Car: Ford GT

Year: 2005

What makes it special: The Ford GT is an American mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed for model year 2005 in conjunction with the company’s 2003 centenary. The Ford GT began production again from the 2017 model year. The GT recalls Ford’s historically significant GT40, a consecutive four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1966–1969, including a 1-2-3 finish in 1966.

What made it famous: The GT is similar in outward appearance to the original GT40, but is bigger, wider, and most importantly 3 in taller than the original’s 40 in overall height. The Ford GT features many technologies unique at its time including a superplastic-formed frame, aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction stir welded center tunnel, covered by a magnesium center console, a “ship-in-a-bottle” gas tank, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels, and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon fiber inner panel. Brakes are four-piston aluminum Brembo calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine are visible. The longitudinal rear mounted Modular 5.4 L V8 engine is all-aluminum alloy engine with an Eaton 2300 Lysholm screw-type supercharger. It features a forged rotating assembly housed in an aluminum block designed specifically for the car. A dry sump oiling system is employed, allowing the engine to sit low in the car’s frame. The DOHC 4 valves per cylinder heads are a revision of the 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R cylinder heads with slightly increased wall casting thickness in the exhaust port. The camshafts have unique specifications, with more lift and duration than those found in the Shelby GT500. Power output is 550 hp at 6,500 rpm and 500 lb⋅ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. A Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission is fitted featuring a helical limited-slip differential. 

Why I would want one: It’s Ford’s supercar, and not many were produced, making it an instant collectible.

Fun fact: During the GT’s production run, the car was featured on the cover of the video game Gran Turismo 4, and was also featured in Need for Speed: ProStreet, as well as being made into physical form in the Transformers: Alternators toy line, which featured realistic cars turning into Cybertronians; the Ford GT mold was used for the characters Mirage and Rodimus.

Car: Plymouth Fury 2-Door Hardtop

Year: 1963

What makes it special: The Fury was produced by Plymouth from 1955 to 1989. It was introduced for the 1956 model year as a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere, becoming a separate series one level above the contemporary Belvedere for 1959. The Fury was a full-size car from 1959 to 1961, then a mid-size car from 1962 to 1964, again a full-size car from 1965 to 1974, and again a mid-size car from 1975 to 1978.

What made it famous: Chrysler had a new styling chief, Elwood Engel, just recruited from Ford, and his efforts produced nice, face-lifted 1963 cars that helped Plymouth reclaim fourth again. A conservative restyle graced the Plymouth Fury for 1963, with four headlights and vertical front fender lines. The top of the line at Plymouth was the Sport Fury, which returned from as a convertible and hardtop coupe with standard all-vinyl bucket-seat interior and huge performance potential. Unlike regular Fury’s, the Sport Fury’s had a standard V8 in the form of a mild 230-horsepower 318, a 265-bhp 361,a 383 ci 330 hp “Golden Commando,” and on to the newly enlarged 426 big-blocks packing up to 425 hp with the “ram induction.”

Why I would want one: I absolutely adore the style of this car.

Fun fact: The word “Fury” denotes a type of anger, inspired by the Furies, mythological creatures in Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman mythology.