The Aesthete is restored

You could also have your spirits lifted by the prospect of owning anything on this week's list. In contrast, last week's offerings were cruelly dismissed by various readers who pronounced them to be execrable. One thought the Isuzu was nice but then confessed that he needed help. Let us see if we can do better with...  

1986 Lancia Beta Coupe. Yes, it needs a repaint and it has been laid up for a while but this Beta looks like it is worth the effort of dragging back from the edge. The in-house styled angular form has aged well and you will find it a sharp performer with the excellent old Lampredi Fiat twin cam here in late model fuel injected mode. No pictures of the fragile cloth interior but one must take the good with the bad, particularly with Lancias.

For: Quick, sophisticated, good looking and cheap. Where do you get that combination except Italy?
Against: The numbers do not stack up for full restoration so buy with care.
Investment potential: 6/10 if you can get it for less than 1K.

1983 Lancia Gamma. This will get you running off to the bank on Monday if you are remotely serious about old Lancias. The Gamma saloon should have sat at the top of the Fiat range although it was pitched oddly below the Fiat 130 in price and luxury. The actual competition was the NSU Ro 80 or Citroen CX, designs of real character where a certain degree of mechanical misadventure went along with the pleasure of ownership. There are almost no others to buy in New Zealand so this is your chance to acquire something highly desirable once owned by a real gentleman enthusiast.

For: Elegant, sophisticated and cheap. See comment above.
Against: Should be used daily but at your own risk perhaps.
Investment potential: 3/10. What else provides those attributes for less?

1933 Riley Monaco. The products of brothers Percy and Stanley Riley  provided the mainstream industry with an example that sadly was not widely followed. Their light weight 9HP saloons were powered by efficient twin cam engines allowing this alloy bodied Monaco to trot along happily at modern open road speeds and therefore be quite usable. Just the thing for the next Ranfurly Art Deco festival.

For: That side window profile. Grwwlll.
Against. Don't get casual with the grease gun. They need a bit of maintaining.
Investment potential: 4/10. A small engined classic that is fit for the open road.

1988 Lincoln Continental MkVII. There is little to redeem American cars of this period, so far had the industry drifted from any concepts of good form. This lethal rot finally ended with the Mk VII Continental that looked like it had been designed by someone with a college degree at least. This LSC model abjures from the terrifying bordello decor of the competition and prepares to confront the BMW 7 series for the sake of American pride.

For: Just about the only example from the entire decade that the Aesthete can look at directly.
Against. Heavy with a lot of primitive electronics.
Investment potential: 1/10. Just about valueless at home so tread carefully.

2009 Citroen C6 Exclusive. The Laird of Excelsior tipped me off on this glorious Citroen. The swingeing depreciation keeps me off the dealers' yards but I did view one of these when they were new to the country and they are utterly sublime. It is like the fastest and most comfortable leather sofa in the world. The experience could only be improved by an open wood fire with pine cones in the cabin and the right sort of passenger.

For: The only modern saloon that really counts for anything.
Against: Finding that someone will only pay 6K for it when you want to sell.
Investment potential: 0/10. Who cares?

On some faraway shore...

1967 Alfa Romeo Sprint 1600 GT Veloce. The whole idea of the mid-1960s Italian GT is looking appealing for many reasons. Plentiful parts, a booming restoration scene and the drawbacks of later cars hampered by aging electronics sends buyers looking for something both attractive and usable. With the price of a good Porsche 356 bounding towards 100K, how about an 80K Sprint for size? My advice? If you have a good one, hang  on. If you want one, buy soon.

For: Oh, that grey metallic paint and the red hide interior...
Against: The price, unsurprisingly.
Investment potential: 2/10 now but do the sums and figure out if you could restore one to this level.


What has happened to the Aesthete's Dream Car?

If you recall, this was a special spot on the list for cars so vile, wrecked or overpriced that no-one in their right mind would consider them. These are the sort of cars that go on the list anyway so the whole idea is redundant.