On my way to the shops before lock-down I used to walk past a very shiny navy blue TVR Cerbera. It usually lives under a somewhat tatty car cover. However last time I looked it had an excellent MOT history, possibly because I often used to see the owner with spanners in hand…
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Well, none of the above to be honest. I would be 100% happy if my NB had air con for those hot days cruising on the continent and the NA had no rust. So I’ve nearly got my ideal without resorting to some uncumfy, unwieldy, impractical, unreliable or expensive and bloated, over powered, so called “sports car”. 
Which is, of course, why ‘hot hatches’ are so popular.
JS
I already have another sports car, tbh my MX-5 is my second!
I built a Liege which passed its SVA test in 2002. I bought the MX only because my wife didn’t like the fact that it has no side windows or rear screen and after ten minutes in the car she says she has backache.
But five years ago, one of my sons and I drove it 3000 miles in eight days to the south coast, then from the ferry at Gijon, around the hills of northern Spain, across the Pyrenees and back up through France then home again. Can’t wait to do something like that again, especially as it now has a bigger engine and a supercharger, giving it almost twice the power it had then.
The big advantage of these cars is the huge ground clearance (same as a LandRover, so they can go almost anywhere).
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Many years ago there was a specialist dealer of ridiculously expensive cars on Peter Street in Manchester. I would look through the window at highly polished Bentleys, Ferraris, all the stuff I would never have the hope of driving.
One day, there among the regular stock was the most beautiful car I had ever seen, and if money was no object that’s what I would get.
AC Cobra.
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Money no object? Then I’d have this back and not have to worry about servicing costs & I could get the roof mod that stops it leaking redone regularly.
Huge fun, day-to-day costs peanuts to run, and no damned rust! I’d want for nothing more. (Those dissing the gearbox, this one had the paddle-change and within a few days you got the hang of it and it was no problem at all - part of the fun in fact.)
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And I had a hot hatch or two but the roofs didn’t come off…
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I also have a Morgan Plus 8 as well as my MX5 MK3 Sport! I have owned my Morgan for 18 years and it still makes me smile when I drive it - it is a very original 1976 Plus 8 with the 3.5 litre Rover V8, but is running on side exit exhausts - which do make a fabulous noise - guaranteed to make you grin when you put your foot down?!
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I know this goes against the grain , particularly as I generally have a liking for " Traditional style " sports cars, but I would love to go for a long weekend blast to somewhere like the West country coast, in a Mustang GT convertable!, and I know its a bit " in your face and American " and my wife wouldn’t approve as she’s a bit of a tradionalist, but I would go for it 
Boz
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A chap I used to work with , had a son who bought a Smart roaster sports car, and they were constantly arguing about who was going to use it at weekends, because my mate ( the Dad ) loved it so much 
Boz
I can believe that. My girlfriend loved driving it too. It was great. I also had more people stop me to comment on it positively in car parks, at petrol stations etc. than anything else I’ve owned. And, I forgot to mention, after you’d finished blatting around the bendy bits it was incredibly comfortable on long trips too - you could knock out a 3-4 hour motorway journey in it and feel fresh as a daisy afterwards.
I only sold it because I found myself out of work with an already-booked long haul holiday, and a baby, on the way and needed the money…
Can you tell I loved that car?!
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mine too has side exhausts, lovely sound.
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Very nice indeed, my first sports car was a Spitfire 1500, had it late 70s early 80s, loved it.
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Money no object, but had to choose just one? There goes a heart-ache.
In the end, a RHD converted 289 cu Shelby Super Snake Cobra.
Dry weather only…and take off in 2nd or 3rd. Well…I do want to live.
I’ve driven a few cars that were far quicker than my untrained skills and would have been wasted upon me,
The Mk1’s recently converted chassis is now far quicker than it’s engine so it suits me.
If I really feel like leathering something senseless over our local glen roads, there is always SWMBO’s Sport which probably needs an “Italian”. 
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My other Sports car is this 1924 Alvis. I rebuilt it between 1980-84 and have driven over 70,000 miles in it since. It also has 50/50 weight distribution.!
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Sevens do divide opinion - as a car with zero compromise, and evolved from a 1957 design that is what you’d expect. They are as brilliant at doing some things as they are spectacularly dreadful at doing others . And , despite appearances , no two even feel the same . Different suspension , engine (BMC , Lotus Twin Cam , Vauxhall, Rover and at least 5 different Ford engines) , gearboxes , diffs cockpit size and floor height.
I found mine comfy - even at 5-11 with good padding - with a better ride than a surprising number of cars I’ve owned , or travelled in , . But unlike Morgans , Lotuses have always been renowned for ride quality .
But I 'd never try to convert anyone to the joy of a Seven - they really a re Marmite as road cars , no matter how great they are on track .
E -Type - God , how to say this ? The DHC never looked good and the FHC looks great from three quarter rear with those sexy haunches , and in plan . But , oh dear , the bonnet is absurdly phallic and all the macho styling cues are undermined by the far too-narrow track . The more time .has past since its 61 debut , the more dated it looks - and yet the near contemporary 911 and Elan , and the slightly later Alfa Duetto still look fresh
ACs - the Ace and 289 are lovely, slim hipped beauties . The 427 (and nearly every replica ) looks ghaslty , like a Schwarzenegger on steroids
I will ;put a word in for Dinos too - of course the Ferrari is lovely , but the now near forgotten Fiat Dino Coupe and Spyder are gorgeous things too - and that engine noise…
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Different opinions make things more interesting, 
. Looks wise I personally think all the E Types have a certain elegance , whereas the 427 does look Macho, but given the chance !
Boz
As the year 1957 was mentioned I’ll digress a little on to style, and throw in the Citroen DS19. Ok, not a sports car but it’s difficult to believe it was released in late 1955. Just look at what was being produced by other car manufacturers in the mid 1950s. The 1950s spaceship look is amazing, and because it was aerodynamic it still looks modern today. Clever engineering underneath it all too; suspension which was years ahead of its time (probably better than many ‘sports’ cars), a clever transmission, front wheel drive and powered disc brakes.
JS
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Absolutely agree, I’ve had more French Family cars than any other, including an XM estate and a Picasso, the DS was a complex car but yes, years ahead of its time, and still looks good, the rare Decap version was a Beaut, but as my Dad used to say, " its an acquired taste son !" 
Boz
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