MSN Autos' ultimate car collection

A top contender for the most beautiful car ever — and inarguably the most stunning Lambo of all time — a lime green Miura is our first pick for the dream garage. We'll take the later P400SV version, which added a limited-slip differential — in earlier models the engine and gearbox were formed in a single casting and shared common lubrication — and was equipped with Lamborghini's 4.0-liter 380-horsepower V12 engine.

Bing Images: Lamborghini Miura

The Lamborghini Miura may be a top contender for most beautiful car of all time, but the Jaguar XKE is the reigning champ, and because it's our ultimate garage, we want both. As for our E-Type, we'll take one of the original Series 1 models with glass-covered headlights, a small-mouth grille, bumper-mounted signals and taillights, and external bonnet latches. For the record, we want one of the ultracollectible initial 300 units produced.

View Pictures:  Jaguar E-Type

Of course, you can't always make do with an extremely rare 2-seater sports car. When hauling people — or golf bags or groceries — is on the agenda, we opt for the hellacious Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon in jet black. This type of vehicle is sometimes called an "estate wagon," though that name seems far too demure for the insanity of its 556-horsepower supercharged V8 powerplant. Whatever you call it, it's the most fun you can find for hauling five passengers plus your golf bags.

2013 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

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In the same way that sometimes you need just the right vehicle to run errands, sometimes you just have to spend a day carving seconds off your lap time in a machine built expressly for that purpose. Enter the Ariel Atom — still our favorite track-day toy. We'll take the top-of-the-line model with its naturally aspirated 2.4-liter 230-horsepower Honda mill, carbon-fiber wings and fenders, and chromoly aerofoil wishbone suspension system.

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Let's be honest, we could spend 15 picks on pony cars alone — old and new. But despite a seriously strong urge to give the nod to the Hunter Green 1967 Fastback made famous by Steve McQueen, we simply can't deny the Boss 302. It is neither the fastest nor most powerful Mustang, but with an aero package lifted almost directly from Ford's racing program — as is the intake — and a whole host of handling upgrades, it's the best-handling, most exhilarating Mustang ever.

2013 Ford Mustang

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For beach duty, we love the original Ford Bronco, but let's be honest: The classic handles like a bumper car. Better to turn to the geniuses at Icon for a thoroughly upgraded version. The Icon BR is, in fact, based on restored Broncos from the 1966 and '67 model years, but rides on a thoroughly modernized custom chassis, boasts the same 5.0-liter V8 engine found in the Mustang GT, and has amazing design touches, such as a gauge cluster inspired by Bell & Ross watches.

Watch Video:  Restoring a 1968 Ford Bronco

Every ultimate garage needs at least one Ferrari. Despite literally decades' worth of ultracollectible models, our heart's desire is somewhat more modern. The Enzo is the most "pazzo" (wacko) of Ferrari supercars. Sure, the new F12 Berlinetta will be faster, but nothing is as patently ridiculous as the 221-mph Enzo. And really, that's how we want our sole Ferrari: a 6.0-liter V12-powered, Formula One-derived 2-seat Berlinetta that looks like an asphalt-bound spaceship.

2003 Ferrari Enzo

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Picking a pickup was one of the hardest parts of compiling this list. Do you go with a 1958 Chevy Apache, a '78 Dodge Lil' Red Express, a 1991 GMC Syclone Marlboro Edition or a Jeep Gladiator J20? In the end, we want the truck that the TV auto show "Top Gear" tried to kill — and couldn't. We'll take the Toyota Hilux and, hey, it's our imaginary garage. You would have chosen differently? Tell us about it in the comments.

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Thus far we have sports, muscle and hyper cars both modern and classic, a track-day toy, and a handful of functional wagons, pickups and SUVs. So when picking our daily driver, we've gone utterly bonkers: the AMG Black Series-badged Mercedes C63. This 510-horsepower freak of track-focused engineering is about as far up the evolutionary ladder from the entry-level Mercedes C-Class as a Porsche 911 is from an air-cooled VW Bug.

2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

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Of all the cars on this list, the Shelby Cobra will be the least argued over. After all, how can you debate one of the greatest car tales of all time? The legend of Texas racing pioneer Carroll Shelby and The Car That Beat Ferrari starts — though hardly ends — with the ferocious, howling, beautifully aggressive Shelby Cobra.

View Slideshow:  10 Significant Shelby Cobras

In our version of the ultimate garage, not only will the past and present be represented, but the future will, too. What better vehicle to represent the future than Tesla's stunning, all-electric Model S sedan? Not only does the sedan hit 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds, thanks in part to the instantly available torque, but it's also hands-down one of the best-looking sedans on the road, now or ever.

Watch Video:  Tesla Model S Hits the Road

You know what else needs to represent the future in our ultimate garage? A flying car, that's what. Technically a "roadable aircraft" rather than a flying car, the Transition nonetheless shifts power to all four wheels by means of a continuously variable transmission, burns automotive gasoline rather than aviation fuel, and can fit in most garages with the wings folded and stowed.

View Pictures:  Terrafugia Transition

You are begging for some 4-wheel-drive rally-style action, but do you pick the Subaru Impreza WRX or Mitsubishi Lancer Evo? Nope and nope: We're going old-school, all the way back to the original capital "Q" Audi Quattro. We'll take ours circa 1984, the 302-horsepower, short-wheelbase Sport model. This car changed the world, and we want it badly.

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We want neither brand-new nor classic here; instead, we'll take the imperfect yet tremendously engaging last-generation 997 chassis. Specifically, we want the GT3 RS 4.0, the last 911 to be offered as a manual only. Sure, the PDK can handle shifting duties faster than we can, and there are newer, faster or more extreme 911s out there, but the 997 RS has tons of personality, we want to row our own, and let's face it, we can't even handle this car's outer limits. In other words, it's the perfect 911 — for us.

2013 Porsche 911

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This last choice is the personality pick: Do you like the Jensen Interceptor, Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin DB5 or perhaps a bespoke Duesenberg Model J? In the end, we vote for the Black Beauty, General Motors' sleeper supercar in boxy road-going guise. Of course, we want the last — and best — of the breed: the turbocharged 276-horsepower GNX from 1987, produced by McLaren Performance Technologies.

View Slideshow:  Cult Cars of Tomorrow

For more information on the cars featured in this slideshow, click the links below:

-Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
-Ford Mustang
-Ford Bronco
-Ferrari Enzo
-Mercedes-Benz C-Class
-Audi Quattro
-Porsche 911

Josh Condon is the former editor of MSN Autos' Exhaust Notes. Based in Los Angeles, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Esquire, Popular Science, Men's Journal and Ralph Lauren RL Magazine.