Trade Me does the business again.

Variety being the spice of life...

1973 Lincoln Continental Town Sedan. Something awful happened in the US car industry following the oil crisis of the mid-1970s but this Lincoln just slipped out before the great lapse into cheap and nasty materials that followed. The interior looks like it is made from Florence Knoll leather sofas and if the air conditioning worked, I suggest it would be more comfortable than your house. It was owned by a Roman Catholic priest, affording some sordid Dan Brown-style fantasies if that is your want.

For: Decadent

Against: You have to drive it.

Investment potential: 2/10. Remember, this is what caused peak oil.

1959 Mercury Monterey. Sensitive types should turn away now because this Mercury is frankly hideous. Perhaps high on the aesthetic triumph that was the Edsel. the Ford styling studio excelled itself here. Panoramic front screen, wild wheel arch cutaways, cantilevered rear roof line, violent side swaging and bifurcated tail lights are just the start of it but it is heroic in its awfulness and therefore much better than a Chevrolet. 

For:  Thrillingly bad.

Against: I would have to drive it with a bucket between my knees.

Investment potential: 2/10. You would have to look at it and therein lies the problem.

1971 Fiat 124 Sport. Although not a factory offering, the deep maroon metallic paint rather suits the Fiat Coupe and sets off this BC model with its elegant stainless steel trim. Worthwhile examples of these excellent cars are either cherished originals or comprehensive rebuilds, which this one seems to be. I could think of few better ways of getting to work on a summer day that in this.

For: Molto bella!

Against: Let us hope it is as good as it looks.

Investment potential. 6/10. Diminishing numbers of good ones and still desirable after 40 years. 

1971 Fiat 125. The potential for 1970s Fiats to corrode away needs no further elaboration so join me in weighing up the many good reasons for buying this virtually one-owner 125. You could easily spend the asking price on the body before looking at a scruffy interior and worn out mechanicals so why bother when this is possibly the best example in the country? If you have not driven one it will surprise you as the 125 was one of the finest touring saloons of the era. It was equally good on the track with its sparkly twin-cam Lampredi-designed motor more than adequate for either purpose. 

For: Unrepeatable and great value.

Against: Nothing stands out

Investment potential: 8/10. What are you going to spend money on here? A nice set of period alloys maybe.    

1966 Broadspeed GT Coupe. Ralph Broad's fastback Mini was one of the numerous professionally built custom Minis on the British market in the 1960s but the twenty-six examples built were carefully thought out and well constructed. Lowering the roof and adding a Kamm tail helped the shed-like aerodynamics of the original Cooper, enabling a higher top speed to compensate for the extra weight. This race-prepped example looks like it means business and the asking price is probably nowhere near what it cost to build.
For: Looks like loads of fun.
Against: Not a lot left of the original car.
Investment potential: 2/10 but all the hard work is done.

One from the international bureau...

1963 Intermeccanica Apollo 5000 GT. You may have guessed by now I am a bit dolally on Italian-American hybrids, having long nursed a wish to own an Iso Rivolta. Here is one from the American side of the game which hides various General Motors mechanicals under what appears to be the product of a hurried tryst between a GTO and an E Type. Then as now, it looked a million bucks but costs 10% of that.
For: Go on. Its a looker you must admit.
Against: Not much pedigree but quite good nonetheless.
Investment potential: 3/10. You can run it on the cheap as long as you don't hit anything.