If you’re reading, Santa… here are the cars members of Drive team want to find in their garages on Christmas Day.
Customisation is in vogue at the moment, but choice can be seriously confusing. In our configurator challenge, we let the Drive team loose on a manufacturer’s website to create their ideal combination for a certain model.
The team got into the festive spirit this week; rather than configuring one specific car, our writers picked the performance or exotic car they’d like to find the keys to in their stocking on Christmas morning.
Let us know in the comments which car you’d choose for Santa’s list!
James Ward, Director of Content
For my Christmas this year, I’m balancing the practical with the fanciful. I’ve no where to put a $300,000 supercar, and while that is still true for my choice – an Alpina B3 Touring – I fear a snazzy BMW can live outside as a bespoke daily muscle-wagon far more reasonably than a racetrack-ready GT3.
I’ve chosen the Alpina Blue (because you have to) with gold Deko stripes and the silver 20-inch Alpina wheels. Inside is the full Oyster Merino leather (Lavalina is nice, but even virtually it’s hard to justify) with Alpina mats, embossed headrests, sunroof and a tint finishing it off.
I’ve kept the chrome grille to balance the wheels, although I’d likely get the vanes wrapped in black to soften the front a smidge. That I have to spend $287 to get adaptive high beam is pure BMW cheek, but the milled aluminium shift paddles are worth every cent of their $502 option cost.
All in, Santa needs to dig deep for $167,005 (plus on-roads) which is more affordable than a new BMW M3 sedan – and thus makes the all-wheel-drive wagon a far more special and desirable gift to see in 2022.
Kez Casey, Production Editor
Faced with the option of ‘any car you like’ I don’t think I’d actually be able to make my mind up, but some self-imposed restrictions – must be dailyable, can’t be too rare or over the top – led me down this path. Ask me tomorrow and I might pick something else entirely.
Purely because it’s relatively light, nimble, but no less attention demanding in the metal, I’ve opted for an Aston Martin Vantage coupe, and as much as I’d have quite liked a V12, the 375kW/685Nm twin-turbo V8 ought to hit the spot.
The configuration itself is from Aston’s historic collection – Caribbean Blue Pearl, giving the car a modern DB4/DB5 vibe. That’s paired with a classic vaned grille and chrome trim for the grille and window trims, but offset by a gloss black roof and lower body trims.
Keeping that subtle theme in mind, 21-inch machined face wheels hide anodised grey brake calipers, and classic red tail-lights – for a little contrast.
On the inside Aston’s Inspire duo-tone interior sees Aurora Blue and Centenary Saddle Tan leather covering Sports Plus seats, a GT steering wheel with satin dark chrome ‘interior jewellery’, and carpets and headlining in Blue Haze.
Oh, and while I’m at it, I may as well have that available seven-piece leather luggage set. Just the thing for long weekends touring the Riviera.
Emma Notarfrancesco, Senior Journalist
You can get lost in the endless amount of options when configuring a Ferrari. I choose the ultimate – an 812 Superfast. Finished in Grigio Scuro, one of nine historic colour options, the exterior also scores Corsa wheels with yellow brake calipers, and a black ceramic exhaust.
The interior is finished in Cuoio leather, with a long list of premium touches also added, including a carbon-fibre upgrade, floor mats with embroiled logos, and standard carbon racing seats. It’s a good-looking beast – if only Ferrari shared the prices of its options online. I’d love to know what it all amounts to!
Tom Fraser, Journalist
On Christmas morning I’d quite like to see an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera in my stocking. I’m not normally a huge fan of the brand but the British marque’s online car configurator is pretty incredible and stirs the imagination. I couldn’t help but have a go at configuring its top-dog supercar, the DBS Superleggera with its twin-turbo V12 engine. I’m a particular fan of the outside blue hue, and while the interior is a bit more bold in its specification, I’m happy with how it came out.
Please Santa.
Alex Misoyannis, Journalist
Like Kez, I set myself a few criteria to make my choice a little more “realistic” (if that’s possible…): it had to be something I’d daily, so it couldn’t be too big (looking at you, 992-generation Porsche 911…) and had to offer the modern safety and driver assistance gear you’d expect of a six-figure new car.
With public perception of reliability not a criterion, I opted for a new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Finished in Verde Montreal (the only colour better than Alfa Red) with the optional ‘telephone dial’ five-hole wheels, it’s the right size for a daily car, with plenty of tech (though not as much as the Germans) – while still offering the performance to put a smile on your face.
The base car is priced from $138,950 before on-road costs – one of the most affordable offerings in its segment – but sadly, my spec isn’t that cheap. The tri-colour Verde Montreal paint adds a staggering $3650, compounded by $1300 for those five-hole alloys and $8250 for the Sparco carbon-fibre bucket seats (money is no object here, right?).
All up, it’s $152,150 before on-road costs, or about $170,000 on the road – a few thousand more than a BMW M3 Competition. Where can Santa sign?
The post Configurator Challenge: What we’d like for Christmas appeared first on Drive.
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