The Aesthete takes a holiday

The Aesthete will be in the UK from the end of the week, presenting his arcane research on early New Zealand modernist architecture to a bewildered conference audience at the University of Middlesex.  The subject concerns the relationship between Piranesi's 1762 engraving  ll Campo Marzio dell'Antica Roma and the garden around the 1929 house High and Over, all in 20 minutes. Wish me luck and I will be back in mid-September.

Here is a song to be going along with from the new Brian Eno album.

1965 Fiat 2300 Berlina. The engine is in pieces and some butterfingers has lost a whole piston and connecting rod somewhere so you will need to brush up your Italian and find a replacement on Ebay.it. It also needs a repaint and some new carpets but you will be rewarded with a crisp, fast Italian saloon that will repay all your efforts.

For: Just think. Someone purchased this new in preference to an Austin Westminster.
Against: Big Italian saloons are hard to explain.
Investment potential: 23/10.

1965 Vanden Plas Princess 4 Litre. I can imagine the discussion in the Office of Foreign Trade, Commonwealth Division:  "Get those damned things on the next ship and tell them not to bother sending any more butter until they are all sold or its off to Aden for you." That said, the transformation of the old Westminster into VDP guise was quite convincing and I would like one for wafting around in.

For: Much cheaper than a Bentley.
Against: Much cheaper than a Bentley.
Investment potential: 6/10 as it looks rather good.

1972 Fiat 128 Sport Lusso. There must only be a handful of these sparkling little coupes left now, galloping corrosion and neglect having cut through the ranks soon after they were new. Crisply styled by the Fiat studio and with front wheel drive engineering by Aurelio Lampredi and Dante Giacosa, the 128 was the smart buy of the day, much loved by the hill suburbs set who would go on to a BMW 3 series.

For: Pretty and increasingly rare.
Against: Were they meant to last forty years?
Investment potential: 8/10

1991 Fraser de Joux GTO. Two of the greatest names in New Zealand small scale automotive manufacture collaborated on this stalled project that deserves to be finished and used. Ferris de Joux had a fine eye for a Ferrari body shell, starting in the early 1960s with a Pininfarina 250 GT homage. The space frame chassis looks more sophisticated than what the typical Ferrari was supplied with so come on,  step up one of you.

For: Looks like fun.
Against: Looks like a lot of work.
Investment potential: 3/10

1989 Audi 100 Turbo. Not the Aesthete's usual thing perhaps but there is no doubt that Audi had an eye to the future with its 100 series. Flush glass and superior aerodynamics gave Citroen levels of cabin comfort and the turbo MC engine was an autobahn flyer, capable of sending the big saloon to almost 140 mph.  Only one of the Avant wagons would be nicer to own now.

For: Do you need to go long distances in superior surroundings?
Against: Some mechanical matters to sort out.
Investment potential: 2/10 with a largely indifferent market.

On some faraway beach

Vespa 150 VBB. Well, not so far away actually for Christchurch is the locale for this Vespa and its seller who is known for his wonderfully turned Trademe listings. Read who he will not be selling his treasures to this week.

For: Fix this in your living room and avoid the chilly shed.
Against: Some gumption required.
Investment potential: 8/10

The Aesthete tries a bit of everything on the Trademe buffet

The Aesthete's Fleet
I drove in friend Sam's 2.0 GTV on the weekend, listening carefully for creaks and rattles. They were there but the whole car felt much smoother than mine. My obsessive watching of air crash documentaries on Sky remind me of the nature of vibrations that can be picked up and amplified inside closed metal bodies and I suspect this is what is going on with the Alfetta. I fully expect it to break up in mid-flight and rain fiery debris in all directions.

1950 Mercury Eight. The pontoon bodied Fords and Mercurys led the industry in 1949, superseding the jug eared forms that had prevailed since the war. There always seemed to be a lot more of those on New Zealand roads than their replacements so we somehow missed out on the elegant stretched out Mercury with its reverse hinged rear doors. Anyone who tried opening one on the move soon knew why they were called suicide doors. Not only that but the airbrake effect could see the whole car off the road.

For: Like a 1950 Ford but more so.
Against:  Neither vintage nor modern.
Investment potential: 2/10 once you do the maths.

1974 Morris Marina TC Coupe. Challenged to duplicate the success of the Cortina and achieved by poaching Ford of Britain's top staff, the Marina sold to people who did not like cars at all. Owning the coupe made even less sense. Everyone had to get out to allow Aunty Dolly and Uncle Reg off the back seat and the vast side window was a reminder that the makers had not allowed for proper doors.

