The Aesthete signs off for the year

The Aesthete's Fleet

We know that the holiday season is upon us as George Street in Dunedin takes on the look of an abandoned western film set and everybody has run off to their pied-à-terre in Bannockburn. The shops looked like they had been looted by pre-schoolers and so the grandchildren's demands for specific toys were unmet as every three year old had the same idea at the same time and sent their parents into a roiling ruck at the nearest branch of the Warehouse. Finding toys for adults is much easier and the Aesthete's hamper is overflowing this week. So, to misquote the execrable Sting, if you love someone, buy them a car.

1937 Riley Kestrel 15/6. Amongst Riley Kestrels there are special Riley Kestrels and the 15/6 is one of those. The smoother six cylinder twin cam engine gave the capable chassis the power it needed and the Wilson pre-select box enabled gear changes as fast as the driver could stamp on the requisite pedal. 70K is rather high for one of these and the vendor is advertising it through the known world so clearly is not entertaining the sort of offer I would make.

For: I suspect if it were Italian or French you would be paying a great deal more.
Against: It would need to be black with a red interior for me.
Investment potential: 2/10 unless the price deflates.

1982 Ferrari Mondial. It seems that the more modern the Ferrari was, the worse the car fared in the marketplace. This suggests an essential conservatism underlies the whole enterprise and that progress was wasted on a market that wanted a V12 engine in a yacht trailer chassis from the 1950s. The Mondial is still despised but has character and presence for one tenth the price of entry into the upper levels of the game.

For: Much better than almost anyone thinks.
Against: You will still have to sell it one day.
Investment potential: 3/10 but should do better.

1989 Lancia Thema V6. Of the many Italian cars that have passed through the Aesthete's careless hands, the Thema 2.0 i.e. Turbo is one that I really wish I had kept. The most compelling reason is that progress in car design essentially stopped after the introduction of the Thema in 1984 and has been declining since. Electronics and their associated evils make anything more recent with similar capability unrepairable and worthless so take your miserly 1K and invest in the last and best big Fiat ever made.

For: Fast, fine handing, comfortable and as modern as it needs to be.
Against: Sorry for slurring the proud Lancia name but it is a Fiat and best understood as such.
Investment potential: 18/10 but the Aesthete is a bit partial.

1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza. A flawed but noble exercise, the Corvair was a reminder that there was more than one way to package a car to compete with those pesky imports. The rear mounted engine and swing axle combo was safe enough in a Beetle with thirty odd horsepower but a larger car moving at highway speed was a different proposition. Hobbling it with a two speed automatic almost seemed like a public safety measure.

For: Place in the brave failure category.
Against: I am not selling it very well.
Investment potential: Not the most desirable variant so 2/10.

Lancia Thema 8.32. It would seem that everything on the list this week is pointing towards this, in the Aesthete's view a high point of automotive design with few peers in sight. Purposefully detuned to extend engine life and enhance the driving experience, few could see the point of paying almost twice the price of a Turbo so clearly the marketing department at Fiat had little to do with it and it was an engineer's car through and through. Cut off the restrictive exhaust and find a pimply youth with a laptop to remap the thing and no-one will be able to catch you.

For: Ideal in every way.
Against: Be careful with it.
Investment potential: 8/10

On some faraway beach...

1988 Stutz Bearcat II Convertible. There is another Well Known Aesthete and part time Elvis impersonator in Wellington who will be straining at his bonds to get at this. Lincoln Towncars no longer provide him with the transgressive stimulation he needs and his unrestrained impulses can only lead in one direction. The Sultan of Brunei owned two apparently.

For: Nothing. Unmitigatedly vile in every respect.
Against: How can I begin...
Investment potential: Always a ready market in third world despots.

The Aesthete is running late

... for meetings, projects and blog writing as the end of the year closes in and time runs out. Apart from harrying the GTV in and out of Dunedin daily, there has been little action on the fleet. One brief moment of relief came when the world's most honest exhaust repairers reported that there was nothing wrong with the car and that is was just naturally noisy.

