The Aesthete is feeling jaded

The Aesthete's Fleet.

Trademe is having one of its periodic lulls where it seems that no one has anything interesting to sell, or they are selling it elsewhere. The other NZ classic sites look a bit depleted as well so maybe everyone is waiting for summer or for the economy to pick up. The Aesthete is not a gambling man but he would put his money on there being a summer. Meanwhile, the wrecked Alfetta is now poised in the shed with axle stands placed strategically where there is no rust in the immediate vicinity. There was considerable creaking in the structure as there are no windscreen pillars left after oxidation has done its lethal work.

1969 MGC. The volatile vendor tells us that MGCs are rocketing in value and that none of us should waste his time by making desultory offers. Consequently, no one has placed a bid on his car which is a shame because it looks quite nice. MGCs have languished because their lugubrious six cylinder engines were the wrong choice for a sports car. Think of it as a small touring car able to soar over steep hills with the abundant torque from its Austin limousine power plant, while enjoying the interior frills absent in an MGB.

For: MGCs will have their day again we are told.
Against: Careful of the understeer. That great engine wants to continue in the present direction of travel, heedless of your wheel twirling.
Investment potential: 3/10 due to the inherent compromise of the design.

1968 Jaguar 240. Not everyone's favourite specification for a Mk II but the 240 and 340 cars were still smooth and refined, albeit challenged by the more modern Rovers and Triumphs that took their market away. The slim bumpers lighten the whole appearance of the car while the Ambla vinyl interior looks a pleasant place to be. There is no need to be thinking about going anywhere at 100 mph so just relax and enjoy it.

For: No heavy restoration required so that should save you 50K to start with.
Against: More of a friendly tabby cat than a Jaguar.
Investment potential: 2/10 as most will prefer the growling spitting version.

Alfa Romeo Avanzo. Now that I have acquired a wrecked Alfetta, the idea of building a Barchetta type sports car out of its remains does not seem all that preposterous. The skip has been ordered that will receive the upper panels of the hulk, leaving and engine, transmission and wheels behind. This ambitious project will need to wait until I have my new workshop built but what is life without such completely unrealistic goals? In the meantime I could just buy this and save myself years of toil.

For: The Aesthete will accept the results of a readers' poll. Should he do it himself or buy prêt-à-porter?
Against: Oh, plenty of sensible reasons I am sure.
Investment potential: How can I answer this without revealing my parlous finances?

1968 Austin Mini Moke. Get ready for the summer or for your own personal recreation of The Prisoner TV series from the 1960s. All you would need is a welder and one of those handy sheet metal formers from your local Chinese tool shop. Fiat Jollies are now worth the price of a nice villa on Crete so I suggest you get snipping and folding now.

For: Fix it and get one of those striped fringed tops made. Girls will jump in wherever you park.
Against: Yes, I know.
Investment potential: 6/10.

1986 Alfa Romeo Sprint QV. The Alfasud Sprint is one of the most thrilling small cars ever produced with enough performance to scare yourself and your unfortunate passenger if you get carried away, which you assuredly will. Treat the rust before it gets too bad, pump it full of old fish livers and keep it in a dry place.

For: The ultimate Sud waiting for your careful ministrations.
Against: Inspect carefully.
Investment potential: 7/10 as long as it does not need a complete strip down.


On some faraway beach...

1967 Citroen Azelle. If the Moke looks like too much work for your idle girlish hands, you may just wish to drop into the driver's seat of this cleverly modified 2CV and head straight to the beach. The Azelle was sold as a kit for owners to convert their four door cars so the quality of the finished product is dependent on the condition of the donor vehicle and the builder's skills. Even so, this would be ideal for Mapua. I am sure the other well known Terrace-dwelling Aesthete would concur.

For: Tres charmant.
Against: I would prefer the original hammock seats.
Investment potential: 4/10 or more if Jupiter aligns with Mars and it really is the Age of Aquarius.

The car gods smile on the Aesthete once again.

The Aesthete's Fleet

Perhaps the gods were busy with other hapless road users over the weekend but the recovery of the Alfetta wreck from Christchurch went completely without incident. I visited the Flavia in its new garage where it keeps company with an early Fulvia coupe. If an inanimate thing could be said to look smug, the Lancia did and its new owners have done a fine job of fettling so now it runs as it should. There remains the small matter of the transaxle swap for which the wreck was purchased so there are many opportunities for tragedy there. The house already looks like Italian hillbillies live there so a rusted out Alfa can only lower the tone a little further. 

