The Aesthete welcomes in spring

The Aesthete's Fleet

A fair amount of open road running has loosened a few fixtures on the Flavia. The right side mirror popped out and hit the road with a musical tinkling leaving something that looks like an empty eye socket. It was useless anyway and gave either a blurred view of distant suburbs or the road surface so I may just take it off and fill the holes. A loud bang on exiting the shed left me looking for what I had struck but then I noticed the exhaust hanging rather low. At least with an old Italian car you know how you will be spending the weekend...

1991 Subaru Alcyone. It may just be my weakness for the underdog but is there any Japanese performance coupe as unloved as Subaru's SVX? It has a lot in its favour with Italian lines courtesy of Guigiaro, a bespoke flat six that makes the right noises and typically unorthodox engineering from our Lancia smitten friends at Fuji Heavy Industries. Is that not enough? Oh, go on. Its cheap enough.

For: Very capable.
Against: Automatic but almost all were.
Investment potential: 1/10. The vendor says collectable. Not in this universe.

1964 Riley 4/72. Percy Riley would have committed murder with a ball peen hammer if he had lived to see what BMC did with the cars that carried his name. The Riley, however,  was the best of the many alternatives made out of the basic Pininfarina design. I would swap the front panels and trim into the Traveller I featured a few weeks ago and put it on wire wheels. That would get them talking at the next All British day.

For: Easy to own and quite pleasurable.
Against: A pipe and slippers sort of car.
Investment potential: 2/10. Even good old Rileys are cheap so what hope is there?

1981 Ferrari Mondial. Now that even the 400-series is moving out of reach, those of modest means can still toy with the idea of owning a Ferrari. It just has to be one of these. There is nothing wrong with the V8 engined Mondial which was produced with an eye to the Porsche market and with a dollop of Fiat technical input. That means modest prices then and now but hurry on if you want one at this price.

For: Dare I utter the word practical?
Against: Surely that is not the point.
Investment potential: 2/10. As cheap as a big Fiat should be.

1949 Jaguar Mark V. This spiv's Bentley offered a lot for the purchase price in the 1940s and the asking price today seems quite reasonable too. You get pre-war style bodywork of almost coach-built quality and a glorious leather and walnut interior. A Standard-derived engine pushes the whole ensemble along at a decent rate although you will rue Willian Lyon's cheap brakes if anything blunders into your path.

For: Never mind the quality, feel the width.
Against: You know you should buy a Mk 6 Bentley.
Investment potential: 3/10.

1953 Packard Cavalier. It is odd to think that you could have gone shopping in the US and found a more dignified and well designed alternative the flashy Jag in the form of a 300 series Packard. This example needs finishing off but a lot of expensive work has already been done so if you are prepared to source another windscreen you will have a car of uncommon quality.

For: A tasteful big American.
Against: What? No tail fins?
Investment potential: 1/10. Still cheap in their country of origin.

On some faraway shore...

Lancia Flavia Coupe 1.8 HF. Oh alright. I know this is rather more me than any of you but there is an accompanying Youtube clip that lets you hear what this rally prepped Flavia sounds like. The gates of hell opening and closing 5700 times per minute would only be a close approximation. The engine was worked on by Claudio Maglioli who sadly passed on last year so I cannot ask him how he squeezed 150 BHP out of the thing.

For: Oh, definitely the sound.
Against: I already have one. Nothing stopping you though.
Investment potential: 0/10. Here, virtually nil. Leave it in Rome and pay the odd visit.