Five for the Easter basket

The Aesthete's Fleet

There is little to report apart from the arrival of the essential gearbox bearing from Enrico Barlaam at Cavalitto S.a.S in Torino. He is the master of the terse email. I send him pictures of the Lancia with long seductive messages translated into Italian by electronic means and he replies I SEND YOU BEARING TODAY.  Never mind. He is prompt and can find any hard to find Lancia part. I suspect he is the mystery 'supplier' that other dealers refer to when they cannot find what you want so it is good to be able to go directly to the source. Meanwhile I roll the bearing between my fingers and try not to think what it cost me... oh alright 220EUR + 30EUR freight.

1971 Volkswagen 411 L Variant. An old school friend had access to one of these and it was frequently seen around the North Shore on two wheels. Unlucky girls carried in the load area were scorched by the heat soak from the rear engine and their cries added to the racket from the air cooled engine. Nostalgia aside, it was always an interesting car with a certain ruthless Germanic charm.

For: An unusual wagon with a cultish following
Against: Few survive today
Investment potential: 2/10. The vendor appears to be a believer

1968 Volvo 122s. Volvo's twin carb, two door 122s was a fine sports saloon if outdated compared to an Alfa or a BMW 2002. It made up for this deficiency through great mechanical strength, Swedes being notably intolerant of being stranded in blizzards. This South African import looks original and fit for duty so if you want something for the Targa, this might do it.

For: Goes well with your Scandinavian teak sofa.
Against: Little that I can see.
Investment potential: 7/10 if it measures up

1967 Ford Anglia 105E Estate. The tailgate of the Anglia Estate was designed by New Zealander John Frayling of Lotus Elite fame, or so he told me when I interviewed him in Wales many years ago. That is the only reason I can think of to want one but it is cute as a button and I cannot remember the last time I saw another.

For: A nice little project that will not break the bank.
Against: For pottering around in rather than driven in an enthusiastic fashion.
Investment potential: 4/10 as long as the repairs are as simple as the vendor suggests

1962 Sunbeam Rapier MkIIIa. The description suggests a bit of a hot rod but the 1725cc motor and five speed box would keep you entertained for a while until the roar from the twin side drafts became tiring. It looks well kept however and the modifications are discrete.

For: Could be fun
Against: Could be tedious
Investment potential: 4/10. No rust is a must with these.

1988 Rolls Royce Silver Spur LWB. If you could face being surrounded by a howling, stone throwing mob whenever you parked this Silver Spur, it could be just the mood elevating transport you need to lift yourself from your drab existence. I will be Parker and you can be Lady Penelope.

For: More like a party drug than a car
Against: The plate is taking things a bit far
Investment potential: 3/10 I predict strong bookings on high school formal night.

Ready for the shipping container now...

1952 Studebaker Starliner Hardtop Commander Coupe. I know it looks a bit like a pensioner without dentures but the lines are fabulous and it is a rare model that would transform into something very chic. Complete with V8 and auto, if that is important to you.

For: Now you just need a Pierre Konig house to go with it
Against: And a friendly panel beater
Investment potential: 2/10 Cheap to buy but a lot to spend.

The Aesthete's autumn almanac

Oh, alright. I know it's not autumn yet but how long can this summer last? 

1959 Edsel Villager Station Wagon. I made my weakness for American wagons evident last week so what better than a despised Edsel fashioned into an even more cumbersome wagon? This one looks like a family of coyotes has been living inside and requires a heroic effort to rescue it from its ruinous state but look at that two-piece tailgate for pity's sake.

For: Its hideous!
Against: Just look at the pictures
Investment potential: 0/10 unless you own a trim shop, spray booth, welder, many hard to find Edsel parts and a garage with a hoist.

1958 Jaguar 3.4 Litre Saloon. You do not see many good examples due to the cost of restoration and low values compared to the more popular Mk II so a well sorted car like this presents an attractive proposition. I am not thrilled about the colour or the superfluous louvres but the interior is wonderful and the wire wheels set the whole ensemble off.

For: You will not believe how fast this car will feel on the road.
Against: I would get it repainted and de-chrome the wheels but I am funny like that.
Investment potential: If you want to do all that on top of the purchase price, practically nil.

1962 Studebaker Lark. Along with whiskers on kittens and warm woolen mittens, Studebakers are amongst my favorite things. This NZ-new Lark has led a cosseted life and should feel almost new at 40-odd thousand miles. The Italianate looks put me in mind of a large Lancia Flavia saloon but you get a V8 instead of an asthmatic 1500cc four so who could not see the sense in that?