1967 Lincoln Continental. I have said unkind things about the Ford styling studio in its period of high pomp but they recovered once they stopped looking at jet fighters and started studying architecture. The linear and austere Continental is every bit as smooth as a Mies van der Rohe building and nothing could look better reflected in a plate glass window than this. I can even pardon the white top which is usually a crime against pubic decency.

For: Forget all those cheesy LA music videos. This is it.
Against: The frame needed to keep the doors from jamming weighs as much as another car.
Investment potential: 1/10. Sadly, dinosaurs no longer rule the earth.

1961 Bedford Dormobile Caravan. From time to time the Aesthete nurses a disturbing fantasy that simply by thinking about a particular car, one will appear on Trademe as a direct result. So it was with the weekend's discussion about Martin Walther-bodied Bedford campers, occasioned upon seeing a restored Kombi and wondering how many of these English vans you could get for the price of one split window Type 2. Five is the correct answer.

For: Oh come on. Wouldn't you rather have one of these and a 40K travel budget?
Against: It appears to be missing a bed. You must have one of those to put the candlewick cover on.
Investment potential: 4/10 and so much fun compared to a modern camper.

1958 MG Magnette ZA. The sad fate of MG designer Gerald Palmer also cropped up as we zoomed through Christchurch in Tom's Alfa Giulia Super. I was reminded of the ad where two lovely English girls are leaning their Giulia into a roundabout while their confectionary rolls across the dash but we were two hirsute middle aged men so the effect was dimmed. It was nonetheless agreed that the ideal garage would need to contain an MG Magnette or a Riley Pathfinder in tribute to the genius who invented the Jowett Javelin but finished his days embittered at Vauxhall.

For: Like Natalie Wood singing I Feel Pretty from West Side Story but a car.
Against: It only needs a MGB motor and a five speed gearbox to be perfect. And black wire wheels. Grrrwwlll.
Investment potential: 8/10. This is cheap for the best looking British saloon of its era.

1959 Austin Healey Sprite. While on the subject of joie de vivre, what could be better for your flagging spirits than an Austin Healey Sprite?  Lively, light and sure footed, the Sprite was an inspired shake of the British components bin that turned out to be far greater than the sum of its parts. A Mazda MX5 feels like a Buick Roadmaster by comparison but the lack of heater or side windows is suggestive of how this was achieved.

For: Save it for sunny days and you will love it.
Against: Nothing. Close to the perfect car.
Investment potential: 6/10. Small, cheap and easy to fix is the future.

1966 Plymouth Barracuda. Does no-one else see the point in a small American coupe that is not a Camaro or a Mustang? If not, why is this Barracuda still for sale? The glass fastback rear end has enough drama to overcome the frontal resemblance to a Valiant while the underpinnings are more sophisticated than the competition from Ford and Chevrolet. Strike a blow for the non-obvious and buy this car now.

For: Stylish alternative to a Camustango.
Against: Why would you need an alternative?
Investment potential: 1/10 as I do not control the market for such things.

On some faraway beach

1965 ASA 1000GT. ASA (Autocostruzioni Società per Azioni) was set up to build this Bizzarrini designed coupe which was styled by the young Giorgetto Giugiaro while at Bertone. The engine was based on one quarter of the big Columbo V12 but was almost as expensive to build as the larger car. They were also found to be highly effective on the track if you could afford to buy one in the first place.

For: Tiny exotic perfection.
Against: At a price
Investment potential: 3/10. You will still be able to use this while petrol still flows from the pumps.

The Aesthete has it all ways.

The Aesthete's Fleet
Loud creaking and clunking from the rear of the Alfetta suggests that the drive shaft was only the start of it so a further order of suspension bushes has gone out to Chris Sweetapple at Highwood Alfa in deepest Wales. It is one of the mysteries of modern existence that he can get parts to Dunedin from Swansea faster than if I had ordered them from the north island but this has been proved many times over. He is taking an interest in these cars now but one wonders how many early Alfettas are left in England given that the winters there were more corrosive than even dank and gloomy Dunedin.

1964 Cheetah Sports. Early for a mid-engined racer, this well configured little special looks like a Lola or something similar which would now cost you the thick end of 100K. A little over 5K seems more than fair and the modest specification will hopefully prevent you being filleted and flambé´d on the crash barrier the first time you take it out.

For: Local history is worth less than UK history so enjoy the cash difference.
Against: You will probably not win anything with it but that is hardly the point.
Investment potential: 4/10 if it stays close to where it is.

 1965 Fiat 1500 Crusader. Just reminding you that it is still here. Come on, one of you, step forward and buy it now.

For: The best thing on Trademe all year. Honestly.
Against: Yes, I know. You have to change your own gears and wind your own windows. Quislings.
Investment potential: 8/10.