1939 Nash Lafayette. Comfortable and well built, the Nash range appealed to buyers who wanted to cut a dash in the 1930s. Purchased by a pair of peripatetic spinsters who used it for touring, it has enjoyed an easy life,  confirmed by the preservation of its cloth interior. Original down to its six volt electrics, this Nash is ready to take you to the Centennial Exhibition.

For: Buy it for the smell.
Against: A bit somnambulant.
Investment potential: 3/10 but less if you wear it out.

1965 Ford Zodiac MkIII. Pietro Frua's prototype for the MkIII Zephyr range appeared in Dagenham  in 1961 although the British management alloyed their admiration for it and proceeded to tone things down. Frua's striking angled headlights in Lincoln style were dropped for a more conservative treatment but the rest of the car was reproduced faithfully, becoming the sharpest dressed European Ford until the Sierra. Few have seen the prototype so I include it here fyi.

For: The roof, taller screens and extra side windows make all the difference.
Against: No sports car.
Investment potential: 4/10 and rising.

1966 Vanden Plas 4 Litre R. I have often said that the much misunderstood Vanden Plas 4 Litre R is one of the underrated performance saloons of the era. Yes, you read correctly as the 175 horsepower Rolls Royce engine in a Westminster shell wrought an inevitable effect on the dynamics, ably handled by a heavy duty transmission and decent brakes. Find a set of fifteen inch rims and tighten up the handing and you will have what they used to call a Q ship.

For: Stately looks and potentially decadent performance.
Against: Much loved by retired harbour board chairmen .
Investment potential: 8/10

1980 Alfasud Sprint. Guigiaro's wedge looked even better on a smaller car and the details were shaper and better resolved than on the larger GTV. They were put together with even less care, however, and generally horrified their first owners by spontaneously dissolving in front of them. Survivors are notable for their extreme rarity and owning a drivable one is a pleasing prospect.

For: Drive one and find out what the fuss was about.
Against: Keep it dry and under a good quality cover.
Investment potential: 7/10 as the last examples vanish.

1967 Triumph GT6. The vendor points out that sightings of Triumph's six cylinder coupe are rare these days, rust and accidents having cut through the ranks. Doubling the Herald's weedy output and leaving its wayward suspension alone pleased the cost accountants at Canley although customers rued their cheapness as they exited sideways from the roundabouts that were a feature of the new dual carriageways.

For: 7/8 scale E-Type
Against: The directional stability of a garage creeper.
Investment potential: 5/10. Give it a repaint but leave it alone.

On some faraway beach...

1964 Lancia Flavia Zagato Prototipo. Ercole Spada's design for the original Flavia Zagato Coupe was visually challenging and some it its salient features were omitted in their second attempt. Built as a competition prototype and developed by Lancia factory driver Claudio Magioli, this is the ultimate Flavia and would be a sensation at any Italian track day. For sale with no price on Hemmings...

For: We like a heroic failure.
Against: Don't we?
Investment potential: Unknowable.



  

The Aesthete ponders the old car hobby

It is odd when the most reliable car in the fleet is a 40 year old Alfa Romeo so what does that tell us about the state of contemporary design? Owning a modern car is most often justified by statements like 'Well, you just get in it and it goes', yet this is equally true of the GTVs. Admittedly it is not as cheap to run as the Mazda 2 that I drove furiously around Auckland for three days and used $14 worth of fuel. Am I tempted? You will have to do better than that, sorry.

1964 Ford Thunderbird. Most of the Thunderbirds on the local market are coupes which is a pity as they were meant to be open in order to show off their fabulous interiors. This example has come from a pampered life in Pompano Beach, Fla. owned no doubt by a retired undertaker and only driven to Shabbat service on Saturday. Powder blue is second only to primrose in the Aesthete's colour palette for 60s Americana so this is approaching his ideal.

For: You or someone you know will need to look good in a bikini.
Against: I am guessing you do not look good in a bikini.
Investment potential: 2/10 but only because the times are against you.

