Five for the adventurous spirit

Cars, girls' names, cocktails and songs
I have been a bit slack on the songs recently but have put some effort into this week's selection which comes from the ever fertile mind of Brian Eno. Four turkeys in a big black car indeed.

1935 Hupmobile 531D. Normally I can flick through the boring 1930s ironware on offer on Trade Me but occasionally something stops me in my tracks. The brothers Hupp built stylish cars in Detroit designed by Raymond Loewy, hence the cleverly faired in headlights and trim lines. These cars are nothing special underneath but a great alternative to a Chevrolet or Buick. And they are all around the same price so you might as well have something interesting. For: The looks, mainly. Against: You cannot pop down to the Huppmobile agency for parts.

1947 Austin Sheerline. I hope this will inflame the desires of the other well known aesthete who is no doubt striding back and forth in his living room racked with envy that this prize will be plucked by a baseball cap wearing person from Green Island who will make a rat rod out of it. Save the Sheerline I urge you! For: Mad and wonderful. Against: The magenta paint and interior is half way to rat rod already.

1951 Sunbeam Talbot 90. A surprising number of these handsome cars have survived in New Zealand despite a tendency to rust spectacularly. Basically a Humber Hawk with a stretched pre-war Sunbeam Talbot 10 body freshened up by the Loewy studio (see above), they were campaigned on the rally circuit to great effect. They are surprising fun on the road now with abundant torque and decent open road performance. For: One of the best things from Blighty in its day. Against: Cramped. Ed Hillary had one and I cannot see how he drove it.

1957 Jaguar 3.4 Litre Saloon. There are a few of these fine vehicles for sale on Trade Me but mostly beyond economic restoration. This looks like a solid one and could either be a pleasant road car or a track day terror using the vendor's offer of a race tuned engine. Desultory bids so far and already at reserve. For: Relive the racing fifties. Against: Without the driving into a tree part.

1967 NSU Spider. The vendor does not have any pictures yet so I have supplied one of my own. From the same West Auckland stable of queer cars as the Fiat 130 and Lancia Fulvia comes a real piece of technical exotica in the form of a rear engined Wankel sports car styled by Franco Scaglione at Bertone and built in Germany. It was the first rotary powered production car although doubling the power output of the little NSU Prinz stretched the capabilities of the chassis somewhat. For: Lovely and strange. Against: Also fragile.