1986 Jaguar XJS. 25K for a virtually unused early XJS must represent value even in this rather unlovely car. The underpinnings were good enough for later Jaguars and Aston Martins to endlessly recycle and at least XJSs have worn better then early XKRs which now look tragic with their cheap hide and flimsy plastics. Be the first to invest in a good one and stand back while their replacements fall by the wayside.

For: Forget the looks and it is a great car.
Against: You can't forget the looks, can you?
Investment potential: 2/10 but only because it is not a perfect world.

Marcos Mantula. Delivered into the Britain of Harold Wilson's "white heat of technology", the original Marcos coupe designed by Dennis Adams bristled with innovative features. The plywood frame was long gone by the 1980s but even with the roof cut off and festooned with ugly wheel arch extensions and spoilers the car still manages to look like Wilson knew what he was talking about.

For: I have always liked cars that look like a talented child has drawn them.
Against: I know. You prefer something less jejune.
Investment potential: 2/10. A hard sell, possibly.

1951 Daimler Drophead Special Sports. Something like this Daimler perhaps where, in light of otherwise patchy post-war performance, everything turned out tickety-boo. The sweeping wing line was tricky on a mid sized body but the proportions work splendidly and it is one of the best looking tourers to come from the traditional side of the industry. 90HP was respectable and you would be able to drink a whisky sour in the sideways rear seat and not spill a drop..

For: The equivalent of a good address in Pimlico. Dolphin Square perhaps.
Against: You did not know the Aesthete was a closet Tory, did you?
Investment potential: 2/10. Like old Alvises, a little underestimated.

On some faraway beach...

1969 Matra 530 A. Only the French can make cars that look like this, however. It seems like it has been styled around a folded card model and the lines go everywhere but where they should. It is also fitted with a clattery engine from a Ford Transit but it makes you look twice and how often does that happen nowadays?

For: Go on. Tell me you hate it.
Against: I can't imagine
Investment potential: Un petit. We are not in Paris now.

The Aesthete remains in hiding

The Aesthete's Fleet
Bibendum, the angry tyre god, had his turn at smiting last week when the Alfa had to be rescued off the Port Chalmers highway with a shredded tyre. No sooner was it changed than the rear tyre on the other side went down. He will now avoid the glass strewn streets of North Dunedin where the remains of burnt sofas and broken window sashes lie thick in the streets while the pampered offspring of Epsom lawyers and life coaches slouch off to their marketing classes.

1974 Citroen SM. This unusual variant of an already unusual car should get the Francophiles out there rushing to the Société Générale to cash in their pension schemes. A good SM is one of the few things worth emptying the vaults for as no car before it attempted to move the industry so far ahead in a single leap. Citroen was rewarded with a total of 294 sales in the year this one was produced. Now, if a Tesla looked like this instead of a spavined Mazda 6 I would be in the queue.

For: Formidable!
Against: I can think of nothing.
Investment potential: In an ideal world 10/10. In this world 4/10

1966 Prince Gloria B200. One of the earliest signs of what was to come from the Japanese motor industry was the Prince, a smooth and sophisticated six cylinder car with a race pedigree that leads all the way to the current Skyline. The transatlantic styling means there is a lot of bling to restore but a Targa rally version might be able to get away with a dash of aluminium paint for that authentic '60s look.

For: Then as now, an alternative to more mundane cars.
Against: It is begging to be made to go faster.
Investment potential: 3/10 if you get the budget right.

1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600. Or you could save yourself a lot of hard work by stepping straight into this well prepared Giulia racer which should be more than capable of staying with the pack. With only a small weight penalty and better aerodynamics, the saloon stays well on the inside of the lurid prices being asked for step-nose Sprints and GTAs.

For: Genuine track day credibility in a handy bite-sized pack.
Against: Do you expect me to say anything against this?
Investment potential: 5/10 but only if you don't crash it.

1964 Mercedes 300 SE. The numbers and letters are all important in sorting out the Mercedes model range so 300SE usually causes quickened pulses in the admirers of old Teutonic iron. Priced akin to a Bentley but depreciating faster than a V2 rocket, the 300SL engined saloon caused a putsch in the Benz engineering department when owners found themselves with deflated air suspension just when they needed world domination.

For: Hand made and glorious in a flawed sort of way.
Against: Do you really need it when no-one can tell the difference between this and a 190?
Investment potential: You are not listening to me, are you?

1959 Mercury Monterey. Even by the baroque standards of American styling at the end of the 1950s there is something compelling vile about these big Mercurys that draws the Aesthete back for repeat visits.  Perhaps it is the way the glass cuts high into the roofline or the exaggerated shapes drawn on its flanks, the whiskers near the grill or the blizzard of lines collecting towards the rear. The automotive equivalent of a red rubber gimp suit then.