1965 MG 1100. From the sublime to... the sublime actually. Just how different the global industry was in the 1960s can be seen in how the desire for something a bit special was sated in the UK and the USA. Plumper seats. a whisp of walnut veneer and a tinsel grill told the neighbours that you were alright Jack while wire wheel hub caps and 300 horsepower served the same purpose across the Atlantic. One suspects that Alec Issigonis would have approved of the T'bird as being honest and looked down his nose at the MG. Oh well.

For: You need red seats with BRG but apart from that...
Against: More formal dress standard apply here.
Investment potential: 6/10. Cheap to run and chic to boot.

1980 Lancia Gamma Coupe. There were many things wrong with the Lancia Gamma including a dash that looked like some Farfisa organ controls had been placed there by a child and seats covered in fabric that would make you wince in a bus.  Gossip has it that Fiat engineers sabotaged its detail development to make way for their 130 Coupe but even so, the doomed Gamma was a dream to drive long distances where the lack of acceleration did not matter. Like having a relationship with someone gorgeous but completely mad.

For: Anyone would think I don't like these cars. Quite the opposite.
Against: Don't start.
Investment potential: 14/10 but only in magical Gammaland where no natural laws apply.

1984 Peugeot 505 GTI. I cannot recall the last time I saw a Peugeot 505 much less the desirable manual GTI version so it is difficult to discern the level of interest there may be in this example. It is virtually unused and Peugeots are renowned for their life expectancy so it may be the only car you ever need to own. This makes the asking price seem quite reasonable. Handsome Pininfarina looks come at no extra cost.

For:  Well, when did you last see one?
Against: The dash again...
Investment potential: 2/10 because you will drive it into the earth.

1970 Fiat 125. Although meant for a shorter spell on earth, Fiat's 125 occupied a similar niche. Like the 128 last week, School of Turin Perpendicular applies here as well where Italian designers delighted in a lightly decorated minimalism that was architectural and supremely tasteful. The vendor agrees, taking three shots of its almost featureless rump to show what I am saying.

For: You could not pay enough for a really good one.
Against: The C word. That is corrosion, you base individual.
Investment: 29/10 and climbing by the hour.


On some faraway beach...

1937 Panhard Dynamic. I recall the playground conversation going badly when as a child I expressed my desire to own a Panhard Dynamic, one being illustrated in my favourite car book. I feel the same today when I think about the joy of bucking common sense and investing in a complete orphan. Sleeve valve engines, swooping aerodynamic coachwork and an interior that a French movie star could luxuriate in still rank ahead of most other criteria.

For: Start your car museum with this. I would pay $20 to get in.
Against: The cloud of oil smoke lets the image down.
Investment potential: Ummm...

The Aesthete mocks the afflicted

The Aesthete's Fleet

The Aesthete dropped in on a fellow sufferer, one who owns sheds full of Lancias yet will not sell him the one that he most wants.  'Confront your demons, Robert. You know you will never fix any of them' he roared in his fury, as if he did not have his own sad catalogue of doomed and abandoned projects stretching over the millennia. Let he who is without sin...

1989 Audi Quattro. Audi's 80 derived Quattro tided the sawn off looks of the earlier model but lost some of its improvised character at the same time. Like a lot of cars that are somehow less desirable than those which they superseded, the RR20v is more capable and easier to live with than its UR ancestor thanks to constant development on the international rally circuit. This example has been tweaked by someone with a laptop which I hear has replaced the vice grip in the modern workshop.

For: Less ugly and faster and cheaper, therefore better by every known measure.
Against: Less interesting, however.
Investment potential: 2/10 due to that missing factor.

1942 Chevrolet AK Delivery. Unusual to be supplied in right hand drive form during the war, this Chevrolet is bound to have an interesting story to tell. Part of the light commercial range built on the Chevrolet Deluxe chassis, they were civilised vehicles to drive and saloon like in their manners. The vendor seems a bit lackadaisical in his efforts to spruik this attractive van and threatens to make a garden ornament out of it if you don't buy it. Go on then, plant it with native grasses.

