Five heavyweights

Cars, girls' names, cocktails and songs

A sweet little rumination on trouble making in a BMW from the great Gomez that could only be accompanied by a box of Bourbon RTDs and a girl called Siobáhn.

1953 Mercedes 300 I don't suppose I should be surprised that one of these magnificent things arrived in New Zealand new but here it is in all its Teutonic pomp. The so called Adenauer Mercedes, named after the post-war head of state who was often seen in one, showed the remarkable ability of the German company to resume where it had left off in the 1930s, producing fast and complex large saloon cars. The interiors were as impressive as the external coach work, being largely hand made using the best materials. For: You will look like you mean business in this. Against: Restoration costs will be colossal.

1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud I imagine if these two met in a head on, the Earth would pause briefly in its orbit while the energy was absorbed. The single headlight Clouds are the most elegant and who really needs the performance advantage of the V8 anyway? This model is set up for the owner-driver so no division but the interior is magnificent in green hide. For: Search out your inner Tory. Against: See German equivalent above.

1961 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible If you are going to have one of these, it might as well be metallic pink, or Fontana Rose as the vendor informs us. The fins had peaked a few years earlier and I like the quieter styling of the post-1960 models. This example has has expensive work done on the presentation side and comes with original sales literature for displaying on the back seat when to attend shows, which you know you will. For: The boudoir colour. Against: Just try not looking like you live off immoral earnings.

1966 Chevrolet Impala SS Coupe Almost every second Impala was an SS but this one has escaped the custom car painter's spray gun and is presented in my favorite shade of pale yellow. The black bucket seats and centre console make the big Chevrolet seem more sporty than it was but it has a high output 327 engine which would push things along in a decent fashion.  For: Almost elegant compared to other offerings. Against: Get a brake upgrade before you get carried away.

1976 Lincoln Continental Mk IV. It may look as if it was styled by Quentin Tarantino but it was the last good looking Lincoln before the marque went completely to pieces in the face of safety standards and fuel economy regulations. I blame Governor Gerry Brown and all those damn hippies in California for what happened next. For: If you need a disguise I believe you can buy quite convincing George W. Bush rubber masks on the web. Against: Well, look at it.

Five ways to stand out in the crowd

Cars, girls' names, cocktails and songs

Not a song about cars perhaps but the best song about truck driving with the name Alice in it ever written. And no need for a cocktail either with Lowell George's request for 'weed, whites and wine' providing the long distance hauler's pick-me-up. The Lotus Elite has nothing to do with it.

A diverse selection this week as I have become a little bored with the predictability of my choices for the list lately. So let's start with a couple of interesting projects before we get to the buy of the month...

1954 Skoda 1200 Until recent rescue by Volkswagen. the world forgot that Skoda was once a maker of prestige vehicles with a reputation for advanced design and engineering. This handsome streamlined product of cold war Czechoslovakia resembles a scaled down Hudson and I can picture it in its original pale blue and looking like a large tin toy. For: You are not likely to see another one outside Prague and the vendor has $0 as the start price. Against: Let's hope it is all there.

1956 Hudson Rambler I featured one of these in an earlier list so I guess there is more than one in New Zealand. The styling suggests that desperate measures were needed to attract the attention of American compact buyers whose tastes were becoming a little jaded by 1956. The black and white colour scheme works well with the roof wraparound but it looks too far gone for restoration. For: A mind altering four door saloon. Against: If you really want one, why not import a good one?

1965 Austin Mini The vendor describes it as a Mini Cooper (replica) but I think not. This is more in the tradition of the modified Minis produced in the 1960s by UK outfits like Wood and Pickett. The dash features every instrument that could possibly be fitted in a car and it has a proper fabric sunroof. I would be inclined to remove some of the more Baroque items but store then carefully because I am sure it is all desirable. For: Where is that Afghan coat? I feel like driving to Tangiers. Against: Shame it isn't a Cooper.

1968 Volvo 122S This South African import Volvo is a very desirable specification and would make an ideal Targa mount if that is what you were looking for. Otherwise it is a tough and comfortable sporting saloon with great mid-1950s Chrysler looks. White with red is always a strong combination and the well formed front seats look in good shape. Sensibly priced at 8K. For: Excellent pedigree but ready for the daily commute if you want to. Against: I have gone off the Swedes since Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

1983 Zimmer Golden Spirit I include this at the wish of the well known aesthete who sent me a Public Image Ltd. video and asked what the wonderful vehicle was that John Lydon was riding in. After much careful detective work I can now tell you it was one of these. This restrained and tasteful object of desire was made by the same Zimmer company that makes walking frames. Starting bid 10K. Go on, I dare you. For: They will surely see you coming in this. Against: What, too suave for you?

