What’s in your perfect garage? A Mustang and a Mini? A Ferrari and a Fireblade? Or perhaps a tiny Suzuki Jimny squeezed alongside a massive American pick-up?
Social media is full of enthusiasts debating the perfect two-car garage, but data from Footman James shows that the combinations chosen by real-world enthusiasts are rather harder to predict, brought together using the specialist’s Flex insurance policy.
Take the owner of a Volkswagen Passat who, when they’re not travelling Britain’s highways and byways in minicab obscurity, can call upon a Ferrari F355, a BMW Z3, or a pair of Honda motorcycles – including a V4-powered VF. Sensible daily anonymity at one end; Italian supercar and fast bikes at the other.
Or the owner of a Suzuki Jimny who combines the diminutive Japanese off-roader with the luxury of an Aston Martin Rapide, the load-lugging ability of a Volvo 940, and a Chevrolet Silverado that’s practically visible from space. Few imaginary ‘perfect garages’ manage to cover quite so many bases.
Others have built collections that worship at the temple of torque, such as one owner of a Ford Mustang who parks it alongside two Jaguar XK8s, an Aston Martin DB7, and a Mini John Cooper Works. Never before has a weekend away seemed so appealing, or so rapid; just don’t ask about the fuel economy.
At the more practical end of the scale, one customer’s Peugeot Partner shares space with a Porsche 944, a TR5 and a Triumph Bonneville – a neat progression from working vehicle to weekend toys – while others have curated a perfect enthusiast lifestyle. One Flex policy brings together a Porsche 912, a Volkswagen Transporter, a Lambretta and a Vespa, while another pairs a Ferrari 308 GTB with a Mini Countryman, and a Porsche 924 thrown in for backup.
Footman James Flex is designed for exactly this sort of garage. Starting with a classic vehicle insured through Footman James, customers can add other eligible vehicles including modern cars and motorcycles, additional classics, kit cars and performance vehicles to the same policy.
That means an everyday car can sit alongside a weekend classic, a cherished motorcycle or something altogether less sensible – without each vehicle needing its own standalone policy.
Whether that’s a Ferrari California and a Mini Cooper, like one customer, or a Fiat 500 and a rare Sunbeam S7 like another, Flex offers all the benefits of a modern vehicle policy, such as accruing no-claims discount on your daily driver, combined with the same cover you’d expect for your classic, including show and event cover as standard.
Sam Smith, Head of Footman James, said: “Ask ten enthusiasts what they’d put in their perfect garage and you’ll probably get ten completely different answers – and, judging by some of our customers, several requests for a bigger garage. What we love about these combinations is that there’s no rulebook. Hatchbacks can share space with a Harley-Davidson, an SUV with a supercar – cars, bikes, classics and daily drivers all happily rub shoulders. That’s what being an enthusiast is really about: you’re free to like the things you like, whether or not anyone else thinks they belong together.”
Perhaps that settles the ‘perfect two-car garage’ debate once and for all. There isn’t one.
The best garage is simply the one filled with the vehicles you’d hate to be without – whether that means a BMW 3-Series and a Porsche 928, or a VW Transporter and a Vespa – with just enough wheels to make choosing what to drive the hardest part of the day.
For more information about Footman James Flex, visit https://www.footmanjames.co.uk/flex-insurance
