Win the powerball, what car stuff do you do?

I'd have many acres of woods and fields that would get trails all over them. They'd start as 4wd trails then I'd buy a grader or similar and they'd turn into my own rally course that the wife can ride the horses down.

On top of the other stuff, I'd go back to school. I am woefully under-educated.

CK vehicle architecture. Aluminum underbody, carbon upperbody. Utterly tiny, think Morris Minor size. Electric powertrains on the Tesla model; make the batteries a commodity, develop and build motors and controllers. Sell private-label at someone else's dealerships to get paid to help them with GHG compliance.

Powerball money?

I'd suddenly be in the position where I could spend the balance of my days doing literally whatever I want within my physical constraints.

I'd immediately buy 2 brand new Stohr or West P2 sports racers with full spares, all the new pit infrastructure, and hire a crew chief, engineer, data guy, and helpers. I wouldn't quite go Level 5 on it, but I'd be able to compete in the SCCA Majors series without it taking much more time than flying in.

All this stuff would be stored at my race/fabrication/machine car shop which I'd build on the property of the new house, which would stay in the DC Metro area 'cause I like it here. The house would have access to a river for easy rowing.

I love Southern california so I'd buy a place there and stock it with a buch of California-appropriate cars and someone to take care of them. Same for a place in say, Connecticut around Darien maybe. Not too far from Lime Rock.

My car time would be divided between building complete cars from materials in the shop, arrive-and-drive days at every track I want to experience, and contesting a race series in the most demanding car I think I could succeed with.

The rest of the time would be spent on travel and philanthropy.

with the cancer, my outlook has changed a bit ... I probably wouldn't jump in with a lot of car purchases ... a V12 Aston Martin (manual only) not many of them out there... and probably a Jag sedan of some sort

I would buy CMP ... it's for sale, no one seems to be jumping on it ... I wouldn't care if it made money or not ... repave and upgrade the paddock ... continue to keep it in top notch condition ... hire folk that would do all this ...

why CMP ? I love the track ... it's a fun drive, it's very safe (run off.. etc) I've got more laps on this track than any other ... it's not as great as Road Atlanta, or VIR ... but they aren't for sale LOL and CMP is

I'd send my Miata to go play with Keith for a while and expect it to come home with double the cylinders.

Then I'd expand my shop a little.

10 car garage.....and some other stuff

This just popped up locally. 271 acres in the country, you can put in your own motorsports park.

mndsm wrote: Call the tool truck. Buy it.

Corrected for accuracy. Me? I'd spend the first year traveling to all the coolest place imaginable. Year 2 would be EVERY Solo National tour in an amazing diesel pusher with largenormous enclosed trailer with everything...... for my STF Forte. Because. Year 3 would be a motorcycle cross country event/getting competition license/OLoA. Year 4 would be road racing series.

With the current cahs payout of $930M, even investing it in a series of savings account netting .3% interest, that would leave $2.8M per year to live off of. Trust me.... I could find a way to make that work.

Car stuff huh? Well this is easier than the other thread. I was overwhelmed trying to think of all the ways I'd start living like a successful adult instead of a cyberpunk character.

Not sure what I'd do with my current cars. They'd only have sentimental value for me where I'm going. Might keep them, might sell them or give them away.

Now for some new cars. For an offroad vehicle, I'd build something that's somewhat similar to your typical Ultra4 unlimited truck - tube frame, 4WS, solid axles, monster tires, massive travel. It wouldn't be so desert-oriented though, it would have an enclosed cabin with windows and climate control. The big difference would be in the powertrain. It would be a series hybrid with each axle driven by an electric motor going through a computer-controlled 4spd sequential gearbox (controls would be mostly drive-by-wire, this way I can get anything from ultra-low wall-climbing gears to higher gears for desert racing, and control torque split by choosing different gears front to rear). It would have a smallish battery pack and a ~250shp aircraft APU so I can still use liquid fuel for massive range. Yes I will enter KoH with it. And Baja. And Dakar. And the local offroad TSD (and yes it will be a bit unfair there).

Now that I can afford to chuck cars sideways at walls, I'd get into stage rally. Probably just buy a good used car to start with and go from there, competing in the local and regional series.

Now for a fun street/weekend car, I'd build something like a modernized electric AW11, with proper suspension this time. I'm thinking 400hp should be a sensible fun amount of power. Tube frame, CF body, double wishbones, "glass cockpit", simple and light.

Of course there's no point being stupidly rich if you can't own a supercar, mine will be a McLaren P1.

Big shop of course staffed with top men. TOP. MEN. Or women, I don't discriminate and they'd be ready to pack up and fly to wherever I'm doing an event.

Probably never touch a wrench again.

My fantasy life would involve unlimited access to first class travel at any time. I would amuse myself flitting around the planet.

Dress up like a complete bum. Walk in to a upscale car dealership and see who helps me. Hopefully a nice young salesperson is delegated to help the "bum". If they treat me with respect I will by them the car of there choice along with my car and pay their commission on both.

dean1484 wrote: Dress up like a complete bum. Walk in to a upscale car dealership and see who helps me. Hopefully a nice young salesperson is delegated to help the "bum". If they treat me with respect I will by them the car of there choice along with my car and pay their commission on both.

I used to get killer service at the bentley dealer attached to the mazda dealer for that very reason. I look like the no berkeleys given rich guy.

