Dad cars: what's the best car your dad's ever had?

Jaguar XJR

Hugo Griffiths – Deputy consumer editor

My father’s Jaguar XJR will always stay with me, and not just because he announced it with the text message “Would you believe XJR?” – he’s not really one for texting, my dad.

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It was a six-cylinder X306 model – itself a rare beast – made all the more unusual as it was one of the few XJRs fitted with the five-speed manual Getrag gearbox. It also looked like pure murder – black on black with five-spoke disc-style alloy wheels. The whine from the supercharger, the knowledge my dad was faster than almost anyone else on the road – few cars have made such an impression on me since. Even its number plate was cool: MI5 XJR.

Rover SD1

Stuart Milne – Automotive managing editor

A Mk3 Cortina was traded for a B-plate Rover SD1, which at the time was still a current model. It had the base engine, a four-cylinder 2.0-litre mated to a three-speed auto. That meant it lacked the power to get out of its own way, but like any SD1 it looked a bit like a Ferrari Daytona. And to my ten-year-old self, that mattered far more.

For all the horror stories about the Rover’s reliability, it ran faultlessly for thousands of miles. Only a disintegrating exhaust on a caravan holiday and a few interior trim ‘issues’ marred his ownership. In fact, it was such a good car, he traded it for another Rover, this time an 820Si which was pretty much hopeless.

Click onto page three for more of the best cars our dads have owned...