The Aesthete's Fleet
By far the most interesting paper at the recent UK conference was on the heritage values of the Landrover Defender but I suppose I would say that. I managed to avoid all other temptations of the oily kind and loyally followed the Aesthetette from one historic garden to the next which, in the UK in the summertime, is not quite the torture one might imagine. Brighton was revelation and we followed a day the Prince Regent's Pavilion with a noisy night at the Hope and Ruin watching my nephews Louis and Tim play a hectic gig. And so, on with the show...
1965 Royal Gogomibil. The vendor seems a bit confused as it is actually a Glas 700 Isar Kombi but I have never seen one either so we will excuse the imprecision. So, what is a Glas 700 Isar Kombi I hear you ask? Call it a last gasp Glas if you like as the independent German maker was nearing the end. Even so, they pushed over 14,000 of the little wagons out during their long life cycle. Oh and it should only have two cylinders according to my 1965 World Cars Annual. And the asking price is nuts.
For: I am sure they have a word for it in Germany. Gestupenzwiezylindergogomobil or something like that.
Against: It looks like a lot of work for not such a great reward.
Investment potential: You will need to find someone who wants a Gogomobil Isar Kombi. 1/10
1963 Austin Westminster. The Wolseley 6/110 always looked like a Westminster with a Chippendale chair tied to the front bumper. Odd that the lesser cars in the range should be the more handsome but perhaps it was that the Longbridge body engineers were doing what Pininfarina told them to do rather than fooling around with their box of grilles from a different era. Unless it is a Vanden Plas. Then it is okay.
For: Good looking and a rare sight on the roads now.
Against: A bit ponderous but if you are not in a hurry to get anywhere...
Investment potential: 2/10
1970 Fiat 850 Sport. The vendor makes some wild claims for his 850 Abarth replica but let us look past the Trumpisms and see what is on offer. A rust free low milage 850 is something of a catch to start with and the Abarth tuning bits appear correct for the period – as if anyone had access to them in New Zealand in the regulated 1970s anyway. A thoroughly delightful car made even better by sensitive modification. What could be wrong with that?
For: Girls like them, or so I hear.
Against: The wizened old geezer at the wheel? Not so much.
Investment potential: 8/10.
1978 Suzuki CXG. The Aesthete has occasionally been accused of spurning Japanese cars and it has to be said that the ones he likes are rarely seen outside their native territory. It is a miracle that any of these little Suzukis have survived at all, so thin were their metals and lacking in basic rust protection. They were great fun, however, and I once partook of a midnight sprint across Auckland with a gorgeous hussy from St Marys Bay at the wheel.
For: See above.
Against: And again...
Investment potential: 8/10
1938 Lincoln Zephyr. Well, are you feeling like a challenge? This 2 door Zephyr Club Coupe is a rare thing indeed and arguably better proportioned than the more familiar three window coupe. How you feel about retaining the solid axles and cable brakes is up to you but I doubt this is the ideal material for a restoration project. If you had an old XJ12 rusting away in the garden though...
For: Fortune favours the bold.
Against: Oh, everything.
Investment potential: I am not calling that one.