For: Great for those that enjoy reruns of Some Mothers do 'Ave 'Em.
Against: Everything that was wrong with the industry in one vehicle.
Investment potential: I am tempted to use a mathematical impossibility.

1973 Jensen Interceptor. In-house designer Eric Neale was sent to the bench by Jensen management  who were very lucky that substitute Carrozzeria Touring played a blinder with the new Interceptor. The Italian firm was almost broke from building Sunbeam Venezias that no one wanted so the signs were not good. How they must have thrown their caps in the air at West Bromwich when the prototype rumbled in, having been driven from Turin overnight.

For: Allows you to say "I will pick you up in the Interceptor".
Against: Like a ravenous petrol powered furnace.
Investment potential: Cheap compared to the competition.

1953 Sunbeam Talbot 90 Mk II DHC. The Loewy studio brought a suave touch to the post-war Rootes range to help buyers forget that they were thrown together from bits of Humber Hawk and an old Sunbeam Talbot 10. Even more charming in drop head form, this example is certainly worth the effort of getting back into fighting form. Gun metal gray and red leather. Grwwlll.

For: You need one of these for the carport of your modernist house.
Against: Nothing. Stop complaining and pay the man his 5K.
Investment potential: 17/10.

1978 Studebaker Avanti II. One of the cars made after the failure of Studebaker and suffering an interior that looks like the inside of a slaughtered ox, you could still do something clever with this Avanti that retains most of the details that made the earlier cars so striking. Retrofit with an early interior and tighten up the 1950s handling and you will have fun with those smug Comustango types.

For: One of the high points of automotive design.
Against: Old horse drawn underpinnings need an upgrade.
Investment potential: 4/10 if you find a discerning buyer for it.

On some faraway beach...

1967 Ghia 450SS. A fine bookend for the Ghia bodied Fiat last week is this very handsome Chrysler, actually an even more humble Plymouth, treated to the same Guigiaro bodywork. This one has the incredibly rare hardtop that makes it look more glorious and few better ways of arriving at your favourite mountain resort could be imagined. They will swoon across your path in Queenstown when you swank into the village in this. And why do they not make cars this colour anymore?

For: Well, if I need to explain...
Against: Yes, I know. I am running out of exhortations.
Investment potential: 12/10

The Aesthete mends his ways

The Aesthete's Fleet

A thick coat of ice has formed on the GTV on this freezing weekend, reminded me of my criminal negligence but not yet motivating me to do anything about it. A bucket of tepid water should do the trick but both doors were frozen shut on their seals so it will have to approached with care lest a cracked screen renders further travel impossible. My comparison of the Alfa to a baking pan on a frozen lake may yet come to haunt me on the way to work so I had better get the blog written tonight in case this is the last anyone hears from the Aesthete.

1938 Citroen Light Fifteen. The Aesthete has been known to say catty things about Citroens and their owners, knowing that they are easily provoked. Mocking the afflicted should be beneath my high standards so, like the Chieftains manager,  I hang my head and resile from further comment. I actually like the prewar models with their pert derrières, Michelin Pilote wheels and elegant interiors and I would definitely have one in preference to a Charles Atlas chest expander.

For: It is a great 1930s car.
Against: Not really a great 1950s car though.
Investment potential: 3/10 but nice enough anyway.

1951 Studebaker Champion. Modernity shows itself in another guise with the jet plane nose cone of the restyled Studebaker Champion, a flamboyant gesture only used for two years. The Loewy studio was populated with the best minds in the business including Cord designer Gordon Buehrig and Virgil Exner. You can get all this genius for 10K, so much cheaper than it should be. Imagine if it was a Lancia.

For: Not likely to get lost in the car park with this.
Against: Nothing. Its perfect.
Investment potential: 8/10. Start your twentieth century design collection with this.

1960 MGA FHC. Perhaps an answer to a question few had thought to ask, the closed version of the MGA was a charming thing with its glassy steel top keeping its occupants dry and cosy. Bourgeois luxuries like heaters, cigar lighters and radios were liberally tossed in and the floor was even carpeted. Weekend bags could be carried on the boot lid and fewer nicer ways of heading across to Bognor Regis with that spicy Cynthia from accounts could ever be conceived.

For: You will need a Terry Thomas moustache. Unless you are a girl. In which case you will need a nice tweed skirt.
Against: I cannot help it that I live in an episode of Z Cars.
Investment potential: 3/10 and perhaps a little pricey now.

1938 Ford Model C Ten. Unlike the awful poverty spec Populars made after the war, Ford's Ten was a modern and pleasant car and capable of seventy miles in the hour with its 1172cc side valve fully extended. Eminently tunable, most were cut up for specials and gave rise to Lotus amongst many other British racing marques.

