Five more four-wheeled follies

The Aesthete's Fleet

Cruel fate snatched away the best Trade Me listings this week including the lovely 1938 Riley Kestral saloon I was gloating over so we have a peculiar selection indeed. I will leave it to your imagination to guess what induced heavy breathing in the Aesthete but I can tell you it is not made of plastic or Italian. 

The rust repairs are complete on the GTV so I will now return to the Flavia that has run out of instrumentation with the speedo joining the rev counter on strike and emitting a mournful low howling. I met my old friend the Alfa and Ducatti maestro Eric Swinburn for a drive on Friday and it started as soon as he got in. Puttana! 

1961 Dodge Phoenix Coupe. Big Dodges of this basic profile were part of my childhood automotive landscape. They always looked lumbering and impressive although most were powered by hopeless flathead sixes. This is the glamour version and the coupe cabin renders it even more lugubrious.

For: An unusual alternative to an Impala.
Against: Why would you want an unusual alternative to an Impala?
Investment potential: 0/10. The vendor is somewhat optimistic.

Quantum.  One crummy picture, no date of manufacture, no history and no mention that it is diesel powered. Oh well, that it was the internet is made for I suppose. Quantum cars were built from Ford Fiesta stock and so are a bit like an updated Marcos. They were well regarded with production carrying on in various enthusiast's hands until recently. This example somehow washed up in New Zealand and was converted to diesel power. Why? You will just have to ask Marcel Marceau.

For: Who knows?
Against: Again, who knows?
Investment potential: 1/10 and that is being generous.

2005 Maserati Quattroporte. Believe it or not, you could have an eight year old, New Zealand new Maserati Quattroporte with virtually no kms on it for 50K. This makes little sense to the Aesthete when a new one costs five times that but, however the economics work, we are all coming closer to the dream. Live your Paris Hilton fantasy today!

For: They will get even cheaper!
Against: That is not good news if you already own one.
Investment potential: Something less than 0/10, obviously. Somewhere on the Kelvin scale.

1959 Porsche 356A. I only show you this to draw your attention to what 40K buys you in the Porsche 356 stakes nowadays. There is a ready market for good ones and they are a straightforward restoration prospect due to the steady supply of reproduction parts. Choose carefully, however, as the market values originality.

For: No-one can say they are under rated.
Against: A bit cultish for me.
Investment potential: 2/10 as long as you can do the work.

1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2. Fittingly, the vendor's description is just a spray of numerals and random letters as well. I think what we are to understand from it is that this is an unusual form of American muscle car with a very large V8 engine which is highly effective as long as you point it straight and do not attempt to slow down or take a corner.

For: Not for the bashful.
Against: If your name is not Dwayne, possibly the wrong car for you.
Investment potential: 2/10. Lacks the cachet of a Buick Riviera and costs more.

Give me a ticket for an aeroplane...

1967 BMW CS2000 Coupe. The Aesthete's choice of 1960s German coupes is the shark-nosed 2000CS with its distinctive painted and belouvered nose. This American version lacks the gorgeous covered lights of the European models but that may be a good thing. If you broke one, you would be off the road a long time...

For: The front end and the interior.
Against: It looks like coyotes have been living in this one.
Investment potential: 2/10 but if it will make you happy....

The Aesthete ponders another week of Trade Me offerings

The shortest day approaches

They say the middle of winter is not the best time to sell a car but you have to wonder why not. The worst type of tyre kickers are out stealing other people's firewood to fuel their illegally installed log burners so only the hardiest and noblest amongst us are driving around in the snow to look at old cars. Now is surely the time to buy that 1937 Phutney-Creech Land Yacht you have been promising yourself since the 1970s.

1971 Fiat 124 Coupe. Failing that, you could have this Fiat 124 Coupe with a number of interesting modifications for 7.5K. Nothing will touch it for that sort of outlay, unless you are the cap-on-backwards sort but then you would not be reading the Aesthete's blog anyway. The BC version is the one to have. It is the most handsome of the three variants and this one is fabulous in the striking but original blue.

For: Its rust-free! (in so far as any old Fiat can claim to be)
Against: I prefer my BCs straight, thank you.
Investment potential. 4/10. If it is as good as it looks, this is a keen price.

1965 Ford Mustang. I prefer my Mustangs on the plain side as well so this pale blue notchback on standard steel wheels appeals to the Aesthete's particular weakness for effeminate American cars. Everything is available for refurbishment and parts are cheap as they made millions of them. The owner appears to have done useful work during his stewardship of the car and it is not expensive.

