Three Dreams and One Obsession

The four machines that, in very different ways, define what “making it” means to me.

I’ve always said there are three cars that, if I ever park them in my driveway, will tell the world I’ve arrived.

Not because I care to put on a show. And certainly not because I have any patience for superficial luxury.

It is because these machines represent something very specific.

They are calm. They do not scream. They don't need exaggerated aerodynamic wings, aggressive splitters, or loud exhaust valves engineered solely to demand attention before rounding a corner. They possess absolute physical presence, yet they remain entirely at ease with themselves.

There is something classical, almost old-world British and Germanic about them. Composed craftsmanship. Serious mechanical engineering. And beneath all that restraint, just enough brute performance to remind you that these are not merely comfortable living rooms on wheels.

They are mechanical marvels.

Every single one of them shares an attribute that is non-negotiable for me: they are pure Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) platforms.

I love the character of a combustion powerplant the mechanical density, the deliberate acoustic depth, the sensation of reciprocating mass working under a long bonnet. I have an abiding respect for what automotive engineers built when there were fewer regulatory constraints on how complex, powerful, or unapologetically excessive an engine could be.

My automotive worldview has always been anchored here. I currently drive a Mercedes-Benz W211, and honestly, it remains the baseline of what a car ought to feel like. I have no desire to part with it, nor do I want to pass it on. Couple that with my lifelong admiration for the vault-like integrity of the W124, and the lineage makes sense: peace, cabin isolation, and disguised mechanical capability.

My ultimate four are not randomly picked exotics. They are four executions of a single driving philosophy.

01 — Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge (Pre-Series II)

If there is a definitive machine on this list that signals the summit, it is this one.

The second-generation Ghost launched in 2020 on Rolls-Royce’s proprietary all-aluminium spaceframe the Architecture of Luxury. In late 2021, Goodwood introduced the Black Badge Ghost as its purest, most driver-centric iteration.

That distinction matters. The Ghost has always been the Rolls-Royce for the owner who prefers the front-left seat to the rear-right lounge.

Then came the Black Badge treatment.

Beneath the endless bonnet sits a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12, tuned to 600 PS and 900 Nm of torque. Rolls-Royce mated this cathedral of an engine to a satellite-aided ZF eight-speed automatic, permanent all-wheel drive, and active rear-wheel steering.

That mechanical tension is what makes it compelling.

It never looks fast. It looks sovereign. It looks composed. It looks like it has an appointment of grave importance and absolutely no incentive to hurry.

Yet underneath lies an engine with deliberate excess. Black Badge is far more than darkened brightwork and smoked vapor-blasted Spirit of Ecstasy emblems; the drivetrain calibration, throttle tip-in, transmission shift maps, and air-suspension chambers were re-engineered for precise chassis control.

It is not an exotic supercar, nor does it pretend to be. It is an unapologetic ultra-luxury saloon with immense torque reserves resting just beneath the surface.

SpecificationRolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge (2021–2024)Engine6.75L Twin-Turbocharged V12 (N74)Power600 PS (592 bhp / 441 kW)Torque900 Nm (664 lb-ft) @ 1,700 rpmTransmission8-speed Satellite-Aided AutomaticDrivetrainAll-Wheel Drive (AWD) with All-Wheel Steering0–100 km/h4.7 secondsTop Speed250 km/h (governed)

The defining metric here is not the 600 PS. It is the 900 Nm available practically off idle at 1,700 rpm. This car moves with inexorable planetary momentum rather than frantic revs.

02 — Bentley Flying Spur Speed (W12)

If the Ghost is sovereign arrival, the Flying Spur Speed is the absolute definition of performance in disguise.

The Flying Spur is a three-box luxury saloon designed to cross continents without disturbing the air in the cabin. Then you read the powertrain data: a 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 producing 635 PS and 900 Nm of torque.

Zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. A top speed of 333 km/h (207 mph).

In a luxury vehicle weighing nearly two and a half tonnes.

Bentley did not merely wedge a massive powerplant into a comfortable chassis. The third-generation Flying Spur Speed employs 48-volt active anti-roll bars (Bentley Dynamic Ride), electronic four-wheel steering, brake-based torque vectoring, massive 420 mm front steel brake rotors, and a lightning-quick eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The chassis performs a remarkable sleight of hand: it shrinks around the driver on dynamic roads, yet effortlessly returns to an isolated grand tourer the second you ease off.

The W12 itself is a mechanical landmark. Its unique four-bank configuration allowed Bentley to package a twelve-cylinder powertrain into a compact footprint for optimal weight distribution. When Crewe introduced the Speed in 2022, it was openly acknowledged as the twilight anthem for the pure W12 era before electrification took hold.

SpecificationBentley Flying Spur Speed (W12)Engine6.0L Twin-Turbo W12Power635 PS (626 bhp / 467 kW)Torque900 Nm (664 lb-ft) @ 1,500–5,000 rpm Transmission 8-speed Dual-Clutch (ZF DCT)DrivetrainActive All-Wheel Drive0–100 km/h3.8 secondsTop Speed333 km/hBrakes420 mm cast-iron front discs

It is a grand tourer disguised as an executive limousine.