For: Chic American compact.
Against: Thinking hard... nope. Can't think of a reason not to want this.
Investment potential: 6/10. If you want one, this is probably it.

1973 Alfa Romeo GTV. 28K may seem a bit steep but there seems little point in starting from an average one when this has had all the necessary work carried out. GTV fanciers bore everyone else with their opinions about the relative merits of 1750 and 2000 cars. Both are equally desirable and the tinselly interior grows on you after a brief drive.

For: Bellissimo!
Against: No bargain to be had here.
Investment potential: 6/10 if you don't have to spend money on it.

1989 Volkswagen Golf GTi. The vendor sounds a bit grumpy so I would take a can of pepper spray with you if you want to stave off any unpleasantness when haggling. He is right to say this is a desirable Golf being a 16- valve small bodied car before they got the idea they were building an embassy limo and needed a stonking V6 to pull it around.

For: Better than many newer Golfs
Against: The owner, mainly
Investment potential: 3/10 if you can talk him down.

On some faraway shore...

1968 Chrysler Imperial Crown Coupe Mobile Director. Okay, it is 1968 and you are a ruthless plutocrat with a driver who needs to type urgent business letters while speeding along the turnpike. What do you do? Buy a Chrysler Imperial Crown Coupe Mobile Director of course. The swivel front seat and fold out business desk spell trouble for the Aesthete who could not imagine a finer place to spend his last few minutes on Earth for, of course, I do not have a driver.

For: What a way to go...
Against: Who will say anything against this car? Speak now!
Investment potential: 8/10. Take it to the All USA Day and watch them come running.

A catholic selection

This week's title seemed appropriate somehow on the day the new Pope was named and when attention turns towards Italy for reasons other than Silvio Berlusconi. I cling to the belief that Italy makes fine cars although experience continues to shake my faith. I still find grim pleasure in the enterprise though and have spent the week buzzing up and down the information superhighway, as it was quaintly called, looking for a rare special gearbox bearing needed to complete the work on the Flavia.  I was at the point of allowing a fearsome bodge to be performed when the news came from Cavalitto S.A.S in Torino that the bearing was in stock. Bravo Enrico Barlaam and I look forward to seeing the Pope in a Lancia and not a Mercedes. What were they thinking?

1960 Skoda Felicia. I imagine the gay days there must have been in 1960s Prague when I see this gorgeous slipper shaped convertible made in the era before Skoda became a joke brand. It was a proud marque and some of their clever engineering was carried here with the backbone chassis and independent suspension making its way into the local Trekka. The twin carbs are a bit optimistic on the puny 1200 cc engine but it has real Iron Curtain style.

For: You will probably not own a Tatra so what about this?

Against: They are not laughing at you, they are laughing with you.

Investment potential: Anything under 10K would be fine for a 6/10

1954 Riley Pathfinder. There are probably not ten Pathfinders running in the whole of England but it seems you can take your pick on Trade Me. This early car has the broad chested Riley twin cam four with a strange gearshift positioned on the right of the bench front seat. That quirk to one side it is pure 1950s Gerald Palmer and therefore like a British Lancia Aurelia but one tenth the price. And I love the picture of it outside its bungalow home. It could be 1955. 

For: Much more interesting than a Jaguar.

Against: Wayward handling on the limit led to the name Hedgefinder.

Investment potential: 2/10 but not to worry if you really want one because they are cheap.

1968 Daimler Sovereign. With possibly the worst photo ever used to pitch a car on the history of Trade Me comes this rather special Daimler with the big 4.2 litre motor, independent rear end, manual gearbox and wire wheels. This was the peak of the complex MkII line and would still give you a thrill today. The  modest start price and the need for a repaint would have me poking around the lower extremities with a screwdriver and a torch but what a brute.

For: There are lots of nice Daimlers but few exciting ones.
Against: Let's hope it is not totally rotten.
Investment potential: Dependent on the above. Nil if you have to pay for all that it might need.

1955 De Soto Firedome. I am a bit partial to hefty American wagons, seeing them as an antidote to the tedious array of Bel Air coupes that makes up a big section of the market. 60K is a bit rich however and I imagine the seller will have to wait for the right deep pocketed buyer. I would be looking on Bring A Trailer if I wanted something like this but it is a handsome thing.

For: It will get admiring looks and you can sleep in it.
Against: V8, drum brakes, 4000lbs. Approach damp roads with care.
Investment potential: 1/10. Probably cheaper than restoring one but I would want to try.

1948 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith. If you ever wanted to know what the result of a midnight tryst in the Royal Motor House would look like, behold! Possibly the most awful thing ever done to a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith or a Daimler Regency and with an interesting back-story as well if you care to read the comments.

