Heatwave special | Six of the Best

Sunshine brings them out. Nice cars, that is. You don’t need to own a mint-condition garage queen to be patiently waiting for summertime, nor do you need us to tell you that the warm evenings we’ve all been enjoying (and will continue enjoying for days yet) are the ideal backdrop for driving pleasure. This feeling will occur in pretty much anything, of course – but seems all the better in something special. Behold then, a super vibe-y, not at all scientific rundown of the cars we’d most like to be wearing sunglasses in this week. We’ve even gone decade-by-decade for your viewing pleasure. First up, representing the ’60s, the retromodded Alfa GT Junior due to go under the PH hammer next week. In short, it has a Bob Dove twin-cam, extensive Alfaholics tweaks and looks the bomb in Bianco Spiro. ‘Nuff said.  

On to the ‘70s, and right away we’ve fallen into the trap marked ‘classic Ferrari’. Would a ’79 308 GTB be kind to your wallet or anxiety levels ever? Probably not. But this isn’t a tediously worthy list of sensible purchases; this is the cars we’d like to chase the sunset in, ideally with a fetching plus one. The 308, launched in ’75, is worthy of that accolade because it is a very pretty (especially in Blu Dino) mid-engined, manual, V8-powered two-seater. Also, famously, it was the car driven by Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. and is therefore synonymous with Hawaiian sunshine and wry, mustachioed charm. True, he had the targa-topped GTS, but that just means the berlinetta resists any direct comparisons. Moreover, this one has the optional air con fitted. Which you’ll probably want. 

A second slip, this time budget-based. We’d committed ourselves to staying under £100k on the basis that no one wants to drive a museum piece – but this late-model Aston Martin V8, substantially upgraded, was too much to bear. This was the model that kickstarted Aston’s modern era (stylistically, at least) and if you’re of a certain age, the fuel-injected Series 4, partly courtesy of The Living Daylights, will have stayed with you forever. Thanks to a full rebuild earlier in its life, this one is packing a 7.0-litre V8 and the five-speed ZF manual you’ll want for playing tunes on it. There’s evidence to suggest it’s outputting the best part of 500hp, although really it’s all about Cumberland Grey and old-money glamour. Or possibly the way Daniel Craig pulled the cover off his in No Time to Die. Either way, it’s an ’80s heavyweight in every sense. 

Now we’re talking. Guards Red 911s go together with hazy summer days like lemonade and lager. And we’ve even seen fit to shoehorn in the lesser-seen generation, in its first-through-the-wall GT3 format. For some, the 996.1 (not unlike subsequent versions) will always be in the shadow of the quicker RS model that came later – although that hardly erases the fact that it came with a terrifically good Mezger 3.6, was wonderfully well sorted as a stripped-out road racer, as well as being basically as pretty as the 996 ever got. The days of picking up a nice one for £50k are obviously long gone – at £78,995, you’re paying slightly more for this example than it would’ve cost new – but you’ll forgive yourself once you wind the windows down at full chat. 

In case your summer can’t be all about sports cars and Bond-approved coupes, we’ve included something family-friendly – and a bargain to boot. For a fiver less than £20k, you not only get one of the best-looking fast wagons of the ‘00s, but also one of the best-ever V8s powering the thing. Naturally, it is the naturally aspirated soundtrack of the latter, as moreish as Aperol Spritz in the pavilion, which is guaranteed to put a lovely spin on even the most tedious journey. And if you really don’t need all the load-lugging space, then a coupe won’t set you back much more – here’s one with middling miles for only a few grand north. True enough, either version will have you making friends with the local petrol station attendant – but let’s just consider that a good opportunity to buy more ice creams. 

Thanks to its popularity when new (and a wonderfully affordable point of entry when used) the original V8-powered R8 has become a firm favourite for a younger generation of sun-seekers, and we’d intended to close with something to appeal to them. But who could resist this more senior V10 model in Solar Orange? Needless to say, £90k puts it right at the top end of the market, but as a UK-supplied manual with an impeccable service history and just 10k on the clock, it richly deserves to be. It ticks virtually every summertime box – lavish colour, noise, ease of use, thrashability – and is the sort of glinty thing you’d relish seeing every time you opened the garage door. Given the timeless combination of engine and gearbox, its pinch-me status is unlikely to ever recede. Or fail to look good under a setting sun.