03 — Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupé (C217)

When discussing the modern S-Class, two performance icons emerge: the twin-turbo V8 S 63 4MATIC+, and the ultimate mechanical statement: the rear-wheel-drive, twin-turbo V12 S 65.

The facelifted S 63 with its 4.0-litre biturbo V8, 9-speed MCT, and variable 4MATIC+ is objectively the faster modern weapon. But for pure mechanical gravitas, the C217 S 65 Coupé remains unmatched.

The C217 took the architectural supremacy of the W222 S-Class and sculpted it into a pillarless two-door grand tourer. AMG then fitted their hand-built 6.0-litre M279 biturbo V12.

5,980 cc. 630 PS. A staggering 1,000 Nm of torque channeled strictly through the rear wheels via the heavy-duty AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC.

A rear-wheel-drive, four-seat luxury coupé deploying four-figure torque without massive wings or theatrical diffusers. It does not need to posture. It simply accelerates with unyielding, locomotive-like force.

The C217 S 65 marks the end of an era: the final time an enthusiast could walk into an Affalterbach dealership and order a full-size, two-door Mercedes coupé powered by a twelve-cylinder engine.

SpecificationMercedes-AMG S 63 (C217 Facelift)Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupé (C217)Engine4.0L V8 Biturbo (M177)6.0L V12 Biturbo (M279)Power612 PS (603 bhp)630 PS (621 bhp)Torque900 Nm (664 lb-ft)1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft)Transmission9-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONICDrivetrainFully Variable 4MATIC+ AWDRear-Wheel Drive (RWD)0–100 km/h3.5 seconds4.1 secondsTop Speed250 km/h (300 km/h with Driver's Pack)250 km/h (300 km/h with Driver's Pack)

My choice between the two is unambiguous: give me the V12. Not because it wins a drag race against modern launch-control software, but because it is the ultimate expression of Mercedes-Benz engineering scale.

04 — Mercedes-Benz E 400 d 4MATIC (W213)

Then comes the fourth machine. It does not carry an exotic price tag or a six-figure depreciation curve, yet it is the one I feel the deepest connection to: the Mercedes-Benz W213 E-Class.

Specifically, the E 400 d 4MATIC configured in traditional Exclusive trim.

When Mercedes launched the W213 in 2016, the early diesel flagship carried the OM642 V6 as the E 350 d. But the true engineering triumph arrived with the introduction of the OM656: an all-aluminium 2.9-litre inline-six turbodiesel featuring stepped-bowl combustion and CAMTRONIC variable valve lift.

The figures are remarkable: 340 PS and 700 Nm of torque, available from as low as 1,200 rpm.

Mated to the 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission and 4MATIC all-wheel drive, this mid-size executive saloon dismisses 0–100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, pulling relentlessly all the way to its 250 km/h electronic ceiling.

SpecificationMercedes-Benz E 400 d 4MATIC (W213)Engine2.9L Inline-6 Turbodiesel (OM656)Power340 PS (335 bhp / 250 kW)Torque700 Nm (516 lb-ft) @ 1,200–3,200 rpmTransmission9G-TRONIC 9-speed AutomaticDrivetrainPermanent All-Wheel Drive (4MATIC)0–100 km/h4.9 secondsTop Speed250 km/h

Why the Turbodiesel?

I have no desire to make an E-Class impersonate an AMG. The turbodiesel appeals precisely because of how it makes its progress.

The peak torque of 700 Nm arrives barely above idle. You never need to wind the tachometer needle toward the redline to make real ground. You squeeze the throttle, the torque converter locks, and the car surges forward with effortless composure.

For cross-country driving, it is unmatched: an endurance cruiser capable of swallowing hundreds of kilometers on a single tank, leaving you fresh when you step out at your destination.

The Significance of the Exclusive Line

My preference for the W213 specification is unyielding: it must be the Exclusive trim.

No aggressive pseudo-AMG front aprons. No faux carbon fibre. I want the traditional three-slat chrome grille with the classic three-pointed star standing tall on the bonnet. Open-pore wood, acoustic comfort glass, supple leather, and a properly insulated cabin.

The Exclusive trim provides the direct spiritual link to my W211 and the legendary W124. The generations change, but the core ethos remains identical: engineering integrity and understated luxury, with massive torque reserves hiding in plain sight.

The Fourfold Philosophy

Place all four side by side, and the underlying logic becomes clear:

  Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge  -->  The Pinnacle of Unshakable Composure      
  Bentley Flying Spur Speed      -->  The Disguised Cross-Continent Interceptor 
  Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupé        -->  The Monument to Twelve-Cylinder Excess   
  Mercedes-Benz E 400 d (W213)   -->  The Masterclass in Daily Capability       

The Ghost takes composure to the peak of automotive craftsmanship. The Bentley wraps relentless speed in handcrafted leather. The S 65 celebrates rear-wheel-drive V12 engineering. And the E 400 d grounds the entire philosophy into an indestructible daily reality.

The first three represent milestone the cars where, when you finally park them, you step out and realize you conquered the mountain.

The W213 is the machine for the journey itself: client meetings, sudden long-distance cross-country routes, a quiet Sunday morning drive. Just a clear horizon, total cabin isolation, and the effortless surge of an inline-six diesel engine.

I do not need a vehicle to tell bystanders I have arrived. I want to shut the door, enjoy the silence, engage drive, and keep moving.