The Aesthete tries to join the parade

The Aesthete's Fleet 

The Ranfurly Art Deco Festival parade to be precise but nobody was game to drive the Lancia for me as I was the compere and could not be in two places at once. It is hard to get fellow Italian car fanciers to put their cars into parades as trickling along at walking speed is not what they are best at. There was a fine red  Fiat 1500 Crusader in the group, however, and it ran superbly. My old friend Bob explained how they would race these cars into Dunedin after having them unloaded brand new from the boat. The most favored customer got the first car back to the yard. 

1969 Fiat 500 Bambina. This is Wonderboy's pick for this week and I would have to agree that a red 500 with a white stripe already has the Aesthete's bidding finger itching. It needs some welding but the owner has already found the correct pressings which are all available from Italy where there is a thriving restoration market. There is a whisper of a set of Cromadora wheels with which to construct an Abarth replica but I suspect they will remain in a safe place.

For: Key words: red, Fiat, Weber.
Against: The 'r' word.
Investment potential: 4/10. Good Fiat 500s will always find a home.

1956 Mercedes Benz 220S. This early model ponton Mercedes has been carefully preserved from new so the highish price should be balanced against the ruinous cost of trying to bring back a basket case. 130,000 miles over almost 60 years is hardly anything at all and well maintained examples will outlive most of us. You had better ask the children what they think of it now seeing as they will be driving it in twenty years.

For: The original long life car.
Against: You may wish something to wear out so you can replace it but it never will.
Investment potential: 2/10 but you may not find a better one.

1977 Lancia Beta Coupe. Well, I would not be keen to try driving this in the parade but if you want to go quickly on the track in some style, here is your car. The Beta Coupe was less common sight that the practical HPE wagon but they make a better race car so the vendor has started out in the right place. The list of improvements is comprehensive and the preparation looks fastidious so nothing much to do other than start having fun.

For: A great looking well prepared Italian race car with a start bid of 3.5K.
Against: Umm, what more do you want exactly?
Investment potential: 4/10 but let's see how the bids turn out.

1997 Peugeot 406 Coupe. Occasionally the Aesthete has to go towards the inner circle of Hell to find something to put on the list. This is where you find desperate souls trying to sell cars that were worth real money only a few short years before but are now reduced to the value of a plastic swizzle stick. Best value is this company is Peugeot's beautiful 406 Coupe, here in fetching Giallo Fly. Buy now or be damned!

For: Oh come on. Look at it.
Against: Heavy and complicated.
Investment potential: 3/10. It may drop by half but that is 3K.

1992 Ferrari 348 TB. The 348 is the Ferrari that people love to hate and that perversely makes the Aesthete want one. They are cheaper than said swizzle stick but at the same time refreshingly 'old school' as the young folk say. No power steering, no computerised stability controls and no flappy paddle nonsense. Yes, you actually have to drive it with the pedals, wheels and levers provided.

For: The smaller proportions save it from Testarossa awkwardness.
Against: People will rightly call you a knob for even thinking about it.
Investment potential: 2/10 but who cares?


Way down south in Arkansas

1934 Airflow Desoto Coupe. It is generally thought that all Airflows are ill proportioned but this rubric only applies to the big Chrysler saloons with their waterfall grills and elongated cabins. The smaller Desoto coupe with its rounded tail and short chassis is something else again. The vendor tells us there are only ten left in existence which is a tragedy for a twentieth century design classic.

For: A classic American streamliner.
Against: There is a lot left to do, I grant you.
Investment potential: 3/10 and you may be able to sell it to a museum as it is quite significant.

The Aesthete wonders

The Aesthete's Fleet
I drove to Christchurch and back with the other well known aesthete in order to get his stately old Daimler Majestic up to Rangiora where it has returned to Waimak Classic Cars to be sold. A pleasant few hours was spent looking at their stock and chatting with Jesmond and Gloria who are car enthusiasts to the core. Check their eclectic wares and ponder, as I did,  the connection between a Morris 8 Sport and a Ferrari Testarossa. Oh yes, and I am wondering where all the interesting cars have gone from Trade Me.

1986 Alfa Sud Sprint Cloverleaf. The falling number of usable Suds of any type leaves immaculate examples like this in line for serious attention from the market. They lose very little in performance to a modern car due to their light weight and have a simple specification so are possible to repair. They are also huge fun, particularly as here in four valve form. So is 15K too much? Start trying to fix a rusty one to find out.

For: This is what Italians are best at.
Against: That may not convince all of you.
Investment potential: 5/10. Keep it this good and it will not lose money.

1960 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Coupe. Someone spiked the water cooler at GM in the late 1950s and they began a period of risky behavior culminating in the rear engined Corvair. The dynamics were unlike anything from the US industry and, while perhaps not ideal for icy mountain passes, made compact cars seem quite exciting. The styling was copied widely and even made the Italians sit up and pay attention. The low start price suggests the owner is out of his depth with this one though.

