Beware the Ides of March

The Aesthete's Fleet

Did I mention that the Lancia's gearbox sounds like an angry monkey? Perhaps not but the chattering on the over-run rose to an alarming volume and I finally delivered it to Wonder Boy for an overhaul. I have been trolling the web for replacement bearings for some months in the hope that there would be nothing major broken inside but that would require a miracle and I believe they are rare in the modern world. The first thing we noted was large amounts of movement on the input shaft and needle rollers falling about. Next was a missing tooth on first gear which is odd because it was not at all noisy in low or reverse. The displaced tooth was lying in the bottom of the case but had not caused further mischief elsewhere.

Lancia gearboxes are held together with many different sized ring nuts requiring a box full of special tools. Of course they have all been bashed off and put back on finger tight. Two out of four were spinning loose, resulting in uneven meshing and, hopefully, a noise like an angry monkey. The big debate in the workshop was whether to use the saloon differential which has a lower ratio producing about 96MPH at 5200RPM. After counting teeth various graphs were produced on a clever piece of software. I doubt that I or anyone else will be doing the 102MPH which was the Coupe's flat out top speed and gave my consent but then the manifest differences between the two diffs became apparent and we will be sticking with the slightly worn out Coupe item. More to follow.

1973 Citroen SM. People still seem a bit frightened of the SM, perhaps because of its status as the most sophisticated road car of its period. Most of the underlying engineering was common to the DS and what was not has been subject to much retrospective improvement. As long as the Maserati V6 has been properly set up you should be able to relax and enjoy the charms of this special voiture à grande diffusion and not pay Italian exotic money.

For: Needs no answer really.
Against: Not for scaredy cats.
Investment potential: 5/10. I doubt if the market will ever wake up to these cars.

1962 Rambler American. I almost mistook the nose on this for the Iso Rivolta I want to add to my Italian collection but the reality is a bit more hum-drum in the form of a Rambler wagon. Some optimistic soul has begun turning it into something of a road burner and it really should be finished off. I suggest running it on standard wheels and using it to frighten WRX drivers at the autocross.

For: A bit like that Rambler wagon from the US that I waxed lyrically about a few weeks ago.
Against: Not much like that at all, really.
Investment potential: 0/10. Like forking money into a roaring furnace I suspect.

1952 Daimler Consort. As long as you do not have to cover a lot of ground quickly, a Daimler Consort is a nice way of reliving a more genteel age when hanging was still on the statutes and people knew their place. Much admired by retired heads of harbour boards, a Consort murmured good taste rather than shouted about it,  accompanied by the sonorous notes from its Wilson Preselect gearbox.

For: Only owned by the better sort of petrolhead.
Against: You may die of boredom before reaching your destination.
Investment potential. 3/10 but only if the single person that wants one wins Lotto the week you want to sell.

1979 Alfa Romeo GTV6. Guigiaro's wedgy replacement for the much loved 105 series coupes took a while to grow on even the most dedicated Alfisti. While a more modern car in every way, they felt a bit ordinary until supplied with Alfa's sparkling V6 as unveiled in the doomed 90, a luxury saloon so terrible that I have never seen one. This one languishes without WOF or Rego which would have me asking hard questions. They are meant to be used after all.

For: Looks and performance finally balanced.
Against: Seller is vague with details.
Investment potential: 3/10 if you can sort it out yourself.

1963 Chrysler Valiant SV1. As I mentioned last week, looking directly at products from the early 1960s Chrysler range often induces involuntary yelps of pain but, oddly enough, the strange styling tropes that made the bigger cars look dire work well on the smaller ones. The Lancia shaped grill is handsome and front and rear meet nicely in the middle. The model just before this had a fake spare wheel cover on the boot lid that gives me a tingle just thinking about it.

For: Not a Falcon. No siree.
Against: I would be looking for a standard set of wheels.
Investment potential: 6/10. Something for your inner yobbo.


And waiting on a far, far shore...

1964 Porsche 356C. With hopeful sellers trying to shift bodged and half finished restorations for 50K, why not enjoy the good exchange rate and buy this nice clean 356? The slate grey and red leather is a great combination on these coupes that benefit from fifteen years of development and feel light and modern on the road today.

For: The smart choice.
Against: Do get it checked. Americans are inclined to make sills out of painted rolled up newspapers.
Investment potential: 6/10. Work to be done but hopefully not 50K worth.