The Aesthete faces reality

The Aesthete's Fleet

I did very much want that Fiat Dino last week but the purchase was sundered due to a liquidity crisis of my own making. Probably for the best as cash is currently being shoveled into the furnace that is Alfa Romeo GTV rust repairs. This is the first lot of serious body work for seven years and Mike from McKay and Whelan found a few other minor issues to fix at the same time including maladjusted door catches. It is off to the paint shop now for its unusual olive green metallic to be matched. I have sent my booking in for the Latins Around the Lakes rally and will now have to choose what to drive.

1984 Ford Sierra XR8. If you simply do not care what anyone thinks of you, this is the perfect car. The XR8 was a limited run of 250 Mustang V8-engined cars built in South Africa in the mid-1980s for Group A homologation purposes. Not wildly overpowered so there is room for more development if you really want to scare yourself.

For: Release your inner hoon.
Against: You will be a laughing stock.
Investment potential: 2/10. Will always be cheaper than a Cosworth, however.

1978 Austin Princess. Okay, uncover your eyes for a minute and look upon the unadorned Harris Mann lines of this base model Princess. It is very handsome and only spoiled by the terrible build quality and egregious bits of buzzing trim applied to the posher ones. I hear the other well known aesthete wants a Wolseley version and I would almost wish it upon him.

For: See if you can find a set of the original trapezoid headlights. Phwoar.
Against: Everything really.
Investment potential: Bwahahaha!

1985 Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC. The Strada, originally launched as the Ritmo, was one of the first generation of rowdy front wheel drive hatches and was Italy's riposte to the Golf GTI. You got narrow hipped Recarro racing seats, a go-cart steering wheel and a pair of Webers that sounded like they were going to suck the rest of the car into the inlet tract. What more could you ask for, really? Reliability? Rust proofing? Pah.

For: Hilarious.
Against: Do not leave it sitting uncovered on the drive.
Investment potential: 4/10 Eventually all the bad ones will be gone.

1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud Mk2. The first Rolls Royce with the excellent V8 engine provided refined performance although not with the sophisticated ride of the unitary body Shadow that followed. Never mind. If you want to be followed by a howling mob of anti-G8 protesters, here is your car.

For: Silver Shadows. So common.
Against: You might need to hide it when the Greens hold the balance of power.
Investment potential: 3/10. Two NZ owners and low milage. It seems cheap.

1952 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster. While drawing towards the end of production by 1952, the post-war Armstrong Siddeley range was a bright spot in a rather dark period of rehashed 1930s products. Well suspended on torsion bars, the six cylinder Lancaster was alloy bodied on a wooden frame. Not as lively as a Riley but almost sporting compared to the Sapphire that followed.

For: Not as dull as you might think.
Against: The frames rot but the panels do not so you cannot see it.
Investment potential: 2/10. Owners possibly even older than Daimler club members.

Ready to be put in the container...

1958 Fiat Multipla. Do the sums and figure out if you can justify the best part of 80K for this ugly bug proto-people mover. No good looking behind hedges and in sheds for them now as they have hit the big time and you could have a decent Ferrari for less. Or three Fiat Dinos...

For: Abarth modifications if you dare to test the performance.
Against: Common sense would suggest that 80K could be expended to better effect elsewhere.
Investment potential: 1/10 It is microcars this year but what if is Lincoln Towncars next?