For: Has parts from two nice cars, just not put together with any sense of the aesthetic outcome.
Against: Can you feel pity for a car? It wants you to save it.
Investment potential: Bwahahahaha!

And from Milano via Coventry...

1964 Sunbeam Venezia. Management at the Rootes Group headquarters must have been drinking heavily when it was agreed that a bespoke Touring-bodied Humber Scepter was what they needed to spice up the range. Built like an Aston Martin with a tubular frame holding up delicate hand formed panels, the Venezia cost more than an E-Type and they were a hard sell with only seven going to English customers. Needless to say, I want one and this would be the ideal example to buy.

For: Cheap and simple mechanicals. Just don't hit anything.
Against: Awkward but I like that in a car.
Investment potential: 1/10 at that price although if you had a Tiger you might want this to keep it company.

Five more ways to go broke

The Aesthete's Fleet

The Aesthete's brain chemicals are well out of kilter this week. I have been avoiding the workshop in the hope that if I do not look upon the Lancia I may soon forget that I own it and thereby be able to resume a more normal life. By that I mean not going back to the Dutch web vendor who has a Nardi performance manifold for sale at a price considerably higher than what I paid for my whole car. To no-one's surprise he is not getting many offers for it which simply increases the torment. If someone can suggest a cure that does not involve an ice pick being used to mangle my frontal lobes, please reply with a comment. Anyway, here it is, all three thousand dollars' worth.  

 

1962 Austin J2 Paralanian. If you are tired of management trying to cock up your day in whatever wasteful fashion they see fit you may want to combine work and pleasure in the form of a motorised business. There could be worse things in life than selling cheering bouquets from the back of an Austin J2 Paralanian. Or you could live in a cave somewhere and survive by scavenging. 

For: Say it aloud. "Austin J2 Paralanian"

Against: I would need at least 50K clear profit per annum. That is a lot of chrysanthemums.

Investment potential: As Rod Oram might say, negligible.

1969 Daimler 250. This slim-bumpered version of the V8 powered MkII looks handsome in black and the wire wheels seal the deal for a modest 19.5K. I could think of few nicer ways to get to Queenstown and back where the lack of power steering would not be noticed and you would feel like you were driving a proper car, not an electronically guided drone. 

For: An attractive combination.

Against: People will think you are the Grand Master at the Lodge.

Investment potential: 8/10. It would take the best part of 20K to tidy up a shabby one. 

1973 BMW 3.0 CSI. You might as well have the best if you are thinking about one of these so the 47K asking price seems reasonable if it is as good as it looks. Not as thrilling as the track-burning light weight version but these cars feel modern on the road – if modern means communicative handling and a great sound track from the engine bay. Forget that new sporty Toyota coupe thing. Buy this.

For: Enthusiast owned, known history.

Against: The vendor sounds a bit irritating.

Investment potential: 7/10. You should not need to spend a lot on it.

1958 MG ZB Magnette.Very few of these attractive cars see the market and my head is easily turned by the shapely flanks of Gerald Palmer's MG saloon. Palmer admired Lancias and studied the lines of the current Aurelia which featured a traditional grill  leading a smoothly streamlined body shell. The effect is slightly compromised by the suburban oak interior. I would have gone for round dials in a painted steel dash but I was not a BMC product planner.

For: Looks and not bad dynamics.

Against: I know. Its a wreck.

Investment potential. 0/10 if you have to pay someone else to finish it.

1960 Rambler American. The vendor rants all the way through his pitch so I would say you are in for an entertaining day if you venture off to Christchurch for a look. The more I think about American cars, the more I am convinced that they are only interesting at the extremes of the market so don't mess with Mr in-between, buy a compact like this or a top line model.

For: The vendor thinks girls might like it.

Against: US$800 tops in place of origin.

Investment potential: Bwahahaha.

Next flight to Washington, please Miss....

1954 Nash Rambler Club Coupe. As if to prove the point, consider this gorgeous Nash coupe that shares its good looks with it's little Metropolitan stable mate. If you want to appear unutterably cool at the wheel of an American car, this is the way to proceed.  

For: Front wheel spats!

Against: Am I the only person in the world who likes these things?

Investment potential: 6/10 but only if I can only find the other person who likes 1950s Ramblers.

and something from closer to home

My old friend Buck is selling his Lancia Gamma Coupe. It belonged to Bruce Wilson, Chris Amon's mechanic and Fiat and Lancia agent for the middle North Island. Bruce set out to improve what was a fine but flawed design, reworking the fuel system and ancillary belts to produce a more robust car that can stand up to daily use. It has a new clutch, is in fighting form and Buck wants 6.5K.  Actual photos next week.

