1. 1966 Pontiac GTO
The car that is known to a lot of people as, "the first muscle car." While the original 1964 model is the version that brought the GTO to the world, my personal favorite is the 1966 GTO. The styling on the 66' looks more aggressive than the earlier versions and has great lines. I would say that the 66' GTO is the definitive version and it screams cool. It would be perfect to go cruising in with your college friends, and if you want to, take to the drag strip. The 66' GTO has everything it needs to be a bad ass car. It has aggressive, boxy and yet clean styling. There is a manly V8 in the front, that produces an awesome sound to enjoy. The interesting thing about a car like this is, to me at least, is that the car is not pretentious in any way. When driving a car like this people will not judge you, but give praise that you are sharing your unique car so everyone can enjoy it. If you were to have this car in college, you would not look like a show off, but a bad ass who respects the legend that they are driving.
I have had the pleasure of being able to see a Mercury Cougar in real life, and I thought to myself, "bad ass." The Cougar is one of those cars that a car enthusiast will instantly recognize, but others may not notice. It's not as famous as the other big muscle and pony cars of the day, but that adds to the mystique that I think the car has. You could get the car with a number of different engines including a massive 428 V8. Remember the times when you could get a car with a gigantic engine that the company said had less horsepower than it actually had in order to keep insurance and emissions people happy. Those were some good times. The reason why this would be a great college car is for slightly different reasons than the GTO. Yes the car is immensely manly, but one thing that sets it apart is while it definitely looks like a bad ass muscle car, only car enthusiasts will know what it is and whats under the hood. The Cougar is a car that is great for the drag strip, drifting, and cruising. This would be one cool college ride. Also the Cougar has hidden headlights, who doesn't want a car with hidden headlights?
3. The 1964 Lincoln Continental
Do I really have to explain why this car is on the list? Just look at the car and if you can honestly tell me that the Continental isn't a PERFECT college car, then let me elaborate. The Lincoln Continental is a car that screams "classic." The car is sleek, cool, and under the radar. Its got four doors, suicide doors that are make you look like a boss (sorry, I couldn't use the word gangster). If you get it in black, it just adds to the appeal of the car. Sure its not nearly as fast as other four door cars, but if you want a car that has style, the Continental has it in spades. Granted the car still has a massive V8 engine, but this car really is for cruising. To add to the college eligibility of the car, it was featured in Animal House, the ultimate college movie. This really is an fantastic cruising car for the college student and if you have one, drive it with pride.
4. The 1965 Shelby GT350
I am going to say this now, I am a HUGE mustang lover and I had to choose a mustang for the list. It might not surprise you then that I drive a mustang and I love the car to death. I decided though, that I would choose a mustang other than mine to pick as an ultimate college car. The 1965 Shelby GT350 is an classic American pony car and its legacy lives on today. It easily is one of the most desirable Mustangs ever made and they command big prices at the auction. If you look at the car you can see why. When the Mustang was released in 1964, it became an icon in American motoring history. It took America by storm, setting business records and, like the GTO, created its own class of car. This class would be known as 'pony cars'. However, the Mustang was not quite the performance car and Ford looked to the legend Carrol Shelby to make a performance version of the Mustang. When Shelby and his team did the magic they were famous for, the resulting car became an legend. The Shelby GT350, with its 306 horsepower 289 V8, was the street going version of a race car. It came in the iconic color scheme of white with blue stripes. This car is an instant classic, the kind of car that will bring a smile to people who see it and will make you happy to have. This is the kind of car that when you are walking into a store and you turn around to see it, you will have a feeling of unrivaled joy. This is a heroic car. This is a famous version of a famous car. If you have this in college, you can rest assured that no one will have a car as classic as it. Wow, look at me, I just spent a while going into detail about why this car is legendary. I really like this car.
5. Chevrolet El Camino
Ahh the El Camino, another legend in America. The El Camino is a combination of a car and truck in what the Australians call, a Ute. The El Camino is a cult car, one that has a huge following that adds to its reputation as a classic. This is basically a muscle car up front, and a pickup truck at the back. You can get the El Camino with a variety of engines, including the classic Chevy 350. The one that I would want though, is the SS 454, with the massive 454 V8 that was used in the Chevelle SS 454. The engine produces 450 horsepower, which by today's standards is not astronomical but back in the 70's, was enormous. This is a vehicle then that you could stuff all of your supplies in the back, then take out and have some fun with. This car is ideal for college then because it is a multi purpose vehicle that has a bad ass side and a utilitarian side. This is a car that would be great for a college student.
6. TVR Sagaris
Why would I put an car that is not even sold in the U.S. in here? I chose this car because it is ridiculous. The car itself looks insane, with sideways exhaust pipes and an very aggressive hood. It has a large amount of power for what is a light car. It has a 400 horsepower 4 litre in line six that gets it from zero to sixty in 3.7 seconds. The car is very fast, very hard to drive, and probably is illegal in the US. Why go through all of the trouble then? Do it because of the pure insanity of it. Most people will have absolutely no idea what the car is and if you give them a ride you can scare them to death because the car doesn't have traction control. If you want to add more craziness then you can swap out the in line six for a Chevy V8 to give it even more power and make it even more scary. Basically what I am saying is that this would be a cool college car because it would scare you, scare your friends, confuse your friends, and would make a mundane exciting in a dramatic way.
