My passion for cars has always stemmed from my passion for driving - the way that a car feels and sounds on the road. I love the sense of freedom you can get on the right road in the right car and I think that such experiences have affected my perceptions as to how attractive a car might be, my views on the design being intrinsically linked to my desire to drive a given car.

This has changed somewhat over the years as I have learnt about the significance of many cars - in terms of influence, rarity or racing success - something that has helped me start looking at cars based purely on the aesthetics of their design as an automotive object. Owning a Ferrari for the first time has made me more interested in those cars that went before it and I love spotting a design cue that has been carried through over decades. But even so, the idea of simply collecting cars for the way that they look or for the value that they hold still doesn't make sense to me as each car has been designed to be driven.

Having visited Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris yesterday, I was really pleased to learn that Ralph Lauren feels exactly the same about cars. He loves the way that they drive, feel, sound, and even smell. Of course, he is a designer and the way a car looks is something that he could never ignore but when you begin to understand the types of cars that he owns you realise that he is more than a collector - he is an enthusiast. The cars representing his collection are each highly regarded for the way that they drive, many of them being significant racing cars or road-orientated derivatives of racing cars.

He has built a significant collection of cars that date from the 1920s to the present day. This exhibition brings together 17 "masterpieces" from his collection, cars that have had a notable influence on the automotive world through their aesthetics and their performance. The exhibition begins with, arguably, one of the world's most highly regarded and beautiful classic cars - the 1938 Bugatti 57 S(C) Atlantique (above). It sits near the entrance, separated from all the other cars as if to highlight its importance. From here you climb a small staircase and all but five of the remaining cars are visible in front of you. These are the racing cars, beginning with the 1929 Bentley "Blower" and ending with the gorgeous 1964 Ferrari 250 LM (below). In a side room, the four grand touring cars are sat on turning plinths, including the iconic 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing" (or "Papillon" as the French call it). Finally, in another side room sits the 1996 McLaren F1 LM (below), the only modern supercar to have been included in this exhibition.

A nice touch were the other side rooms, two of which ran through the sounds of the car - from start-up, on the move inside the cabin, drive-bys, and finally stopping - alongside images of the respective car. The other room had old film footage of the various cars from over the decades, including racing footage where available. You can actually listen to the cars and see details and history for each of them at the excellent Ralph Lauren Car Collection website.

Having read some of the interview with Ralph Lauren from the book that accompanies the exhibition, I was interested to learn that his first car was a Morgan. He apparently had to sell it so that he could afford to get an apartment with his wife. The next car he bought when he could afford one was another Morgan, something I'll certainly keep that in mind during my visit to the Morgan factory tomorrow!

The show runs until 28th August 2011 and only costs about €10 to enter. If you find yourself in Paris this month and have any interest in cars I strongly recommend that you visit, though it is worth pre-booking tickets to avoid the queues.

I've often felt that one car is not enough.

There is no car that can do everything well, even if there are a few great all-rounders out there. This was a constant concern for me when I lived in Aberdeen; I would want a sports car for making the most of the open roads in the summer but would require a 4x4 to help me survive the winter. I could only have one car practically-speaking so I ended up changing more often than I would have liked.

There is the experiential side of things to consider as well, something that is probably exacerbated by reading too many car magazines in my case. I don't always want to drive the same car, in the same way that I don't want to eat the same thing every day, or wear the same style clothes every day. It's boring. If you like cars and you like driving then you want to have different experiences and will probably appreciate that a given car might be more fun (or practical) in a given situation.

For example, I would love to have a Renaultsport Clio as I know that they are great fun on normal roads and on track, and I have fond memories of driving them. Having seen a Caterham scythe through the countryside at the classic car rally in Scotland the other week, and knowing how highly they are rated by the motoring press, I can't help but want to have one of those at hand as well. Of course a capable and luxurious car that is capable of sprited and comfortable driving on a jaunt to the south of France would be great; maybe a Bentley Brooklands or even the unloved Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.

It is no surprise then that wealthy people often have a number of cars; after all, they have the money and the space to own multiple cars of their choosing. However, what does surprise me is that many people take such formulaic and obvious choices as to what to buy. It's a matter of taste at the end of the day but I would always prefer a more eclectic mix; something that takes in old and new and has a focus on the fun of driving. I've become quite attracted to the idea of modern classics lately, not least for the benefits that they offer in avoiding any kind of depreciation - something that you think would appeal to people astute enough to make themselves lots of money.

To be fair, you get a bit spoilt living in central London. The latest Ferraris and Aston Martins are all over the place so it becomes a greater novelty when someone tells me that they have a Lotus Esprit or a classic Porsche 911. These cars stand out and give you the impression that the owner really put some thought into the purchase, even if value was a primary consideration.

I recently attended a charity garden party knowing that the host would be displaying his cars on the lawn but not knowing quite what to expect. I wasn’t sure whether he was a wealthy guy that simply liked having a few nice cars or a true enthusiast with a well-considered collection. In the past he had owned a Ferrari F430 and an Aston Martin Vanquish but that was all I knew, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that this guy is a pretty serious collector.

The first thing you saw was a row of motorsport cars, all Ferraris, some GT cars and then two F1 cars which had been driven by Alain Prost and Rubens Barrichello. The Ferrari theme continued with the road cars, with two 550 Barchettas (one left-hand drive which is being shipped off to California), a 599 and an F40. There were even two Jaguar XJ220s, one for the road and one motorsport derivative, alongside a couple of vintage Jaguars and a Honda NSX. However, there was one car that really stood out - the Ferrari FXX.

There were only 29 of these track-only cars sold to Ferrari's most loyal customers (and one made for Michael Schumacher), at a cost of €1.5m plus taxes each. The cars were based on the Ferrari Enzo but utilised F1 technology much more heavily. 'Client Test Drivers' would take part in a series of track events over three continents over the course of two years, supported by Ferrari engineers, technicians and test drivers, as to gather data that would help develop future 'extreme GT cars'. Delivering 800bhp from its 6.3 litre V12 engine (or 860bhp with the Evoluzione upgrade that was developed based upon the initial two-year programme), a gearshift time of 80ms (60ms in Evoluzione form), and bespoke Bridgestone tyres and Brembo brakes it must be unbelievable to drive; it certainly looks like it as you can hear here.

As far as I'm concerned, a guy that owns one of these is truly passionate about cars. It is certainly a connoisseur's choice.