Many car enthusiasts keep a list of cars close to their hearts. For me, this mental log constantly evolves with age. Although I must say my list has held pretty consistent for the past few decades. I’m just glad I grew out of that childhood phase where I thought Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini were the best cars ever built.

This list doesn’t segregate by continent, manufacturer or era. Every car company has had its time in the lime light at some point. I compare automakers to musicians: a great musician might only have a few number one hits in their career. This doesn’t mean the artist isn’t a good writer or composer, it just shows that some songs suit the masses while others go unnoticed.

So let’s see what songs sang to me in the past century, in no particular order:

Aston Martin DB5
This is one car that has survived the matchbox memories of my youth. First made famous by Ian Fleming’s 007 series when a silver DB5 appeared in “Goldfinger� (1964). It also reappeared in “Thunderball� (1965) then “GoldenEye� in 1995 and finally in “Tomorrow Never Dies� (1997). Yes, I am a very big Bond fan because of the emphasis of the status symbol they made the automobile.

Mustang GT 5.0 (1988-93)
This is easily the most popular builder’s years for Ford’s pony car. Having built three myself, I know is car very well. Known to most in the industry as the “Fox� body ’Stang, you can build one for a reasonable price and have fun in any style racing from strip to street. This car was also made famous in movies of the late 80s and early 90s. Remember that car in “Basic Instinct� that Michael Douglas hot rodded through the streets of San Francisco? You got it, a 1991 Mustang GT convertible.

1932 Ford Coupe, aka “Deuce Coupe�
This is the one hot rod I have always longed to own. Someday when I hit it big I will know because among my four-car garage will be one of these babies built right by Roy Brizio. This car has by far been the ultimate poster child to both the hot rod and rat rod culture. From Beach Boy songs to Goodguy’s event shirts, this car IS famous. The shot above is taken from George lucas' classic movie American Graffiti. A simple tub and chassis with a hopped up V8 in front and a tight Ford 9-inch out back … need I say more?

Vector W8
I had an opportunity to meet and interview Gerald Wiegert at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. This is the man behind the legendary Vector car, first made famous in the late 80s. I am a lover of this car not only because of the brilliance of its creator but the fact that it was years ahead of industry standards. Forget mild steel and sheet metal, Vector Motors built cars from materials like aluminum honeycomb and carbon Kevlar. This car company was the definition of the phrase “Aeromotive Engineering.�

Audi S8
Another familiar car from the big screen, this car is by far one of Audi’s best sleepers ever built. Made popular in the gearhead circles by a chase scene in the 1998 movie “Ronin,� this car did things never imagined in your dad’s old 500. Including 4-wheel drifts on cobble stone roads. You Tube the scene when you get a chance. Stats for a 2005 Audi S8: 5.2-liter, V10-engine (modified V10/5.0L from Lamborghini Gallardo) with 450BHP mated to a six-speed manual.

Stay tuned next week for the other five on my list!

Happy Motoring,

Lance