For: Like that little NSU from last week, times three.
Against: The two speed auto is not the best option.
Investment potential: 2/10 but it depends what route you take with it. A Porsche repower and five speed would be fun.

1979 Porsche 911. I usually let Wonderboy guide the selection of 911s as the rather bewildering model variations can make a big difference to the desirability of these cars. I feel safe in saying, however, that this plain 3-litre looks like it has some potential and could be got for a knock down price due to some unfortunate shenannigans between the previous owner and the current vendor. I may not have mentioned that Wonderboy is also rather sharp on matters of law.

For: I will wait for an opinion on that.
Against: Likewise.
Investment potential: 4/10. Anything under 15K would be quite acceptable.

1955 Mercedes Benz 300B. The grosse MB saloon is a rare sight anywhere but there have been two for sale on Trade Me in recent times. Superbly engineered and refined, one imagines that most British manufacturers would have run up the white flag and were only helped by swingeing import duties and a general feeling amongst upper class buyers that the Germans were still not proper chaps. How did these super expensive cars end up in New Zealand?

For: Like a Wagner opera but a car.
Against: You may start wanting to collect unsavory things to go with it.
Investment potential: 2/10

 2000  Honda s2000. Thinking that he may have an opinion about such things, people occasionally ask the Aesthete what a good modern classic might be. It would be a toss-up between an Audi TT and one of these. Honda's sports car was not a rip tearing success although they make a great deal of sense with their smallish VTEC engine producing a prodigious 247hp.  They are therefore devilish quick and are holding on to their value as there are never too many on the market.

For: The Mazda MX5 is 25 years old this year apparently. So what I say.
Against: I am sure someone will think of something. Top Gear was stumped though.
Investment potential: 3/10. You will not lose your shirt on one.

Back in Blighty...

1969 Piper GTT. Piper was a maker of clever GT cars that flourished briefly in the late 1960s before going broke with a stunning Le Mans prototype and the end of the tax breaks on kits. As with many small concerns, development was in the hands of the buyers but they still enjoy a keen following for those who might find a Marcos a bit too ordinary. This is one of two GTT racers made at the factory and looks to have enjoyed a thorough rebuild.

For: One for the real cognoscenti.
Against: Ideal for the track Not much use otherwise.
Investment potential: 3/10. The asking price is low for the unusual pedigree.

The Aesthete faces the inevitable

Which is of course the return to work after a very long summer break during which many jobs were started but none actually finished. And I did not even visit the Alfa GTV down in its lockup to fix its recurring clutch problem. Perhaps I need to follow my own advice and sell something. Watch this space...

1988 Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 My old friend the Small Business Software Guru is selling his superb Alfa 75. I knew the previous owner as well and it is a great car capable of a startling turn of speed, demonstrated on various Alfa Club outings. The SBSG is a fastidious owner who has looked after it carefully and there is very little with four doors that would approach it for the asking price.

For: A proper performance saloon.
Against: Nulla.
Investment potential: 4/10. As the vendor says, 12 left in NZ.

1981 Fiat X1/9 Fiat's clever mid-engined sports car was years ahead of the competition and they still feel modern and highly capable today. They are also able to be developed into fearsome track cars so this modified example falls between the two extremes, just where we would want a fast little road car to be. The giallo fly paint and de-bumpered bodywork seals the deal for the Aesthete.

For: Looks like great fun.
Against: Catch the rust before things get out of hand.
Investment potential: 4/10. Lots of money spent already.

1934 Willys 77 What is this odd thing doing on the list, I hear you ask? The Aesthete rather likes small American cars and Willys specialised in them. Lack of weight allowed the 2.2 litre sidevalve to achieve a 110 KPH maximum which was quite sprightly for the early 1930s and the sloping nose and faired in lights suggests cruising the highways was not a forlorn option. The vendor appears to be incapable of providing a decent picture so here is one I swiped from the web.

For: Not your usual big dumb lump of iron.
Against: You may get to 110 KPH but then what?
Investment potential: 2/10 Whither the Willys Owners Club? All cold in the ground.

1957 Goggomobil Dart Perhaps not what we first call to mind when picturing an Australian car but that is where the Dart was made and they sold a surprising number of them in the late 1950s. The fibreglass body was more lithe than the lumpy steel saloon so they scooted along on their 400cc two stroke twins. The Aesthete imagines tanned bodies in Speedos and Raybans heading beach-wards.

For: A design classic from the West Island.
Against: No doors so I can't quite see the purpose of the hood.
Investment potential: 3/10 Will microcar mania pick these up as well?

