9 dream cars for Father’s Day: the best rides to suit every type of dad, from the racer to the off-roader

Whether you've got money to burn or are merely window shopping, these motors would deserve a place in your old man’s garage

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  The Morgan Plus 4 suits those who want to channel their inner Sherlock Holmes

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  The Land Rover Defender suits the dad who craves an off-roading adventure

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  The Bullitt Ford Mustang will help the cool dad channel his inner Steve McQueen

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  The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera: for dads who think they're James Bond

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  The Nissan GT-R: for dads who desire Japanese reliability

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  The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class: for the dad who has it all and is hard to please

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  The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, for the old-school dad

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  The Audi E-Tron GT, for the dad who's at once eco-conscious and tech-savvy

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  The Porsche 911 Turbo S, for the wannabe racer dad

Father’s Day is almost upon us and what have you gotten your old man? An Instagram post and a phone call (if he’s lucky)?

Many might find themselves in this situation year after year, but dads often deserve more than a last-minute call on your way home from work. While everyone's budgets will vary – after all, it is the thought that counts – if you've got money to burn, we've got ideas.

Your dad has likely doubled for many years as a private driver for school, football practice and parties, so he warrants a nice motor (even if we're only virtually window shopping for now).

Here are the dream cars that would deserve a place in your old man’s garage, based on his personality.

For the off-roading dad: Land Rover Defender

Land Rover Defender, for the dads who craves a spot of off-roading adventure

The latest Defender is actually a good car that’s highly capable off-road, but surprisingly civilised inside. Most crucially, it’s way more comfortable and accommodating than Defenders of old.

Give him one of these and you may not see him for months, as he embarks on an impromptu overlanding adventure around the world. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

The old-school dad: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Your father's a Bruce Springsteen fan and loves Dirty Harry movies, especially when Inspector Callahan wields a .44 Magnum revolver, "the most powerful handgun in the world". Fittingly, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the most powerful muscle car in the world.

It's a beast, but more than that, the current Challenger is an old-school motor. It's been around since 2008 on a platform that's even older. It feels like a relic from a bygone era, but in a good way. It shuns sophistication for sensation. Your dad will feel like a teenager again and will roar off into the "vanishing point" to the tune of Born to Run.

The 007 dad: Aston Martin DBS

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, for dads who think they're James Bond

Sean Connery is your dad’s favourite James Bond. He’s got a tux and a bow tie in the closet and a licence to drive. His car, then, must be an Aston Martin.

The Vantage is for children and the DB11 is a cruiser. As for the DBX, leave that for the Palm Pattys. The only Aston good enough is the hard-as-nails DBS Superleggera. Potent, fast, classy and refined, it is Bond personified … no, it’s your dad personified. Nobody does it better.

The racer dad: Porsche 911 Turbo S

Put your pater in a Porsche if he’s a wannabe gentleman racer that's got Sparco racing gloves, a replica Ayrton Senna Helmet and racing sims on the games console.

The 911 Turbo S is ferocious, dispatching 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in a barely believable 2.5 seconds. Frankly, it could give him a crick in the neck. But don't worry, he'll still be delighted because he's in a 911. And he's wanted one since 1984, when he saw Jeff Bridges racing a 911 against a Ferrari 308 on Sunset Boulevard in Against All Odds.

The JDM dad: Nissan GT-R

Your dad’s dad had a Nissan Bluebird. He’d take it for joyrides when he first started driving, but he dreamt of owning a 240Z. As far as he’s concerned, JDM (the Japanese domestic market) rules. Japanese reliability and dependability always got him home.

Even today he drives a Nissan Patrol, but that’s because he’s a dutiful dad who’s putting the family’s needs first. What he wants is a Nissan GT-R – a high-tech, high-velocity, samurai supercar, with a legendary heritage and a nickname likening it to an unstoppable, destructive but ultimately benevolent Kaiju monster. Your dad wants a Godzilla.

The classic dad: 2020 Morgan Plus 4

The Morgan Plus 4, for the dad who wants to channel his inner Sherlock Holmes

It may look like a roadster from the 1950s, but the latest iteration of the dashing Morgan Plus 4 features a modern BMW engine. It’s a classic car you can treat like a new one, which means you can drive the wheels off it and call on a warranty should anything fail.

Optional accessories you might include are a tweed flat cap, driving goggles and a Sherlock Holmes pipe. I can almost hear him cry “smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back in time for breakfast”, as he takes off at early doors.

For the dad who has it all: Mercedes S-Class

For the dad who’s got it all, ruled it all, won it all, you might be a little stumped. Fret not. I’m here to help. Buy the car even the fussiest of drivers demand – a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Stretch to the Mercedes-Maybach variant, and he might even crack a smile.

The green dad: Audi E-Tron GT

The Audi E-Tron GT, for the dad who's at once eco-conscious and tech-savvy

For technophile dads who worry about the future of the planet and embrace the new, there's only one choice. Why? Because it's the car Tony Stark drove in Avengers: Endgame. And even Elon Musk wants to be Tony Stark.

The Audi RS E-Tron GT is a four-door all-electric supercar that looks like it’s arrived from the year 3000 to save the planet, will champion driving thrills and keep you in your father’s good books.

The cool dad: Bullitt Ford Mustang

Racking up the most appearances in films, TV shows and Instagram, the Mustang is not only an automotive superstar, but the road-going King of Cool, particularly if your dad associates it with Steve McQueen’s character in Bullitt, which has arguably the best movie car-chase sequence ever, featuring his Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang fastback.

So famed is that particular appearance that Ford produce a Bullitt copy of its current Mustang mimicking the colour, wheels and specification of McQueen’s car.

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