Five for a slow week

Cars, girls' names, cocktails and songs.

From the champaign heights of Sebring Sprites and CS BMWs to the vin ordinaire of Plymouth Satellites, so go the ups and downs of Trademe. Antony was gracious enough to point out that the Aesthete was talking out of an orifice other than his mouth when attributing the design of the Type 3 Volkswagen to Bertone. This is the sort of arcane knowledge that the world needs more of and the Aesthete enjoys being corrected. I continue the penitent theme here as Morrisey rubs through the leather on the passenger seat. The drink must be Babycham.

1952 Riley RMB. The Riley RMB carried the larger 2.5 litre motor and would reach 95 mph which was flying at the time and the acceleration would still ruffle your hair today. This one appears almost new at 62,000 miles and has a wonderfully patina to the interior which restoration would utterly ruin. For: 15K for heaven's sake... bargain of the year. Against: Check the structural timbers like you were buying a vintage yacht.

1964 Imperial Crown Coupe. I have featured this on the list before but it is still there and I wonder why? This Imperial would have been completely at home wafting around Monaco where it would have caught admiring glances, not looks of pity. The interior is a sybarite's den with big red leather buckets in the rear for added athletic challenge. Grrwwlll.  For: A car of real distinction. Against: This car gives me impure thoughts.

1965 Plymouth Satellite. I rather like the ersatz-Mercedes side profile of the smaller Plymouth coupes and this one is still sitting on its skinny steel rims despite packing enough horse power  to break free of Earth's gravity. I would like to see photographs of the bucket seats and console which, as we know, are the only reasons to buy a piece of average Americana. For: Locate your inner hoon. Against: On the other hand, don't.

1970 Riley Kestrel. The rarest of the fwd BMC cars, the Kestrel carried the Riley name perhaps further than it should have gone. This one looks very original, however, and would benefit from new carpets and a bit of a rub a dub on the seat covers. For: These sporting variants of the Pininfarina-styled saloons have a great deal of charm and are still nippy enough to be a practical daily drive. Against: Beware transmission whine and saggy hydrolastics.

1988 Mercedes 1000 SEL. Not a catalogued model and a bit of a hoot altogether, this Mercedes limousine is touted as a 600 replacement. With the prices for big Mercedes saloons rapidly arriving at negative figures you would have to think hard about paying 40K for one. That said, it has a burr walnut division which will get a few veins throbbing in the temple of the well known Aesthete (not me, another one). For: The number plate reads TO55ER. Against: You would need to find a salary for a driver or have tolerant friends to put behind the wheel while you drink cognac in the back.