7. Cadillac CTS-V Wagon
This certainly is a change of pace isn't it? Why would I choose a modern Cadillac as a cool college car? Well, this is not an old person Cadillac, this is a man's Cadillac. For the past couple years, Cadillac has been trying, mostly successfully, to change its image. One of the cars they decided to make was a performance version of the CTS sedan, called the CST-V. The new CST-V has a 556 horsepower, 6.2 litre, supercharged V8 that is absolute beast. It also is equipped with better brakes, and a better set up for driving hard. It also holds the lap record at the Nurburgring as the fastest production sedan in the world. Why did I choose the wagon version then? It's simple. It's a street sleeper. Most people would look at the car and think its just a touted up mommy mobile that really can do anything besides move stuff. They would be mistaken for this car can get from zero to sixty in 4.1 seconds, which means it will eat up most of the cars you will see on the road. Being a wagon of course, the car is quite practical and will be able to seat four people and carry their stuff. The thing about having a car like this at college then, is that most people will not know what the car is, and the ones that do know will give their respect. The CTS-V wagon is a street sleeper for the practical person who likes to have some serious fun.
8. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8
Again, here is a car that is a street sleeper, but possibly more than the Caddy. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is known for alot of things, but being fast on the road is not one of them. Obviously, someone thought that it would be a good idea to put a powerful engine into a SUV, and in this case they got something unique. This is not the first time this has happened of course, cars like the Porsche Cayenne have been around before the SRT-8. However, the Cherokee really is a vehicle that no one expected would be able to perform like it ended up doing. With a 6.1 litre V8 producing 425 horsepower, the SRT-8 was able to achieve stunning results. It was able to go from zero to sixty in 4.6 seconds, which for a large SUV, is incredible. This means that you can actually beat a BMW M3 in a drag race, which is astounding. Of course, the Jeep could not keep up with a car like the M3 in the corners, but it could certainly hold its own against other SUV's. Due to its modifications, it wont be very good off road but who cares when you have an SUV that can go this fast. Besides the practicality of the Jeep, there is an aspect of it that would make it a cool car to have. Unlike other fast SUV's that companies have created like the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 M, Mercedes ML 63 AMG, and the Range Rover Sport Supercharged; you wont look like a tool driving a SRT-8 because in the end its a Jeep and doesn't look like a mommy car. It actually looks pretty damn cool in my opinion.
9. BMW M5 E39
I thought about what BMW would make a cool college car. The problem is that if you drive a BMW in college, people may view you as a spoiled rich kid. It was tough then, coming up with a car made by BMW that is both a good car and not ostentatious. The BMW M5 E39 is the car I choose because of two reasons; It will arguably be one of the most desirable BMW M cars of the period, and I don't think that the car holds the same image now. If you drive a new 3 series you might look like a tool, but if you are driving an old M5, people may look and think its just an 'old' BMW. Personally, the the E39 M5 is one of my personal favorite BMW's. It has a great look that is powerful yet understated. It has a solid, powerful V8 at the front that gives it great performance. It has been set up to handle well, which it does. It also is meant to sit 4 people comfortably, which it also does well. Overall then, I would pick this as the BMW to take to college if you want one that is both fast and doesn't carry an image with it.
10. Audi RS4 Avant
I have thrown another wagon into the mix and this was also tough to decide on. Audi has the same problem that BMW has in that if you have one in college, you will look spoiled. I picked the RS4 Avant for a couple reasons; It is a great car, its a practical wagon, and I don't think its that showy. The reason why I think you could get away with having this car is that wagons don't really have the image that other cars in the lineup may have. Thus, I think you could safely drive the car and most people would just look at it and not think its a rich kid car. The car itself is great, having Audi's time proven all wheel drive system that will enable you to drive fast on all sorts of different surfaces. It also has a great 420 horsepower 4.2 litre V8 that is able to give the car good performance. Since its an Audi, it will be accompanied by a comfortable interior with premium materials. This is a different kind of wagon than the CTS-V, not as brash but still very capable. It is a good all around car that should easily be able to accommodate someone where ever they are located.
There are many other cars that I would put on this list, but I don't have time to write about them all so here is a list of some of them:
1. Hemi Cuda
2. Dodge Challenger (1970)
3. Ford Focus RS
4. Volkswagen Scirocco R
5. Ferrari FF
6. Ford Bronco
7. Ford F150 Raptor
8. Ford Mustang 5.0 (2011 and Fox body)
9. Chevy Corvette 1967
10. Chevy Corvette ZR1 2011
11. Nissan GTR R34
12. Dodge Viper
and many more
1968 Mercury Cougar Hardtop '5JCH669' 03 by Jack Snell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
1966 Pontiac GTO Hardtop (Custom) 'ZEC 835' 2 by Jack Snell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
1964 Lincoln Continental by Nick Young is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 Fastback 3 by Jack Snell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Chevy El Camino by villagelinca is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
TVR Sagaris side by Flow Images is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
2011 Chicago Auto Show 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Platinum Edition by Don Harder is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Jeep Gran Cherokee HPE800 by AutoEstilo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
BMW M5 (2002) by The Car Spy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
2006 Audi RS4 Avant by The Car Spy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
