The Aesthete surveys the far reaches of Trademe

The Aesthete's Fleet

The mornings are cool in Port Chalmers but there has not been a proper frost yet so I continue to take the Flavia into work, anticipating I will not be involved in something like the Spanish train wreck. Driving a classic most days seems perverse but leaving them in the shed also produces dire outcomes as we shall see...

1956 Chrysler Imperial. Those that have followed the blog know that the Aesthete is easily susceptible to big 1950s Chryslers. Even a terrible ruin like this is enough to have me ruminate on the consequences of another restoration project. The trouble is that dry state American cars are always on the market and why would you start with one in this condition?  Still, Hillary would not have got far up Everest with an attitude like that.

For: Picture wafting around in its brocaded interior finished with that colour scheme. Grwwwl.
Against: The trim bill alone will stop your heart. The plating will need to be posthumous.
Investment potential: 0/10. Sorry. The owner's costs for shipping it here are not our problem.

1958 Jaguar Mk VIII. You would be on safer ground here re-commissioning this splendid Jaguar that has been dry stored for twenty years. The interior is complete and looks like it would clean up nicely so that will save you 10K in outgoings straight away. The auto will stop you from doing silly race track things in it and it would make a fine car for weekend outings and other gentlemanly pursuits.

For: Check the body for the quality of the repairs but it looks fine for the price.
Against: Too complex and costly for most home restorers.
Investment potential: 6/10 if you can get it running with some oil down the bores.

1970 Mazda r100 Coupe. You may recall I went a bit queer over an early Mazda 1000 Coupe last year as I was attracted to its sweet Bertone lines and toy-like characteristics. Here it is all grown up and fitted with a rotary engine although the bland looks do not exactly fill me with liquid hot desire. The interior is great, however.

For: The thinking person's choice of small Japanese coupes.
Against: 20K for a part finished restoration. Cripes.
Investment potential. 3/10 even so.

1966 BMW 2000 CS. Oh no. It's back to torment me again. The fact that the new owner is bailing out this quickly suggests that something is wrong with this rare and gorgeous BMW that time and money cannot put right. I think it is worth the effort but I would like to have it given to me rather than handing over good money for it.

For: Close to the Aesthete's ideal car.
Against: Perhaps not this precise one.
Investment potential: 1/10 if you are lucky but that is not why we buy them.

1953 Sunbeam Mk III. The vendor points out that these are unusual cars in New Zealand where most were sold as Sunbeam-Talbot Mk IIs and IIAs. The final model picked up on the unlikely rally success of the earlier cars so you get a delightful rev counter hung from the centre of the dash and better seats. These are actually a lot of fun with their big Humber Hawk motors and cosy interiors. Great to take on the Targa if you did not care about winning anything.

For: Oddly attractive and more so in this variation.
Against: Small and cramped but also big and heavy.
Investment potential: 4/10 if the bidding does not get away.