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just idle thoughts about this but my immediate list would be:
Marin Attack Trail 2007 - (the burnt orange one - ahead of its time with lovely reinforced gussets at the HT junction. Aggro trail bike before they had been invented/devised in a product meeting. Nowadays, the BB ground clearance would be visible from space)
Lapierre DH720 circa 2007 (the chrome one. Just gorgeous - I remember Danny Hart on one of these when he rode for them. The last of the nice looking Lapierre bikes before they got beaten into submission with an ugly stick)
Intense 951. For me the best looking DH bike ever. Obviously by today's standards its like a BMX but I remember coveting the blue/black one. Like buying a Ferrari in blue.
Santa Cruz V10 - the obvious choice. The 2010 syndicate edition in particular when the hydroforming was at its peak before the redesign
Sold lots, had one on loan for a while. Want.
Klein Adriot - Gatorfade. Cost more now for a good one than new, probably ride like shit, but I still want one!
Whyte PRST1 - Just to try!
I still want a Cannondale. The ultimate bike when I was a kid and I used to lust over the touring model a teacher had at school - easily 30 years ago now but I still look at ‘dales and think the same thoughts.
Never did get round to buying a Cotic Soul, they were just such nicely designed hardtails. Bought a Pace RC305 instead which was cack.
+1 on the Intense 951 - and some of their other alu frames from that era
This was top of the wish list BITD...
An early nineties Orange Clockwork. Even in my twenties, I was far to fat for one of those. I always lusted after a Cannondale... V-frame or something...as well. Ugly looking bikes, but they just looked so crazy different at the time.
2004-2008 Epic FSR.
Dont know why except it looked ffing fast!
Pace HT, never rode one just wanted one.
http://retro-pace-mtb.wikifoundry.com/page/The+Bikes+-+Pace+RC+300%27s
I always coveted the 1999 era Specialized FSR Comp (bought a Proflex instead 'cause it was cheaper - weighed a tonne too). It just looked so totally different to anything else at the time - not sure what it rode like though! I did end up with a Stumpjumper FSR Pro in 2004, a good bike (that I still have in pieces)!
Always wanted a Cotic Soda too - but that's just because it was shiny and lighter than the Soul - the original FSR changed the way I thought about bikes and what you could do with them I think...
Proflex 956
Pace F2 hardtail
GT Zasker (from mid nineties)
Anything by Moots
Cannondale Fat CAAD. Outrageous fat wheel on a Lefty fork.
Moots YBB. I've been convinced of the benefits of a Softtail for years but not so much I'd spend that sort of money.
Yeti ARC-X. Just for the looks.
Sotello CRS - Mental
Manitou FRS - Fragile
Someone at uni had one of those scotts with the elevated stay, looked awesome at the time.
For me, the 4rg gen Spesh Enduro, the one that came with Fox 36's circa 2007.
And an Intense M3, although i just googled it and it looks unrideably short these days!
Proflex 956
Had one of those, actually not as bad as i anticipated. Paid £100 in cash converters, sold the frame for a proffit a few months later, kept the mavic wheels, hope brakes and marzocchi z4's for several years of cheep mtbing through uni
Fat Chance Yo Eddy in that half blue/green fade
AMP Research Amplifier
Mountain Cycle San Andreas
Current stuff, not sure but anything that Nicolai make because they're so beautifully put together, I'd also love to try out something with a gearbox
Those Pace HTs were apparently brutally stiff - makes sense given they seemed to be made from girders. Still wanted one though...
Also, GT STS 
And more recently an Ibis Mojo has always looked lush.
Another one on the Pace bandwagon. I had a very quick spin BITD on an RC200 F4, and it was soooooo fast.
Before we go all anodised purple with cantilever brakes I'm going to go bang up to date. My current, relatively achievable (without the use of a time machine), dream bike.
I'd buy one but it would be the most expensive dust collector I'd ever had. I'd only use it for a 3 weeks a year max as I love the Alps but I hate doing UK uplift days.
edit, it was a 957
Always wanted a GT LTS DH (Peaty era with the boomerang seat tube). Having ridden one recently it really is a case of never meet your heros. Same with the Endorphin above, used to own one and it was like riding a wet noodle.
Cotic Soda. Rode the original prototype round the car park at Pines.
There's a frame on eBay in my size going for silly money. So tempted....
Wanted a Rocky Mountain Slayer the year my dad bought his Element circa 2005/2006, the Slayer (top tube shock version) was very similar just longer travel, also lusted after a Blur 4X around the same time. Couldn't afford a Cotic Soul when I built my Kinesis Maxlight, and same again when I replaced the Maxlight with a BFe so glad I know finally have one! I would have an Element if they made them a bit longer and ditched the PF bb!