Other ways of looking at things: Ercole Spada's Zagato Alfa

I read recently that Ercole Spada, the highly original chief designer at Zagato, was not a great admirer of the Bertone Alfa Romeo Guilia coupe, describing it as 'Baroque'. I use that term myself when I wish to describe something a little overloaded with gestural elements, remembering that the old art historical term for the art of the period was Mannerism. So what was Spada looking at in the Guilia? And how did he handle designing a car on the same platform at the end of the 1960s?

The Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato was introduced in 1969 and now appears a much more modern design than the Bertone Guilia coupe even though it is only six years distant from the earlier car. The Guilia was derived from the bigger 2000 coupe which was launched in 1960. Its development is rooted in ideas about automotive form from the previous decade. The 2000 coupe stood on narrow wheels carried deep inside the wheel openings and the whole car tapered towards the rear like the teardrop aerodynamic forms of the 1930s and the extraordinary BAT prototypes produced by Bertone in the early 1950s. Its visual mass was pulled forward with a large oval cabin and short frontal overhang. The bluff front end carried the traditional Alfa Romeo shield between four separately mounted lights while the rear featured a recessed panel with the edge of the boot lid turned inwards to meet it. While stylish and modern, it was not particularly progressive. Neither then was the Guilia that followed in 1963.

Spada was offered the opportunity to re-body the Guilia coupe and began with a wedge shape informed by scientific aerodynamics that had been proven on the track. German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm prepared the way for the sharply cut off tail which reduced turbulence and drag. The wedge shape begins with the low nose and rises in a flattened 'S' shaped curve towards the tail which finished with a flat panel. The nose exploits a related feature where the characteristic Alfa heart is cut from a sheet of clear acrylic plastic, along with geometric cooling slots. This gesture is strongly graphical rather than sculptural and disturbed many critics. Spada's reputation was based on not doing things in an orthodox manner and he coined this idea which had not been seen on any previous production car.

Unlike the Guilia, Spada's coupe appears almost too small for its wheels although both cars sat on the same platform. The dramatic flared arches almost cause the lines to clash together, particularly under the rear side window. This aversion to ideal form is also a feature of Spada's work where he was often challenged by his own gestures that could veer into the bizarre. This happened with his Lancia Flavia Sport, the precise nature of which I will explore next week. While progressive and unusual, the Alfa was unquestionably beautiful, noted by the designers of the Honda CRX who were strongly influenced by it. Spada's determined future gazing produced a car that looks like it was designed in the 1980s while Guigario's Guilia looks back on the formal legacy of the great carrosseirie of an earlier era.

A further five

Cars, girls' names, cocktails and songs

Where will the intoxicating combination take us this week? I have no idea yet as I am recovering from my annual trip to Auckland where I was like Noah when he was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent (Genesis 9-21). After that I had to criss-cross the city in a borrowed Camry while every fibre of my being howled in silent torment. I managed a visit to Wim Le Roy, a brilliant Belgian aircraft engineer who collects and restores Lancias, so this weeks car is Ercole Spada's clever Fulvia coupe for Zagato. So off to Lake Como with you then, Astrid beside you for the drive.

The song is an unlikely tale of two senior citizens driving into the desert  and the cocktail can only be a Limoncello straight from the freezer.  

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1950 Riley RMB Consider for a moment a 1930s-looking car that can maintain very high average speeds with excellent dynamics, purchasable for a reasonable price. There are not that many candidates and the best of these qualities are to be seen in the Riley RMB. The twin cam engine delivered a solid 100 horsepower and the long wheelbase and rack steering made for accurate handling. Combined with charming interiors and sporting looks, they are capable of giving great driving pleasure. For: What, that pitch is not enough? Against. They have complex fabric roofs and timber frames to remind you of the '30s in another way.

1951 Bentley MkVI The so-called Standard Steel Bentleys were the response to a changed post-war world by Britain's top car maker. The bodies were designed in-house in 1946 by the gifted John Blatchely and the elegant lines of the saloon embodied the high style of the second Elizabethan era about to commence. This one looks well above average and is being advertised at a very sensible 25K. For: The best car in the world then,  used Honda money now. Against: You will need to dress better than you currently do, a cravat at least.

1970 Lotus Europa S2  Colin Chapman's fitful search for a Lotus 7 replacement led though a tangled route to the Europa in 1966, a closed Renault powered mid-engined coupe designed by New Zealander John Frayling with Ron Hickman. Frayling's distinctive high sided profile was aerodynamically efficient aided by fixed door glass which was rued on sunny days. This S2 model has improved ventilation and a separate chassis but continued the use of the earlier Renault 16 engine and trans-axle. For: Like a little Le Mans racer for the road. Against: Some may find them a bit  too characterful.

