Classics with Charm.

There’s a certain charm about driving around in a well-kept, well-restored classic automobile.  Sure, the man driving his lime green Lamborghini Gallardo will turn a few heads downtown, but the man in the cherry red ’68 Mustang Fastback is going to have at least 3 people ask him about his car every time he parks it.  I think it’s the subconscious mind of a gearhead kicking in and knowing that the Lamborghini owner probably couldn’t tell you what a carburetor is or would stare blankly at you if you mentioned “three on the tree.”  For me, it’s the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into classic car motoring that makes it special, and each owner has a way of making their car unique, whether they keep it fully original, chop the top, drop in a bigger engine, or finish it off with a beautiful custom paint job.  So here’s a quick look at my three favourite classic cars, starting with one of the all-time greats from the UK.

Series I Jaguar E-type

If looks could kill, the obituaries section in 1961 would have taken up the entire newspaper.  Whether in hard-top or convertible form, there was simply no better looking car on the market at this time.  With a 0-60mph time of 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 149mph, the 3.8L inline-six could pull this beautiful amalgamation of chrome, steel, and glass around any country road with style and speed.  I had the dream fulfilling moment of driving a 1974 E-type convertible, the final production year for the E-type, complete with Jaguar’s 5.3L V12 engine.  All I can say is that I entered the car with shaking hands and a pounding heart, and exited with the widest smile I’ve ever had.

1963 Mercedes 600

Almost everything about this car was, well, ridiculous.  Ridiculous price, ridiculous weight, ridiculous engine, and ridiculous owners.  Basically, the car was too heavy for Mercedes’ most powerful engine at the time, which lead them to equipping the 600 with their first ever V8, a 6.3L that was capable of pulling this gargantuan machine up to 125mph.  Known to some as the car of dictators, due to ownership by the likes of Fidel Castro, for example, this behemoth fulfills my love for large, lavish sedans and over the top luxury features, such as a hydraulic system that automatically closed all the doors and trunk at the touch of a button.

1948 Ford F-Series

Although the F-series has seen a great deal of change over the 64 years of its production, I still maintain that the first one off the floor in 1948, as pictured above, is their best looking.  The beginning of a legend in the North American auto industry, the 1948 Ford F-Series pickup will never go unnoticed, whether pulling up to a high class restaurant in downtown New York, or cruising a rural back road in Iowa, one hand out the window feeling the breeze after a long day in the fields, breathing in the essence of classic car motoring.

Let us know which classic car is your all-time favorite down below in the comments, and don’t forget to justify your pick!