These are a few of the Aesthete's favorite things

The Aesthete's Fleet

Someone is advertising some good looking Flavia 2000 engine bits in Cape Town so as soon as I have paid for my dental work, cleared up the bill for the gearbox repairs, registered the Lancia and paid my outstanding university fees I will send him some money. God... listen to me. I need help urgently.

1958 Borgward Goliath. A surprising number of well engineered small German cars found their way to New Zealand in the 1950s. They were assembled in Australia, making them more affordable than fully imported Europeans and were more sophisticated that their British counterparts. The 1100 models feature a clever Lancia Flavia-like flat four and front wheel drive.

For: Cute and entertaining.
Against: Frequently owned by crazy people with hoarding issues.
Investment potential: 1/10. Who would know? You will never see another one.

1986 Alfa Romeo 90. Someone brave needs to rescue this Alfa Romeo 90, an exceedingly rare example of the V6 powered Alfetta that replaced the disastrous Alfa Six executive saloon. The lovely engine from the doomed Six sat nicely in the smaller Alfetta hull and so it is much like a four door GTV6. Act soon as buying this will ensure hats tipped in your direction and low whistles of admiration when you turn up at the next Alfa club run.

For: Astoundingly good to drive.
Against: Rust has taken hold.
Investment potential: 1/10. You may need to find a donor car and that will not be easy.

1979 Porsche 924 Turbo. In typical Porsche fashion, the turbo model 924 looks like its leaner siblings but was comprehensively re-engineered as it was now a 140 MPH+ car. This one looks like the owner has kept things clean in the engine bay and the tartan trim appears faded but intact. It has also kept its smart factory alloy wheels and would be a lot of fun for 6K.

For: Becoming hard to find in good order.
Against: You could almost have a Boxter for that now.
Investment potential: 2/10 and possibly rising as people look past the 924 image problem.

1966 Pontiac Grand Prix. The twin stacked headlight mid-60s Pontiacs always attracted me as my rich dairy farming uncles used to swank around Karaka in Laurentians as the Canadian built cars were known. They were often a sickening mauve hue so not like this one at all really.  If you claim to read vintage Playboys for the advertisements, you will want this car to complete the subterfuge.

For: Glorious in form and detail. Should have been called a Pontiac Centrefold.
Against: Big and dumb.
Investment potential: I am a bit pessimistic about mid-rank yanks but this is better than average.

1933 Riley Monaco. Alright, you know I am a bit soft on old Rileys but what can you get with a pedigree like this for 15K? If it was Italian it would be five time the price. Art Deco lines, sweet twin cam four and a manual transmission rather than the characterful but tricky preselect that some were equipped with. Pity there are no images of the interior as they are wonderfully evocative of vintage biplanes.

For: David Bowie loved them and had a Riley Gamecock...
Against: 100 KPH flat out.
Investment potential: 2/10. You have to be a certain age to get these cars.


Waiting for you to call the shipping agent...

1955 Packard Clipper Constellation. Yes, roll that around on your tongue and give it your best Boston Brahmin accent when someone asks what you are driving. I loudly assert that Packards are the best value 1950s Americans, particularly when you think of the quality of design and assembly. Much more tasteful than a Cadillac and handier than a Chrysler Imperial. All this for around 25K delivered to New Zealand.

For: No one else will have one.
Against: Not a lot that I can see.
Investment potential: 3/10. It does not cost 50K for a start.