I had an RC-300, stiff? Yes! Fast? Absolutely! I've owned a LOT of bikes over the years and it is the only one I've regretted selling (bought a Sub-5 to replace it, probably my biggest Mtb related mistake).
My first decent bike was a GT Karakoram which I got instead of a Kona Cinder cone. I still regret that decision!
Since then, the list of bikes I wanted and never owned includes GT Lobo and Zaskar, Intense M1, and a Foes DH mono.
GT Xizang - either era
Muddy Fox Interactive
Whyte PRST1
Orange Prestige
Cannondale Jekyll with 160mm Lefty
There can be only one.
Ibis Bow Ti.
A kind owner let me ride one at Swinley once. It was awful. But never let that get in the way of desire.
Original Ibis Mojo, just an absolutely thing of curvy beauty.
But as a young teenager, seeing Tinker Juarez race John Tomac in Aviemore, on what was basically a peat bog of a course, riding one of these? Priceless
Giant Trance.
Maybe I didn’t have much ambition, but I always wanted one of those white Marin B-17’s with the red RST Hi5 triple clamp forks from the late 90’s / early 2000’s!
+1 for the San Andreas
I did get a Tremor FR1 (2001), and a Shockwave 9point5 (2003) though.
Still got both frames
Yep, Pace RC200.
Got a 1995 GT Zaskar LE in the garage.
Loads, the 2005/6/7 era Spesh Demo 8 and 9, you couldn't buy them from Spesh in the UK, but they were in Roam and Seasons and that double seat-stay thing they had looked amazing.
2007/8 Spesh SX Trail they made a white one with orange and yellow bits which I thought looked amazing, I had a 2006 Enduro at the time which was basically the same thing, but shorter travel and a bit Plain Jane in comparison.
2014 Evil Uprising, I wanted one so badly, it looked amazing and was partly designed by the guy who designed my Cove Shocker 66 degree head angle - wow! I was *this* close to buying one, I was less than week away from strolling into the shop and paying for it when my Wife told me we were expecting. Worked out for the best I suppose, they weren't all that great, they broke a lot, Evil support wasn't quite at Sick! levels but not much better and if they broke after 2 years Evil would shrug their sholder and say "sorry, we don't support that frame anymore". My Daughter is pretty cool too I suppose.
Intense SOCOM, they had a raw frame with purple graphics on the wall of our LBS for months and it looked amazing, would have been a good bike for me too, I was always a nervy DH rider so I chose bigger more 'capable' bikes, but in hindsight the lighter SOCOM might have been a bit easier to ride.
I'm not really lusting over anything at the moment, I'd have an E-Bike (the YT one probably) but I'm worried I'd never want to ride anything else and they really expensive.
I had a 856 with a Noleen shock and Pace RC35 forks. The forks are now on the ‘95 GT Zaskar LE that’s still in my Garage.
I always wanted a Klein in Sunburst, a San Andreas and an Intense M2. Oh, and one of those Cannondale DH bikes with the double chain that Missy rode.
Not exactly coveting, but I wouldn't mind one of these if they were giving them away...
Yes Yes that Manitou FRS - Marin did a copy I think for their pro team - was super gorgeous
...and almost forgot...that Pace square tubed frame - also very nice
SingleBe 29+
Genesis Tarntanium
Better had stop there before heading back in time... 😋
GT LTS from the mid/late 90's.
Intense M1.
Pro-Flex 956.
And more recently the original Orange Alpine.
a 1994 Marin Nail Trail - dripping in early 90's anodized purple
Early 90s Orange P7 in nickel finish
1994 Kona Lava Dome in green with Marzocchi XC-51 forks (probably rode terribly)
Basically my nostalgia stems from when I was at university and had no money, leaving me the only option of vicariously enjoying other peoples bikes as they rode by....... I did go through a retro-phase and built up 2 x Lava Domes and a Klein Pulse. I stopped when I realised that they handled like a chicken on speed.
A few GTs from the mid-90's - Zaskar, LTS, STS.
Klein Mantra (the one without a downtube)
Orange Patriot
But as others have said they are likely all horrible to ride compared to almost anything modern.
The lovely boxy framed Orange Sub5 - nearly bought one, but there was a 2 week wait on it & the spesh Enduro that had just came out was ready to go...… Still regret that decision !
Spesh Epic - Again,nearly bought one, but got a slightly better deal on Giant's newly released Trance & it's Maestro suspension. Regret that too ! !
Had a Proflex Animal, wasn't the worst bike in the world, but was far from brilliant, haha.
A guy on here used to have a brown and cream custom built 853 MTB frame - just lovely it was with really clean and simple lugs.
Made by a one-man band frame builder who for the life of me I can't remember!
A kid round our way had a raleigh Lizard, I was well gel!
Also always wanted a Mongoose Californian but OP says mtb.
😥
