Buying journey
Owen Lloyd’s extensive car history includes a near-flawless Japanese sports coupe and a rare, ultra-cool Swede
OWEN HAD TO WHITTLE HIS
history of over 100 cars down to just these highlights. As you’d expect from such a choice, there’s real variety and plenty of desirable machinery, too.
1. Volkswagen Golf 1.5 GLS (Mk1)
‘“The Colander” had a leaky roof and rust holes. I was given it for getting good exam grades and spent the summer fixing it up.’
2. Peugeot 205 Rallye
‘Fantastic steering and throttle response, and, amazingly, it was totally reliable.’
3. Toyota Corolla GT (AE82)
‘ The AE82 looked subtle with its brown interior, but it revved to 8000rpm, pulled hard and sounded brilliant.’
4. Volkswagen Jetta GTI 16v (Mk2)
‘ The Jetta handled brilliantly. However, it ran much better on 97- octane fuel – tough to stomach as a poor student.’
5. Peugeot 306 Rallye
‘ The lift- off oversteer was hilarious. I wish I’d never sold it.’
6. Audi S4 (C4)
‘ This had lived a pampered life in Chelsea. The engine warble was glorious, but numb steering made it so-so to drive.’
7. Honda Integra Type R (UK DC2)
‘Probably the best car I have owned. Was almost completely without fault.’
8. BMW 3.0 CSI Coupe (E9)
‘ The most beautiful car I’ve owned. It was such an effortless cruiser, when it wasn’t having something fixed…’
9. Saab 900 Turbo Ruby Edition
‘ This limited edition not only had extra power, it had cool written all over it.’
10. Honda Insight (Mk1)
‘ This was surprisingly fun to drive. It had done 290k miles yet still felt fresh after a new battery pack was fitted.’
11. Citroën Xsara VTS
‘I bought this to try to recapture the magic of the 306. It blew up on the M4, but was great fun up to that point.’
12. BMW M5 (3.6 E34)
‘It handled so well, and amazing throttle response and surprising torque meant you could really steer it on the throttle.’
13. Lotus Elise (S1)
‘I’m never letting go of this car. The steering, how responsive the car is, how it handles and rides… I love it all – even after its many faults over the years.’
14. Honda S2000 (AP2)
‘I’ve spent a lot sorting the handling and making my S2000 drive right, but its engine has made it all worthwhile.’
15. Volvo V70 R (Mk2)
‘It really hauled, in all senses of the word. And it looked sinister.’
16. BMW M3 (E46)
‘Used as a track car, it had an immense feel-good factor, but the steering wasn’t as good as that of some other M- cars.’
17. Jaguar XJR (4.0 X306)
‘I’d always been rude about Jaguars so thought it time to try one. It was truly effortless, yet fun and engaging when you wanted it to be.’
18. Audi RS6 Avant (C5)
‘ Layer Cake. That is all.’