For: Someone must have a small business that needs something like this.
Against: 12K is a lot of money for a planter box.
Investment potential: 1/10 for the attitude.

1978 Fiat 128. Survivors of Fiat's three million+ production 128 must be an infinitesimal proportion of that number today, most having oxidised in their owners' driveways thirty years ago. New Zealand assembly standards hurried that process along with the cars being shown an open can of paint before being hurried off to the dealers. The best 128 in the country would be a nice thing to own and probably unrepeatable so seize the day.

For: Classical school of Turin perpendicular.
Against: Nothing.
Investment potential: 8/10. Try and find another.

1931 Austin Seven Special. Those long of limb or spherical of waist should listen to the vendor's warning because these Seven specials are made for sylphs. If you wish to avoid the unsavoury effect of an automotive muffin top as you spill over the side, best abstain from the beef and guinness pies for a while. The upside is that 80KPH in one of these feels like 200 in anything else and none of your dependants will ask to use it.

For: The only car to my knowledge to have been designed by an 18 year old, the remarkable Stanley Edge.
Against: You will need to be an adolescent to fit.
Investment potential: 6/10 for its pert behind.

1996 Maserati Quattroporte. Marcelo Gandini's exquisite series IV Quattroporte came at the end of the Biturbo era and so was caught up in the generally poor reputation of that range. Undeservedly as it was one of the most exiting saloons of its era, produced in the same vein as the Lotus Carlton and Lancia Thema 8.32. Values have not climbed with those cars and this example needs to be around half the price to match what you could acquire in the UK.

For: Extremely quick and no one will know what it is.
Against: Let's hope the maintenance is up to date. 30K for an engine rebuild if anything breaks.
Investment potential: 1/10 I regret to say.

On some faraway beach

1935 Airflow Desoto SG Coupe. The Aesthete loves a bold failure and few have failed so boldly as Chrysler with its Airflow. Forced to watch as other makers adopted streamlining later in the decade, Chrysler was set on a path towards conservatism that did not lift until the 1950s when the memory had faded. An Airflow coupe on the shorter Desoto frame is a highly desirable thing, borne out by the 33K bid on this wreck.

For: One of the few cars the Aesthete would have in his 20th century design collection.
Against: 100K when finished.
Investment potential: 4/10 as you might just see that back.

The Aesthete celebrates the Trump ascendancy

The Aesthete's Fleet

Well, what can you do but enjoy the terrible spectacle of the American election? I felt so defiled that I made a generous donation to the Guardian, the only news organisation that I could rely on to support my increasingly outdated world view.  This week's selection is what we should all be seen driving in Trumplandia lest we be subject to random street violence and instant deportation.
On the positive side, the Petrolhead Aesthete's inaugural dinner at Cucina was excellent. Wild and lengthy lies were told but Andrew came along with photographic evidence of his many rash purchases. I was just getting my filing cabinet out of the Alfa when everyone had to leave.

1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V. What could be more tasteful than a white on white Lincoln Mk V unless it be one of those terrific Town Cars built on a Ford Pinto frame that looked like it had the middle third cut out? At least the Mk V was a 'full size luxury car', not a child's drawing of one. I am particularly taken by the plastic burl walnut instrument surround that looks like one of those novelty cigarette dispensers your uncle Jack kept his cheroots in.

For: Just the thing for a weekend at Loofs Lite-A-Line casino.
Against: Nothing that could not be solved by putting a cap into anyone who laughs.
Investment potential: Declare bankruptcy now.

1967 Jaguar 420G. The Coventry product planners were caught out by American preferences when it came to selling the gargantuan Mk10/420G series Jaguars. Most buyers saw the brand as producers of small and nimble high performance saloons and could not see the sense of something as vast as a Cadillac. Meanwhile, owners of mews garages in London had to knock two into one to get them off the street.

For: You could live in it when the economy tanks.
Against: Put up some cheap partitions and sublet.
Investment potential: $340 per week, partly furnished. No pets.