1967 Lotus Elan +2S Colin Chapman apparently had conniptions when he first laid eyes on the stretched Elan coupe but it is difficult to see now what might have upset him then. The shovel nose and Alfa GTV tail lights blend surprisingly well with the Consul Capri fishbowl front screen, suggesting that they were still able to pull miracles from the parts bin. This one looks fine but is unregistered. Buyers are not rushing forward.

For: Like an Alfa but without the rust.
Against: No electrical earths either.
Investment potential: 1/10 until the price drops.

Find some space in someone else's container for...
 

1960 NSU Sport Prinz. The Aesthete finds the combination of buzzing twin cylinder engines and Italian design irresistible so here is yet another combining a swoopy Bertone shell and sweet German engineering from motorcycle maker NSU. Yes, I know it sounds like something you should see the doctor about but look at that cute little tail. Grwwllll.

For: Perfect mini-exotic.
Against: Lets hope there is nothing major missing.
Investment potential: 3/10 if the price stays low.

The Petrolhead Aesthete gets some sun.

'At last' you may well say if you have been trapped in Dunedin for the 'summer'. To celebrate I began excavating behind the garage but with no fixed plan in mind other that to level the base just in case I ever find the energy to lengthen the structure to fit two cars. There are unused concrete blocks littering the property from the first phase of renovation some fifteen years ago. It does not pay to be in too much of a hurry with these things. I have to say that my boxing is a work of art and I have new respect for the people that carved Mt Rushmore.

1989 Peugeot 205 GTI. Good examples of Peugeot's game changing GTI are starting to get hard to find, particularly in 1.9 and manual configuration. The vendor appears honest about the car's various niggles that appear to be limited to minor mechanical issues. The interior, body shell and external plastic is what you need to watch out for as good replacements are keenly sought by an international body of GTI fanciers.

For: Almost makes the 1980s a fit subject for polite discussion.
Against: Nothing really.
Investment potential: Let's see where the bidding ends up.

1962 Jaguar E-Type. These early 3.8 E-Types are the penitent's choice with their thin seats, clunky Moss gearboxes and shallow floors. However, the hoary lore of ancient Jaguars requires us to see these as 'character' points rather than impediments. It is still value for money when you thank of what else you can buy that is fifty years old and goes as fast or looks remotely as drop dead gorgeous.

For: Could only be better if it were gun metal grey with a red interior. Grwwlll.
Against: Imported the vendor says. Whither,  I would like to ask.
Investment potential: 3/10. 78K may seem steepish but the specification is right for a spot of speculation if it does not need any bodywork.

1938 Daimler DB 17. I doubt whether the vendor's phone is ringing off the hook as he has buried this Daimler in the specialist vehicles section and mis-spelt its title.  The DB 17 in close coupled four-light saloon form was a sporty car from Daimler that was seeking to leave the regal limousine market and appeal to the buyers of upstart Rovers and Rileys. The 2.5 litre six was modified right through to the end of pre-Jaguar production so you could slip a Conquest Century motor in and enjoy some sprightly performance to go with the looks.

For: I don't know about you but I think this is a great looking car.
Against: 1930s performance. Easily fixed, however.
Investment potential: 2/10. It needs rewiring apparently. All else looks above board.

1972 Vauxhall Firenza Coupe 2.3. Most of the very small number of Vauxhall coupes that made it to New Zealand were 'powered' by anaemic small capacity engines so this is a bit of a treat if you want to frighten off those annoying Escort drivers. The short block was the basis of the Lotus engine and they were capable of impressive outputs. Even the drab green hue is attractive when the rest of the package is considered.

For: This would have been worth big points on those adolescent car spotting trips.
Against: Not a big market in New Zealand I would vouch.
Investment potential: 3/10 if its relative rarity is valued.

1972 Volkswagen 411 LE. The final coda of the upmarket rear engined air cooled VW saloon, the 411 was hardly a fit challenger for a BMW 2-series but owners tended to defend their idiosyncrasies much as they had defended the Führer thirty years earlier. So why would you want one now?  They have a certain Iron Curtain charm is all I can offer in defense.

For: Tough.
Against: You would need to be German to understand.
Investment potential: 1/10. Needs rust work and a respray so desultory.

On some faraway beach...

1972 Fiat 850 Shellette. Wonderboy spotted this in the forthcoming Retromobil sale and thought it might suit the Aesthetette and I for summer drives out to Aramoana. So it would and I am sure all the villagers would come out of their cribs to hurrah our progress as we purred past. The Aesthete adores all varieties of Fiat 850 but this must be the ultimate. The fact that it was owned by Philippe Starck lends further credibility to its classic design status.

For: Oh come on. Do I have to explain?
Against: No doors and wicker seats.
Investment potential: 2/10 but would you not want to see the look on the compliance inspector's face?