Apparently a Gulfstream 550 CPO is only 28.5M

In reply to wbjones:

If you buy CMP, I'd be perfectly happy to manage it for you and we can let the Mrs run all the events.

that would work ... though I had first thought of a friend that used to manage RRR and got a major screw job there... but I'm betting the 2 of ya could make a go of ...

mainly because the owner would want it to be so, and would make the salary's such that a manager/assistant manager would be happy as hell

Welp, the FIRST thing I would do is knee my current office manager in the nads on my way out the door. The first automotive thing I would do is donate some cash to Hallett Motor Racing Circuit for them to improve their "facilities" (sorry Connie, but the restrooms are in need of a bulldozer). 2- Buy a new Cayman GT4, 3- Buy a new Spec Racer Ford 2.0 and a bunch of coaching sessions and get REALLY fast at track driving, then race it every road course in the country, 4- Build my old '02 Escort sedan into a ragged-edge-of-the-rules-but-still-legal Improved Touring racer just to prove you don't have to have a Honda or Volkswagen to win (Miatas don't count here), 5- Don't know, I haven't even started 1 through 4 yet...

Fix what I have. Probably buy a few things - the Charger and Demon I've always wanted. A nice conditioned garage to store and work on them all.

Travel. Drive all 50 states and Canada in my 1800ES after it's built.

I already have soooo much crap I hardly use. I can't see buying a lot more.

I'd open a weed themed amusement park just outside of Denver as well, likely out in BFE near the airport. I don't smoke and it's not automobile related, but I bet that I'd flirt with 2 Billion if I play may cards right with licensing of merchandise and concessions.

Build a Jet.

Yeah. A berkeleying Fighter Jet.

And buy an Island and become a King.

Billion dollars. You could buy most of the Veyron's ever built.

Now that I think about it, I could go for a Zonda as well. Just because Zonda is such a cool poster car name. Or a villain in Street Fighter.

Did I say Lamborghini earlier?

I'd also budget myself $5 million a year to live off of and play with. This would include cars, cost of living and real estate used as residence (primary or vacation). It wouldn't include investment property and the amusement park development and operating cost.

Mr. Jones wouldn't need to worry about CMP if I were to win, you'd get a set of keys to the gate and let me know how many bays you'd like your garage to have.

I'd propose to the GRM staff a $201X ultimate track car challenge in addition to the traditional challenge format. All that run off sounds like there would be space for a rallysprint course to be developed on the property as well.

Cars I'd pick up over the first 60 months, 60 months to ensure that I enjoy them for 2-3 months before adding another into the mix and to not blow through my car budget for the year in 2 weeks:

another ND miata in white to visit Keith

Ariel Atom Nomad

Catherham 7 motivated by a modern DI turbo lump, I'd honestly spend some time in deciding which lump to use

Cayman GT4

Focus RS

ATS-V

I'd hold out hope that Ford develops a Fiesta RS

84 911 SC RS

rally prepped 911 SC RS replica

rally prepped fuel injected 964

mk1 gen escort mexico

rally prepped mk1 escort replica with ecoboost swap

Renault R5 turbo

Colorado diesel

Earthroamer

Cadillac ELR (investment)

P85D

a pair of volvo 240s, one 244 rally prepped with 16v head swap and OEM turbo bits swapped on, the other to receive a modern DI turbo lump and kahlphenke suspension bits

a volvo 142 and Amazon

Volvo V90 wagon (once released, i'd await a possible Polestar edition)

a couple alfas

a pair of NA miatas, one to remain stock powerplant but receive suspension bits and refresh, one to get a klze swap and pair of EFRs

E30 M3

S52 M coupe

swmbo would like a mustang of some guise, i'd try to steer her into a GT350R or RTR

and i'd finish the 323 and likely pick up another to build.

I'd also talk to the GRM staff about what they would like to increase their ability to produce video content for online and social media consumption, if they so choose. Camera, quadrotor, video editing hardware and software etc. and budget for filming and post production editing.

All of the stage rally. All of it.

Also all the rally cars that interest me.

Another thing i'd probably do i set up a leno-like garage with fabrication abilities and start pumping out hard to find parts for cars I like, like 323 GTX transmissions. Maybe try to make them beefier, too.

In reply to Rufledt:

Complete with 3D printing capabilities. Also there's an Australian company, PAR that already makes your gearbox.

I would obviously dedicate a ton of time to track days and performance rallying. Definitely do Targa Newfoundland and Targa Tasmania.

I'd do a cross-Europe road trip in a Lamborghini Espada. Maybe do a similar trip across USA in a 928.

I'd get into overlanding. A Land Cruiser or 4Runner, maybe.

I would end up having a number of "very nice but not particularly special or valuable" cars. I just don't have extravagant taste, in relative terms, if we're talking about being multimillionaires. Sure a 964 Carrera RS is special, but I'd just as soon get a 964 Carrera 2 and throw on a few aftermarket parts. Definitely keeping my current car. Other must-haves are the 911, a NSX, a Lancia Fulvia, an Alfa 105. I would drive them all briskly, but I'd probably have dedicated cars for track duty and other disciplines (E36/E46 M3? C6 Z06? Cayman? Another 911?).

Would probably put my money to work promoting/upgrading the local motorsports park.