1972 Volvo 164. One suspects the otherwise priestly Jan Wilsgaard might have been holding his nose when Americanising Volvo's excellent 140 series with a big lazy six and a pretentious grill. Abandoning sensible Swedish austerity also meant a trip into the dark plastic forest in search of dash materials, all the teak stocks having been wasted on furniture.

For: Volvo is Latin for 'I roll'. Best classical name for a car ever.
Against: Like fondue, perhaps best left in the 1970s.
Investment potential: Like Krone in the bank, not.

1942 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan. All this abnegation must be relieved  by something that I actually like rather than look down my nose at and these GM fastback sedans of the 1940s are amongst my favourite things. They were not immune to trumpery, having an ingeniously hand grained metal dash but we can overlook it because it is charming.

For: Slow but relaxing.
Against: Nothing. It is perfect.
Investment potential. Trump will get that pipeline built and the gas will flow forever.

1979 Lincoln Town Car. The bewildered vendor does not understand why bidders are not rushing forward to pay 11.5K for his Lincoln Town Car so I will try and explain. No one fails to grasp irony like the owner of a Lincoln Town Car. Not all Americans, mind. Just the owners of Lincoln Town cars..

For. Nothing. Probably the worst car ever made.
Against: Is that not enough?
Investment potential. Better than shares in Trump University.

On some faraway beach...

1955 Arnolt MG. I have put this on for Andrew Fletcher who I know will get it at once. He mentioned that he was looking for a project although whether he will want to start at 50K and then ship it from Blighty who knows. It would have made a lovely bookend for his Farina bodied Jowett Jupiter, alas now also resident in that very sceptred isle.

For: All praise Wacky Arnolt, an American car dealer with style.
Against: Still an MG TC underneath.
Investment potential: Oh, stupendous I would think.

The Aesthete finds joy in simple things

The Aesthete's Fleet

Dinner in Oamaru on Saturday is confirmed for 6.30 at Cucina. Those of us leaving from Dunedin will meet at 4.00 at the start of the Northern Motorway for a leisurely amble up the highway with a few cultural high points to stop at along the way.

1965 MGB Costello. It is difficult to see why this MGB carries an early date when it was reshelled around an American car about the time it was originally constructed. Ken Costello saw the advantages of the Rover V8 which was not a great deal heavier than the old boat anchor it was originally fitted with. The BL engineers finally got onto the job themselves with Costello's workshop having already done what little R&D was required. The Aesthete does not love the pin-striping but it is authentic in a medallion man sort of way.

For: A step above the ordinary B
Against: It would probably need to make 180 hp to double the old four's efforts.
Investment potential: Check the provenance as they say in the old pictures trade.

1967 Mercedes Benz 220 SE Coupe. Nothing at all lairy about this however. Paul Bracq's elegant coupes were just the thing for wafting around the Dordogne on some sort of degustation tour of ancestral vineyards and village bistros. If you can live with that ridiculous posturing version of yourself, I suggest you buy it right now and get packing.

For: You will arrive feeling smug, I guarantee it.
Against: If it has not been restored yet, it will soon need to.
Investment potential: 6/10 if you can use it as it is.

1972 Rover P5B 3.5 Litre Coupe. There was really very little like the Rover Coupe before, during or after its production run although you could say the other manufacturers tried to emulate its formal splendour with lowered roof lines and fish bowl windscreens. The Rover coupe did not need these egregious fripperies but stood high and vaguely threatening like a QC with a taste for the dark side.

For: This or a Lancia Flaminia. Oh what to do...
Against: I bet there is a copy of Enoch Powell's speeches in the glove box.
Investment potential: 7/10. Cheap really.

1961 Dodge Seneca. The drab paint does it no favours and this unusual right hand drive Dodge wagon deserves better. This was the sort of thing driven by South Auckland funeral directors to the Papakura lawn cemetery so it probably has not had a great deal of use. Paint it primrose yellow with a white roof and quieten the ghosts of the weeping bereft.

For: One of the more impressive US wagons. Look at those tail lights.
Against: Needs a large shed.
Investment potential: 2/10 but has potential.