Beware the Ides of March

The Aesthete's Fleet

Did I mention that the Lancia's gearbox sounds like an angry monkey? Perhaps not but the chattering on the over-run rose to an alarming volume and I finally delivered it to Wonder Boy for an overhaul. I have been trolling the web for replacement bearings for some months in the hope that there would be nothing major broken inside but that would require a miracle and I believe they are rare in the modern world. The first thing we noted was large amounts of movement on the input shaft and needle rollers falling about. Next was a missing tooth on first gear which is odd because it was not at all noisy in low or reverse. The displaced tooth was lying in the bottom of the case but had not caused further mischief elsewhere.

Lancia gearboxes are held together with many different sized ring nuts requiring a box full of special tools. Of course they have all been bashed off and put back on finger tight. Two out of four were spinning loose, resulting in uneven meshing and, hopefully, a noise like an angry monkey. The big debate in the workshop was whether to use the saloon differential which has a lower ratio producing about 96MPH at 5200RPM. After counting teeth various graphs were produced on a clever piece of software. I doubt that I or anyone else will be doing the 102MPH which was the Coupe's flat out top speed and gave my consent but then the manifest differences between the two diffs became apparent and we will be sticking with the slightly worn out Coupe item. More to follow.

1973 Citroen SM. People still seem a bit frightened of the SM, perhaps because of its status as the most sophisticated road car of its period. Most of the underlying engineering was common to the DS and what was not has been subject to much retrospective improvement. As long as the Maserati V6 has been properly set up you should be able to relax and enjoy the charms of this special voiture à grande diffusion and not pay Italian exotic money.

For: Needs no answer really.
Against: Not for scaredy cats.
Investment potential: 5/10. I doubt if the market will ever wake up to these cars.

1962 Rambler American. I almost mistook the nose on this for the Iso Rivolta I want to add to my Italian collection but the reality is a bit more hum-drum in the form of a Rambler wagon. Some optimistic soul has begun turning it into something of a road burner and it really should be finished off. I suggest running it on standard wheels and using it to frighten WRX drivers at the autocross.

For: A bit like that Rambler wagon from the US that I waxed lyrically about a few weeks ago.
Against: Not much like that at all, really.
Investment potential: 0/10. Like forking money into a roaring furnace I suspect.

1952 Daimler Consort. As long as you do not have to cover a lot of ground quickly, a Daimler Consort is a nice way of reliving a more genteel age when hanging was still on the statutes and people knew their place. Much admired by retired heads of harbour boards, a Consort murmured good taste rather than shouted about it,  accompanied by the sonorous notes from its Wilson Preselect gearbox.

For: Only owned by the better sort of petrolhead.
Against: You may die of boredom before reaching your destination.
Investment potential. 3/10 but only if the single person that wants one wins Lotto the week you want to sell.

1979 Alfa Romeo GTV6. Guigiaro's wedgy replacement for the much loved 105 series coupes took a while to grow on even the most dedicated Alfisti. While a more modern car in every way, they felt a bit ordinary until supplied with Alfa's sparkling V6 as unveiled in the doomed 90, a luxury saloon so terrible that I have never seen one. This one languishes without WOF or Rego which would have me asking hard questions. They are meant to be used after all.

For: Looks and performance finally balanced.
Against: Seller is vague with details.
Investment potential: 3/10 if you can sort it out yourself.

1963 Chrysler Valiant SV1. As I mentioned last week, looking directly at products from the early 1960s Chrysler range often induces involuntary yelps of pain but, oddly enough, the strange styling tropes that made the bigger cars look dire work well on the smaller ones. The Lancia shaped grill is handsome and front and rear meet nicely in the middle. The model just before this had a fake spare wheel cover on the boot lid that gives me a tingle just thinking about it.

For: Not a Falcon. No siree.
Against: I would be looking for a standard set of wheels.
Investment potential: 6/10. Something for your inner yobbo.


And waiting on a far, far shore...

1964 Porsche 356C. With hopeful sellers trying to shift bodged and half finished restorations for 50K, why not enjoy the good exchange rate and buy this nice clean 356? The slate grey and red leather is a great combination on these coupes that benefit from fifteen years of development and feel light and modern on the road today.

For: The smart choice.
Against: Do get it checked. Americans are inclined to make sills out of painted rolled up newspapers.
Investment potential: 6/10. Work to be done but hopefully not 50K worth.