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Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/7/15 12:54 p.m.

Shall We play a game.

Why the reference? Well I think the 80’s may play a large part in the answer.

Let us talk Gentlemen’s express, the Grand Touring car. I think this best suited to the Classic Forum as it’s very much non Motorsports related, in fact being suited to autocross should almost be an exclusionary criteria. I want to look at GT cars with the emphasis on just that ‘Grand’ and ‘Touring’ Not cars that would be great at devouring long distances in, but cars that will do that in comfort AND style. Cars that James Bond, Harry Hart, John Steed or Simon Templar would step out of. Not something that Jason Bourne would hijack or Sam (DeNiro in Ronin) would use as a getaway or Frank Bullitt would chase down the bad guy in. While this latter group are all admirable hero’s I’m focusing on the style set here. No sports cars, no Q cars, no Muscle cars, no Hyper sedans, no Luxury boats. True GT cars only. Next proviso, can be bought in good DD able condition for $15K and can have all known weaknesses and PM done so the all in price (labor farmed out) is under $20K. Not cars that can be bought for $19,999.99 with 500 hours in the garage and a full workshop to fix up and get running. The kind of car you average time stressed parent and grandparent could run without ending up divorced and or bankrupt.

As we’re talking GT’s that can eat miles in comfort yet still be entertaining on the twisties I think we can safely include two as well as three pedal transport here.

My own rules have outlawed many great cars including:
Mustang, Challenger as Muscle cars
Audi UR Quattro, yes it’s 2 doors, but it’s more M3 than 635
350Z and Miata PRHT as sports cars
BMW M3’s and Audi S4’s are Super Sedans etc.
E39 540 as a Luxo Sedan
Datsun 240Z, possibly the best Japanese car after a 1.6L NA Miata, but too much E type, not enough XJS
Anything with an Aston badge on the bonnet 
Bentley Mulsanne Turbo is 2 extra doors away from making the list.
Porsche 944 S2 and Turbo are Sports cars. Ditto 996 911’s and all 986/7/81 cars
Corvettes are sports cars.
Viper. I said cars you’d be happy crossing the continent in!

What does that leave us with? (alphabetical order so as not to imply favoritism)
Alfa GTV 6. Dangerously close to sports cars, but I’ll allow it. BMW 840? BMW E34 635 variants
Citroen Maserati (SM) may make the Bi Turbo look common in comparison, may not exist in the price range at all in running driving reliable condition.
Ford Capri, stick with me here. Mid 80’s Euro 2.8injection model. A bit too blue collar, but I like them and I work for Ford so I had to find a way to sneak them in! Jaguar XJS
Jaguar XK8 (X100, probably not an KXR and little chance of an X150)
Maserati Coupe/4200GT – could be pushing it here with this one.
Maserati BiTurbo, the unicorn of the bunch. Finding one not in the ‘$20xx’ fodder category is slim pickings.
Mercedes R107 SL
Mercedes R129 SL
MGB and MGC GT. Yes these are closer to sports cars, the drop tops definitely get lumped in with the sports cars, but the Coupes just look so damn good as GT cars. The notsoTRIUMPHant GT6 does not make my list
Nissan 300ZX I have to include it here as I can’t think of a reason to exclude it, it just doesn’t hit my buttons. I just don’t see a smartly dressed gentlemen stepping out of one. Dangerously close to a Japanese Mustang.
Porsche. Early 80’s 8vavle 928. Could give the Maserati’s and the Citroen a run for their money in the most expensive to fix stakes.
Toyota Supra, Again, like the Datsun it sort of belongs here. The A80 series may not be in the price range due to the F&F crowd, but I think the prior A70 series cars are nicer to look at. Again dangerously close to a Japanese Mustang.
Volvo P1800 ES, well it’s good enough for Simon Templar so it’s good enough for my list. Got to give the Val Kilmer C70 a pass though.

Thoughts? Comments? You have to be nuts? What about? How could you possibly have forgotten? How could you possibly have included? Nice but will self-destruct on the test drive? Perfect, it’s are reliable as gravity?

And to end, just because you can't have a thread like this with no pics.

BlueInGreen44
BlueInGreen44 HalfDork
10/7/15 1:23 p.m.

oldeskewltoy
oldeskewltoy UltraDork
10/7/15 1:51 p.m.
BlueInGreen44 wrote:

if you prefer a bit older....

NOT 80s... but arguably the inventor of the American Grand Tourer....

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/7/15 2:23 p.m.
BlueInGreen44 wrote:

How did I forget a Mk VII LSC!! May be not Mr Bond, more Felix Leiter or Napoleon Solo. By bad, very bad. While I also like MK VIII's, the Mk VII seems so much more purposful compared to the 90's bar of soap that was the MK VIII

Woody
Woody MegaDork
10/7/15 2:24 p.m.

I'd choose the Mercedes 280C over the SL.