1971 Sunbeam Imp The vendor may have noticed the stonking 9K achieved for the highly original Sunbeam Stiletto a few weeks back but this Imp is carrying the necessary modifications to make it competitive on the track and it would be an equally thrilling road car. Red looks good on the taller saloon body and the improvements have been tastefully done. For: Huge fun. Against: With 100 bhp, extreme care is advised.

1980 Triumph TR8  Not really a TR8 but a comprehensively re-engineered TR7 built the way that the factory should have done. The received wisdom is that the British industry could do nothing right during the benighted '80s yet the new TR was welcomed as the replacement for the terribly outdated MG and Triumph range. With the light weight Rover V8 in a stiff and modern handling platform, it could have continued for years had money and will not run out. The looks have improved over time as well, suggesting that they actually had it it right. For: Loads more fun than an MX5. Against: Most people think they are a dead loss.

Five ways to break your New Year's resolution

Cars, girl's names, cocktails and songs

Supplied this week by that master of brevity, the Rt Hon Laird of Exelsior.
Singing this.  Sipping cointreau on ice with a gossiping Charlotte and Renee in the back.

I don't know about you but I always start the year looking at my many unfinished projects wishing I did not have to work for a living and might thereby find the time to complete some of them. I vow and declare that I will not buy another car until the Lancia is finished but will continue to use Trade Me vicariously and in the service of my loyal readers. So if you have resolved similarly, see if any of these are enough to drag you from the path of virtue.

1957 Chrysler Imperial Coupe Once Packard threw in the towel, the market for big luxury coupes was fought out between Chrysler, Lincoln and Cadillac. Each had their own attractions but Chrysler led the way with stylist Virgil Exner's elegant and relatively simple forms. The Imperial Coupes featured an imitation landau roof and spare wheel cover pressed into the boot panel which may have irritated the purists then but now looks fully redolent of the era. For: Six way swiveling electric seats, for God's sake. Against: Sheer bulk.

1969 Daimler 250 Daimler's V8 was designed by Edward Turner, architect of the Triumph twin. Consequently it was properly laid out and fastidiously engineered using the best grade alloys. Jaguar realised this and kept the engine in production after taking over the ailing firm. This is an irregular example, being left hand drive and the later slimline bumper version with a simpler interior. One owner, however, and clearly well kept. For: I imagine it drives as it looks. Against: Wheel on the wrong side for many of us.

1970 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Mk2 It has been a late summer for Alfas on Trade Me and this is the first GTV to be offered for some time. It looks very respectable and the vendor has an impressive list of bills for work carried out. The 1750 is the pick of the series with a sweet and flexible engine and delightful '60s interior. Nothing better for the run to Queenstown in my view and an asking price of 20K is on the mark for a good example. For: The ideal modern classic. Against: Buy wisely and enjoy. To do otherwise will cost you.

1971 Datsun 240Z  Regular readers may have noted the lack of Japanese cars on the list. This is not due to any particular antipathy but simply a lack of suitable material. Anyone who wants a Nissan Skyline or a WRX does not need any advice from me and anything remotely interesting earlier than the 1980s is in tight supply. Here is an original and unmodified Datsun 240Z which looks well worth its asking price of 20K. Modeled on English sports cars but properly engineered and built, the 240Z was great looking, fast and involving to drive. For: Buy now because these are becoming rare. Against: Very little really.

1978 Citroen CX Pallas  Some physicists assert that all matter in the universe is tied together with invisible strings. If you find this implausible, how else do you explain the presence of two white CXs on Trade Me in the same week? This is the attractive Pallas version with a tan leather interior and one lady owner in sunny Nelson. It is important to buy the best and at 10K this should be close to it. For: Still nothing else like it. Against: Idiosyncratic if you are not fond of them.

Grigio Flemington redux

The Lancia's paint is almost complete and I am getting a better idea of how the junior Ferarri will look. It is already a long and somewhat narrow car and Grigio Flemington is doing what I hoped by making the lines appear to stretch horizontally. It does this by accentuating the crease in the flank as well as the tricky fold on top of the wing which gradually softens and disappears as it reaches the rear and the vestigial fins. While these details are clear enough with plain paint colours, it takes the highlights of the metallic finish to define them properly.

There is a an easily dispelled myth about Pininfarina using the same door shells on the Lancia and the Ferarri 250 GTE which was built in the same plant. There was certainly a lot of shared hardware including seats and door fittings but the two cars are very different. The Ferarri wheelbase is longer, the front overhang is shorter and the rear much longer. It is very 'GT' in its proportions whereas the Flavia's saloon origins tell in the high scuttle and taller side elevation. As you can guess, I am using colour to bridge the aesthetic gap between the two cars without resorting to the too obvious Rosso Corsa which I was reminded of when the re-registration form arrived in the mail telling me the car was red when last on the road in 1992.