1979 Fiat 131 R. It looks presentable but there are many places that rust can hide under all that stuck on plastic so inspect carefully when appraising anything from this era. You will be rewarded with the Italian equivalent of a hot Escort which, as we know, allows all manner of shenanigans. If you insist on behaving some way short of the maturity expected of your age and class, here is your car.

For: Loud and shouty.
Against: Some tidying to do here.
Investment potential. 2/10 at that price.

On some faraway beach...

1959 Sachsenring P70 Coupe. We have not had a European two stroke uglybug on the list for a while and this one is being held for you in Slupsk, Poland so you can do some cultural tourism as well. The Sachsenring, better known as a Trabant, was constructed by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. The neat fibreglass shell was apparently made from recycled fabric and other waste materials but this one has held together for 60 years so we do not yet know everything here in the west.

For:  I think it is sweet.
Against: You may disagree.
Investment potential: Once you get it here, -42/10 and it is not cheap now.



 

The Aesthete surveys the scene

Not much is being offered on Trademe that is new or of interest so apologies for returning to old and familiar territory. After five years of blogging about the one subject, the Aesthete sometimes catches sight of the younger version of himself ridiculously aiming not to mention the same car twice. There are limits to what he can bring himself to write about and so some repetitiveness must be endured if he is not to start elegising about Nissan Enemas and the sport of drifting.

Dinner at Cucina is on. Saturday 12 November at around  6.00 to be seated at 6.30. I have booked for 12 people. I will attach the menu to another message.

1978 Fiat X19. An X19 immediately whisks me backwards in time to the doorway of Club Mirage from whence I would reel out into the cold evening having used up my Brandy Alexander budget on young women with ridiculously high standards. There was always one of these parked close by as if to remind me of what I was being deprived of.

For: A certain louche charm still.
Against: They were never meant to last five years much less forty.
Investment potential: 8/10 as there can't be many left like this.

1968 Daimler 250. Much loved by retired heads of harbour boards, a number of these slim bumpered late model V8 Daimlers came equipped with wire wheels and manual transmissions making them an attractive alternative to the smaller engined Jaguar 240. I am assuming this is an auto but the wheels get you half way and the price is modest and the dark colour most comely. The current owner is unmotivated to sort it out and you should probably try and find out why.

For: A cut above a common MKII.
Against: Is that enough today?
Investment potential: Sink 50K into it and see for yourself.

1960 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. As the vendor hopefully points out, 1960 saw some useful upgrades to Volkswagen's suave coupe but it was still as slow covering the ground as an invalid chair.  Carefully take out the matching numbers motor and store it somewhere dry while making enquiries about a 2 litre Weberised engine is my advice.

For: The looks, most definitely.
Against: Looks like a rocket ship, goes like a 2CV.
Investment potential: 'Restored in the USA' always puts me on edge.

1965 Mini Cooper. Taking a leaf out of the Wood and Pickett era customised Mini handbook, this locally built example should never be returned to original order. It looks like an entire speed shop was ransacked in the effort and a Humber Supersnipe dash may have also been involved if that speedo and slab of burr walnut are to be trusted.

For: Just the thing for a '60s themed rave up.
Against: Yes, I know you are in your 60s now.
Investment potential: 8/10 for local significance.

1956 Riley Pathfinder. What can I say? Riley's make me smiley.

For: Everyone knows what I think of these.
Against: Why don't you buy this one then I hear you ask.
Investment potential: Not a car to restore but to use in a committed and gentle way.

On some faraway beach...

1963 Fiat 2300 Speciale ASA. Italian coach builders ASA produced a luxury version of Fiat's already elegant 2300 Berlina, generally for state clients. The grey wool cloth interior almost looks Lancia quality and extra sound deadening and a stretched wheelbase add to the feel. Big 1960s Italian saloons are rare beyond commonplace Ferarris and other exorbidantly priced exotics although this example is already at lesser Maserati money already.

For: Lusso indeed.
Against: You either want them or you don't.
Investment potential. At whatever it would cost landed here, possibly not great.