For: Find some period tuning bits and have some fun.
Against: Or are you too busy with your Nissan Eczema to bother?
Investment potential: 5/10 and economical as well.

1953 Hudson Hornet. I imagine whistling a few bars of My Favorite Things as I cross the plains in this fabulous Hudson Hornet, one of the great cars of the post-war era. Silken power was delivered by a vast side valve six that could be fitted with a high compression head and twin carburettors for the track versions that dominated the stock car circuit. This right hand drive example has been sleeping in a shed for a few decades so it may need some fettling. How rewarding that would be.

For: Hudson Hornet. What a great name for a car.
Against: Donald Duck drove a Belchfire Runabout, another great name for a car.
Investment potential: 2/10. No one is knocking at the door yet.

On some faraway beach

1963 Ghia G230S. You might expect this exquisite Ghia shell to be stuffed full of vulgar Chrysler V8 but no, it is a bespoke version of Fiat's big six cylinder touring coupe. Only two were made and the lime green paint with brown hide interior puts the Aesthete in mind of his GTV. At almost 200 EUR you will really need to own it but there would be far worse ways to spend money. Like on a new Phantom. Ewww.

For: Raid the pension fund,
Against: You may have to live in it.
Investment potential: 4/10 but possibly more.

The Aesthete states the obvious.

The Aesthete's Fleet

The Alfa Club wisely cancelled its mid-winter run to Patearoa on the weekend seeing that mid-winter in Patearoa is like that in Nebraska.  No traction control, no ABS and no all wheel drive means the GTV has all the controllability of an oven pan on a frozen lake so I was pleased not to have to venture out.

I watched an extraordinary documentary about Gore Vidal the other night and wondered how far the US has come in the past forty years in terms of political debate. As an openly polysexual man and by some standards, a pornographer, he came second to Jerry Brown in the California senate election in 1982. He ran a great campaign, announcing with typical gravitas that the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library had burnt to the ground, totally destroying both books. Compounding the tragedy, the President had not yet finished colouring in the second book.

1988 Lancia Thema V6. It is a Lancia Thema and it is currently $1.50. Need I say anything more?

For: Like Gore Vidal, too smart for this world.
Against: For $1.50, nothing that should bother you.
Investment potential. At that sort of money, approaching infinity.

1968 Pontiac Firebird. While nowhere near as lithe and nimble as an Alfa or Fiat, GMs sporty coupes were dainty compared to what had come before and showed the influence that the Europeans were having on the industry. Almost identical to the same year Camaro, the Firebird seemed a bit more exotic with its bumperless nose and complete lack of bling.

For: Tasteful Americana.
Against: No such thing I hear you snort. Cynics.
Investment potential: 3/10. Less is more you know.

1988 Studebaker Avanti II. I am not sure how anyone searching for a Studebaker Avanti would find this one, listed as it is under the title 'other' and graced with a picture that makes the car indistinguishable from the background. It deserves better and should at least be repainted in that sandy gold hue that made original Avantis look so good. The Avanti II was a restyle by Tom Kellogg, one of the original Loewy design team who also designed tableware for Wedgwood.

For: Something for the individualist.
Against: Still has the old Hawk chassis underneath.
Investment potential: What price individuality?

1964 Mercedes-Benz 220. The clever mechanical upgrades to this otherwise staid 220 make it an entertaining prospect and it looks quite the Yakuza cruza on its subtle black wheels. Modern brakes help to tame the unspecified output which would whip the old black mare along at a frightening pace. The mismatched interior is a minor letdown but there is probably a hide covered 300SE rotting away somewhere.

For: A Brabus finnie.
Against: Are Mercedes owners known for their sense of humour?
Investment potential: 7/10

1972 Fiat Dino Coupe. Sans precious engine, rusty and my delicate shell like ears ringing with the vendor's claim that this Dino is unrestorable, I keep coming back to check and now see that bids have reached over 6K. Good ones are getting close to 100K with the Fiat badge forgotten for Dino V6 dynamics and gorgeous Pininfarina clothes.

For: I know a man who knows someone else who thinks there may be an engine for this in a shed.
Against: I know. Its hopeless.
Investment potential: Even at 50K for an engine rebuild, you may still be in.

On some faraway beach...

1969 Lancia Flaminia. Coming near the end of bespoke Lancia production, this Flaminia coupe wears its well cut suit by Touring, architects of the contemporary Aston Martin DB series. The Lancia is better in every way with its pulled up corners and central cabin cerebral in comparison to the slightly confused Aston. Yours for 87 EUR compared to half a million for a DB.

For: Gore Vidal would get it I am sure.
Against: Nothing in my view.
Investment potential: Style and breeding will prevail in the end.