For: If you want one, this is may be it.
Against: Tired ones are sad and floppy.
Investment potential: 1/10. There are so many in New Zealand now they may possibly depreciate.

1959 Rover Three-Litre Mk 1. The true Rover aficionado will recognise this as something special so the poor vendor should not have to suffer the silly bids that are being placed on it. One of the first customer cars sold, this very early saloon features the slim pleated seats that make the interior seem airy and the delightful glass deflectors on the side windows. Low milage, tidy and most likely unrepeatable.

For: That's quality, that is.
Against: Later versions ironed out some mechanical issues.
Investment potential: 4/10 as long as there is still a living breathing member of the Rover Club.

1965 Buick Riviera. It has to be a Buick Riviera if you want to capture the genuine Madmen atmosphere of the period without spending a million dollars on a Chrysler Ghia LG6. This 1965 model is the best looking of them all from its moulded stainless steel sill covers to its crisp roof line. And a black interior...

For: I think your partner might like this one.
Against: You know you should be buying a Suzuki Swift.
Investment potential; Lets say 8/10 but we both know it is not so.

1978 Ferrari 400. Someone has emptied this Ferrari of all its expensive bits leaving a right hand drive New Zealand new shell behind. Surely someone has a horrid rusty Jaguar XJS lying around that could provide the necessary donor parts? It would not be worthwhile finding the correct bits, even if you could guarantee they were fit for use. That is sadly why people strip them.

For: An opportunity for the brave.
Against: Will always be a bodge.
Investment potential: 1/10 and a lot of hard work.

On some faraway shore...

It's that Land Yacht I was telling you to buy! Found on my favorite alternative to Bring A Trailer. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/

The Aesthete faces reality

The Aesthete's Fleet

I did very much want that Fiat Dino last week but the purchase was sundered due to a liquidity crisis of my own making. Probably for the best as cash is currently being shoveled into the furnace that is Alfa Romeo GTV rust repairs. This is the first lot of serious body work for seven years and Mike from McKay and Whelan found a few other minor issues to fix at the same time including maladjusted door catches. It is off to the paint shop now for its unusual olive green metallic to be matched. I have sent my booking in for the Latins Around the Lakes rally and will now have to choose what to drive.

1984 Ford Sierra XR8. If you simply do not care what anyone thinks of you, this is the perfect car. The XR8 was a limited run of 250 Mustang V8-engined cars built in South Africa in the mid-1980s for Group A homologation purposes. Not wildly overpowered so there is room for more development if you really want to scare yourself.

For: Release your inner hoon.
Against: You will be a laughing stock.
Investment potential: 2/10. Will always be cheaper than a Cosworth, however.

1978 Austin Princess. Okay, uncover your eyes for a minute and look upon the unadorned Harris Mann lines of this base model Princess. It is very handsome and only spoiled by the terrible build quality and egregious bits of buzzing trim applied to the posher ones. I hear the other well known aesthete wants a Wolseley version and I would almost wish it upon him.

For: See if you can find a set of the original trapezoid headlights. Phwoar.
Against: Everything really.
Investment potential: Bwahahaha!

1985 Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC. The Strada, originally launched as the Ritmo, was one of the first generation of rowdy front wheel drive hatches and was Italy's riposte to the Golf GTI. You got narrow hipped Recarro racing seats, a go-cart steering wheel and a pair of Webers that sounded like they were going to suck the rest of the car into the inlet tract. What more could you ask for, really? Reliability? Rust proofing? Pah.

For: Hilarious.
Against: Do not leave it sitting uncovered on the drive.
Investment potential: 4/10 Eventually all the bad ones will be gone.

1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud Mk2. The first Rolls Royce with the excellent V8 engine provided refined performance although not with the sophisticated ride of the unitary body Shadow that followed. Never mind. If you want to be followed by a howling mob of anti-G8 protesters, here is your car.

For: Silver Shadows. So common.
Against: You might need to hide it when the Greens hold the balance of power.
Investment potential: 3/10. Two NZ owners and low milage. It seems cheap.

1952 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster. While drawing towards the end of production by 1952, the post-war Armstrong Siddeley range was a bright spot in a rather dark period of rehashed 1930s products. Well suspended on torsion bars, the six cylinder Lancaster was alloy bodied on a wooden frame. Not as lively as a Riley but almost sporting compared to the Sapphire that followed.

For: Not as dull as you might think.
Against: The frames rot but the panels do not so you cannot see it.
Investment potential: 2/10. Owners possibly even older than Daimler club members.