And, I might consider an early 70's Grand Prix (single headlight version only), but certainly not the Monte Carlo, even though they are kinda almost the same thing. It would have to have whitewalls and some form of factory wheels though, no fancy aftermarket stuff. The kind of car that Major Nelson would have driven after he got the GTOs out of his system.

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/7/15 2:26 p.m.

In reply to oldeskewltoy:

The top ones a Mk III and some vintage of Riviera?

oldtin
oldtin UberDork
10/7/15 2:59 p.m.

Why not 928s4? Caddy allante?

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
10/7/15 3:02 p.m.

I was thinking XJ all the way.

bluej
bluej SuperDork
10/7/15 3:22 p.m.

I'd throw a vote in for Dodge Stealth RT/TT.

92dxman
92dxman Dork
10/7/15 3:37 p.m.

How about an Acura Legend Coupe?

FSP_ZX2
FSP_ZX2 Dork
10/7/15 4:55 p.m.
oldtin wrote: Why not 928s4?

I'm going to leave this here. I always loved the look of these...

wearymicrobe
wearymicrobe SuperDork
10/7/15 4:59 p.m.

Vipers are surprisingly comfortable for long trips with some sound deadening and heat shields. I can do 500 miles a day easy as pie when I have one.

Personally I would find the best modern XK I could find under 20K in a coupe and do some gentile modifications for comfort and call it a day. Though I would never keep my budget at 20K, I did a drive back from Las Vegas to San Diego once in a friends DB9 2010 I think and had a wonderful time.

SEADave
SEADave HalfDork
10/7/15 5:09 p.m.
Woody wrote: I'd choose the Mercedes 280C over the SL.

I see your 280C and raise you a 560SEC-

SyntheticBlinkerFluid
SyntheticBlinkerFluid UltimaDork
10/7/15 5:19 p.m.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/7/15 5:33 p.m.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Aston Martin V8 Vantage

In what universe is that a sub $20 vehicle? Please send instructions, its worth a year sleeping on the couch for that.....

SyntheticBlinkerFluid
SyntheticBlinkerFluid UltimaDork
10/7/15 5:38 p.m.
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Aston Martin V8 Vantage
In what universe is that a sub $20 vehicle? Please send instructions, its worth a year sleeping on the couch for that.....

Well nothing you posted is a sub $20 vehicle

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/7/15 5:47 p.m.
FSP_ZX2 wrote:
oldtin wrote: Why not 928s4?
I'm going to leave this here. I always loved the look of these...

8V 928's I can believe for a nice example at under $20k. But have you seen S4 prices these days.

oldeskewltoy
oldeskewltoy UltraDork
10/7/15 6:44 p.m.
Adrian_Thompson wrote: In reply to oldeskewltoy: The top ones a Mk III and some vintage of Riviera?

The Lincoln is indeed a Mk III, the Riv is 1965.... The Riv is very likely MORE then your $20 large cap, while the Lincoln might just be a bargain.... is a $2900 MkIII a bargain?

$17 large goes a long way to a complete restoration/upgrade.....

maseratiguy
maseratiguy Reader
10/7/15 10:03 p.m.

Most of these suit your criteria. Yeah, your'e not finding the aston for under $20 grand and maybe not some of the Mercedes. How about the Mercedes 450SL? Though I think even as you wrote the post you knew it was the XJS for you all of the way.

oldopelguy
oldopelguy SuperDork
10/8/15 2:52 a.m.

A base model C4 or C5 vette is much more tour than sport, and plenty comfortable for piling on the miles.

If a Chrysler Imperial is good enough for old blue eyes than it should be on here too. Almost any Imperial or 300 could fit the bill back to the 50's, especially the early hemi ones.

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/8/15 8:32 a.m.
oldopelguy wrote: A base model C4 or C5 vette is much more tour than sport, and plenty comfortable for piling on the miles. If a Chrysler Imperial is good enough for old blue eyes than it should be on here too. Almost any Imperial or 300 could fit the bill back to the 50's, especially the early hemi ones.

Corvettes while great mile eaters just don't count as GT cars in my book.

Implerials all see a bit too sedan-ish too me.

It's all just a game anyway.

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/8/15 8:33 a.m.
maseratiguy wrote: Most of these suit your criteria. Yeah, your'e not finding the aston for under $20 grand and maybe not some of the Mercedes. How about the Mercedes 450SL? Though I think even as you wrote the post you knew it was the XJS for you all of the way.

One it's a game, but I was honestly thinking the X100 XK8 would come out on top of the voting.

moparman76_69
moparman76_69 UltraDork
10/8/15 8:51 a.m.

How is there not a big block c body mopar (imperial doesn't count) on this list?

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UltimaDork
10/8/15 10:10 a.m.

In reply to moparman76_69:

Well, it's my thread so my rules But to me they look more like big sedans than Grand Tourers. please convince me other wise, that's what this thread is for, having fun, shooting the E36 M3, swapping ideas.

moparman76_69
moparman76_69 UltraDork
10/8/15 10:26 a.m.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

It even says GT on the back

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