The Aesthete goes rallying

 The Aesthete's Fleet

Wonderboy challenged me to assemble a rally package for the readers of the Petrolhead Aesthete, directing me to an Opel Manta Coupe that flashed like a comet through Trademe before disappearing. I diligently searched through the listings before assembling the following candidates for Scuderia Porto, surely the only suitable title for a Port Chalmers-based Lancia rally team.  

Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 16V. I suggest that you will be untouchable in this, even if some try-hard in a Quattro shows up. Developed with the design might of Fiat with the sole purpose of dominating rally events, the four wheel drive Deltas were tough and nimble without the technical overkill of the German team efforts. This means you have a chance of fixing it yourself which you will probably end up doing because it is a Lancia.

For: A proven rally champion at a decent price
Against: Figlio di puttanta!
Investment potential. 3/10 as long as you bring it back in one piece

1982 Lancia Beta Spider. You will need something light to buzz around in between dominating the gravel sections so here is the perfect thing. I mentioned before that the Spider was a Zagato design but it was actually Pininfarina BUILT by Zagato, therefore worth approximately three times the modest asking price in my view.

For: Refined, unusual and elegant convertible Lancia for 15K. What is not to like?
Against: Needs re-reg.
Investment potential: 2/10. Should be worth more, probably never will be.

1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 8V. Here is your spares car that you can place on the front lawn to horrify your life partner. It comes with a partly rebuilt motor (8V rather than 16V) but the shell looks in good order and that is the important thing if you have a big off and get stretchered out of the forest. A tip. The rebuilt motor is almost worth the asking price so you could sell that and have the rest for nothing.

For: It is a spares car for heaven's sake. What more do you want?
Against: See above.
Investment potential: 8/10. You will be glad you have this in reserve if you have to rebody the other one.

1959 Fiat Bartoletti Transporter. You may as well blow the rest of the budget on a classic race car transporter as a trailer will not cut it. Unfortunately, the days when you could find one rusting in a yard in Monterey have long past and the last one sold at RM Auctions for 990K so you will not get change out of a million if you buy the full set.

For: Great if someone else is driving it for you.
Against: Slow.
Investment potential: 7/10 with rarity and collector demand on your side.

1987 Fiat Chroma CHT. Every team needs something into which to throw the spare transmission when the good one packs up so here is the team hack; one of those unloved big Fiats that died on the second hand market. Dealers would shoo you away from their forecourts or pretend to be on the phone if you drove in with one. This one has low kms and looks ready to absorb all the maltreatment it will surely receive.

For: A better car than what most people think and it has a huge hatch.
Against: It looks like a Ford Telstar, tragically.
Investment potential: 0/10 but that is not what counts here.