundproofing and even Perspex side windows. The car was an instant success on the roads and on the track. The rear wing, now synonymous with the “Batmobile”, was not fitted on delivery but instead left up to the new owners to install... because it was illegal to use that wacky wing on German roads!

Talbot-Lago T150 CSS Figoni & Falaschi

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Not many vintage cars were expected to make the list, but the Talbot-Lago certainly deserves to. The little-known French marque’s cars – the T150 CSS with the spectacularly curvaceous Figoni & Falaschi “teardrop” body, in particular – are highly sought-after at exclusive car auctions, where they fetch suitably stratospheric prices… Only 14 of the T150 CSS were made and it was a high performer, too – a near-showroom stock T150 CSS finishing 3rd at Le Mans in 1938.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth (1992-1996)

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Built as a homologation requirement to validate Ford’s 1990s WRC effort, these Escorts (fettled by Cosworth) were the ultimate hot hatchbacks of their era. Producing peak power of 167 kW and sending power to all four of its wheels, the RS Cosworth was unimaginably fast for a car that shared much of its naming convention with Ford’s family car fare of the time.It had no hatchback rival and its signature styling feature – a huge whale tail wing – was entirely functional. The combination of a massive rear wing and cleverly conceived front splitter meant these RS Cosworths were producing functional aerodynamic down force at a time when most cars were doing their best to reduce wing-mirror wind noise.

Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

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Endowed with voluptuous curves, an alluring stance and iconic Gullwing doors, the 300SL Gullwing was the poster child for what would become a revered line of desirable open-topped Mercedes-Benzes. The W198, which made its international debut at the New York Motor Show,was based on the 1952 300SL racing car, which featured a welded aluminium-tube space frame, necessitating the implementation of upward-opening doors.Highly regarded for its technological debuts and low production numbers (only 1 400 were built), the 300SL is arguably the most iconic car ever produced by Benz and, of course, its most highly collectible model