For: A thrilling frisson of sheer awfulness.
Against: Oh, many things I am sure.
Investment potential: Nulla. For the same money you could be in a Buick Riviera.

On some faraway beach

1965 Simca 1000 Coupe. What is this svelte thing that looks like an elongated Fiat 850 Coupe, I hear you asking? While sufficient of the boxy Simca saloons arrived here to arouse dim memories of the brand, Bertone's coupe was rarely seen outside Europe. It was the basis for a hair raising Abarth version so for EUR 9500 and a donor Fiat twin cam you could be in the Aesthete's vision of automotive heaven.

For: Unusual, elegant and cheap.
Against: Only the name.
Investment potential: Oh, I don't know. Limitless.

The Aesthete throws another stick into Trademe

The Aesthete's Fleet

Hiding from the angry car gods has seen the Aesthete scrape through the last week with no disasters to speak of. The Alfetta's front seats have been recovered to good effect and are now without bits of wire stiffening poking into the passenger's secret places. The rest of the interior now looks decrepit of course so I may look at getting some door trim cards vacuum formed. Soft parts for these early cars are now very difficult to obtain so there may be a modest return on the necessary tooling. Does anyone out there have a disused radio wave heat moulding device that can reproduce fake stitching? All replies treated in confidence.

1955 Land Rover Series 1. This early Land Rover is the ideal format for both pleasurable use and investment purposes although the Aesthete is the last person who should be entrusted with that responsibility, having ruined his own finances many times over. Recent gushing articles in the glossy old car press draw attention to international celebrities who jump from their McLarens into distressed old Landies, leaving a waft of expensive cologne and African antelope kid loafers behind. Is this an incentive to buy? No, probably not.

For:  Rough, tough and tidy enough.
Against: Best carry a little tray to catch your kidneys in.
Investment potential: 8/10 if you believe what you read.



1937 Morgan. Flat radiator Morgans are an uncommon sight in these parts and this handsome example comes with its interesting original Coventry Climax engine that provided exciting performance for a small pre-war sportster. The tiny cockpit suggests a bantam proportioned driver so unless you have the hips of a twelve year old, best look at one of the later cars. Similar warnings about internal organ damage apply as above.

For: The Aesthete wants something like this for the commute into Dunedin but will need a few seasons at Les Mills first.
Against: Most reader of this blog have super -annuitant hips and are therefore ineligible.
Investment potential: 4/10. Economical small engined classics will be the ones to survive the coming electrical deluge.



1974 Honda Civic. Well, how many usable first series Civics are there out there now? Thin steel and lax local assembly standards did for most of them so this charming hot orange two door is an effective portal back to my North Shore late adolescence, some of which was spent up on two wheels in the example owned by the unsuspecting mother of a college friend. Its stability saved my miserable existence on many late night trips to the pizza parlour following the use of forbidden substances.

For: The smell of the interior plastics was easily confused with hashish which was helpful in explaining the erratic driving.
Against: I know you don't and I am not suggesting that you take it up now.
Investment potential: 3/10 and possibly more when people realise how rare they have become.



1954 Ford Victoria Coupe. The great thing about American cars is the latitude for improvement in their big wide engine bays. If taken to the extent of this Victoria, you could have 200KPH + performance with decent braking, if not completely respectable chassis habits. The widened steel wheels are a nice touch so the cap on backwards set would not even see you coming.

For: Hold onto your handbag, Evangaline. I'm giving it the gas.
Against: Try and avoid changing direction.
Investment potential: 2/10 even if the V8 is more efficient.



1965 Fiat 1500 Crusader. I have always averred that if the car buying population of the 1960s got to drive these, no further sales of Cambridges and other such dreary stock could have ever followed. Fizzing performance, slick gearshift and proper brakes complemented by elegant Italo-American styling all came in a special New Zealand-only package for the mille cinquecento was only badged as a Crusader here.

For: If that is not enough to get you rushing out in a buying frenzy I can be of no further help to you.
Against: Nothing. Someone buy it now.
Investment potential: 16/10.

On some faraway shore



1961 Facel Vega HK500. Like whiskers on kittens and warm woollen mittens, Facel Vegas are amongst the Aesthete's favourite things. Indeed, he frequently fantasises about whisking the gamine  Julie Andrews off for a weekend of wicked behaviour on the Italian Riviera where his trusted retainer is warming the brandy glasses and laying out the canapés in the balcony room of his favourite pensione.

For: Oh come on. Look at that dash.
Against: Not to be driven in ordinary surroundings.
Investment potential: Not yet at reserve at US82K so may be pricey