Ready to be put in the container...

1958 Fiat Multipla. Do the sums and figure out if you can justify the best part of 80K for this ugly bug proto-people mover. No good looking behind hedges and in sheds for them now as they have hit the big time and you could have a decent Ferrari for less. Or three Fiat Dinos...

For: Abarth modifications if you dare to test the performance.
Against: Common sense would suggest that 80K could be expended to better effect elsewhere.
Investment potential: 1/10 It is microcars this year but what if is Lincoln Towncars next?
 

The Aesthete's big swinging crank

The Aesthete's Fleet

The other aesthete and I took his Daimler Majestic out for a run up to Clark's Junction with the local Daimler owners club. The Majestic is truly a wonderful thing. Not so much a magic carpet, more of a magic armored troop carrier that flattens out the road ahead with its sheer mass. Any foolish motorist that got in the way would be dispatched instantly with just a loud pop to announce their voyage beyond the earthly vale. You can see why horrid old tories liked them so much. It is like the British Empire never ended.

Just a thought. The previous post titled The Aesthete's Secret Shame has logged more than the three times the views of any other post. This one will be called The Aesthete's big swinging crank and we will see if the pattern is repeated.

1936 Morris 25. A bit of work to do, I grant you but this big and rakish Morris saloon would be an interesting project. Rare in the UK, a number were exported to distant places where the old horse-power tax did not apply. The 3.8 litre side valve six moved things along nicely and they would do well over 80 mph which was flying in the thirties. Built in hydraulic jacks and a nicely detailed leather interior will keep you busy through the long winter evenings.

For: Big, handsome and cheap.
Against: No, you cannot make a rat-rod with it.
Investment potential. 3/10 and you could always ship it back to Blighty.

1961 Morris Major Deluxe. No, it is not Morris week on the list but I should draw your attention to this rather sweet product of the Australian side of the industry. More familiar in its Wolseley 1500 and Riley 1.5 guises, this version sports a unique Pininfarina style front on the same mid-section. That means precise Morris Minor rack steering, torsion bar springs and the smaller version of the B series engine. They are lively and surprisingly nice to drive.

For: An antipodean rarity.
Against: A Riley would be preferable.
Investment potential: 5/10. It looks very usable as it stands.

1965 Ford Lotus Cortina. You might think 45K+ is cracking on a bit for a Cortina but original early twin cams are probably inflation proof for the time being so it does not really matter when you climb on. This one has the early and slightly troublesome A-frame axle location and coil spring rear which was dispensed with on later cars. It has been in New Zealand from new.

For: The Aesthete's retirement plan if I could just afford to buy it now.
Against: Like all Lotuses, fast but fragile.
Investment potential: 4/10. Depends how high the bidding goes but how much is too much?

1967 Prince B200. You are correct to point out that there are not many Japanese cars on the Aesthete's lists. This is not due to any lingering ill feeling about the war but more that I just don't find them very interesting, early Datsun 240Zs to one side. This is worthy though. Most think of them as Datsuns but they were an independent marque until the late 1960s. The engines were similar to the OHC Mercedes sixes, de Dion rear axle and Italianate styling. What is not to like then?

For: Quite handy on the track in their day.
Against: The drab interior, mainly.
Investment potential. 3/10. When did you last see a nice one?

1967 Fiat Dino Coupe. If it was a Ferrari and not a Fiat it would be worth ten times the asking price so what are you getting for your measly 25K? A timeless Bertone coupe shape with four decent seats and the smaller V6 from the Dino for a start. These big Fiats are widely misunderstood. Never a cheap option, they were a showcase of Italian technology and hugely undervalued. The Aesthete says buy this car now before I get to the bank on Monday.

For: Nothing. Terrible car.
Against: No. you definitely don't want it. Totally unsuitable in fact. Dreadful.
Investment potential: 0/10. Certain dire financial catastrophe.


Waiting for you in Greece...

1967 Simca 1000 Coupe. What is this that looks like a cross between a Fiat 850 Coupe and an Alfa Romeo GTV, I hear you ask? Another one of Giorgetto Giugiaro's lesser known efforts for Bertone and very svelte  it is too, despite the lack of power to match the looks. I am a bit soft on these small engined Franco-Italian hybrids and this would be a pleasant alternative to that madly overpriced Singer Chamois I listed the other week.

For: Good looking, simple mechanicals.
Against: Would the looks be enough?
Investment potential: 1/10. Negligible.