Is it aesthetics? Performance? Engineering? Sentimental value? Nostalgia? Weirdness?..
I could go on, there’s as many ways to enjoy a car as there are car owners and I find it very interesting what people value in what is ultimately a tool of conveyance that is elevated by social and personal values.
I always love cars that are just a little weird, they have features that don’t quite make sense, they have styling that just doesn’t fit in with other modern cars, and they certainly don’t blend in at the grocery parking lot. They emanate a certain incongruence with the world around them.
For me there are many levels of ‘special’ cars. One level is the great cars through history, Mercedes SL300, Ferrari F40, Mclaren F1 and the likes. Another level is the engineering in cars like the koenigseggs gemera that go from 0-200kph faster than many cars do 0-100kph. The carbonfiber wheels are hand made. A Swede is handlaying layers of carbon fibers cloth, before adding resin and then curing process. The modern mclarens are also fascinating engineering wise.
The last level are cars that it’s possible for me to own, right now I have a BMW. don’t know what I’ll get next. Some porches are nice, maybe my priorities change I’ll just get a Polestar 2 or something. Anyways I like BMWs, maybe i’ll get an old 3 series like an E92 to have as a summer car.