The Aesthete's auto-da-fé

Another disaster was narrowly averted in the shed when a stray welding spark ignited some thinner soaked rags by the side of the bench. Just how close the Aesthete was to total destruction could be seen by the molten plastic that was left after the blaze was quelled by a bucket of water. This is the third time the Aesthete's soul has almost been purified by fire so some divine agency is looking out for him. Santa Guilia da Corsica perhaps. Atonement was secured by lending the Alfa and Lancia for a wedding ceremony held high up in the wind swept hills overlooking Otago Harbour. The groom and his party gamely squeezed into the tiny cabins and were whisked upwards on gravel roads to a large barn where the happy act was carried out.  Best wishes then to Dunedin City Councillor Aaron Hawkins and the lovely Anya who was fashionably late for her own wedding and did not make it in to my photographs.

1955 Austin A90. What strange inverted logic it was to make the bigger six cylinder variants of British cars so hard to distinguish from their humdrum brethren. This A90 packs a mild wallop from its 2.6 litres and could motor along at a decent speed so driving one today would not mean that a man with a red flag had to walk ahead of you. And that duotone interior looks like quite a pleasant place to be.

For: Subfusc but quite charming nevertheless.
Against: A middling sort of car then and now.
Investment potential: 1/10. I have not noticed A90 Westminsters storming up the market rankings.

1955 Packard Clipper Super Panama Coupe. Close to being an ugly nose welded onto an old Studebaker body shell, Packard was struggling by the mid-1950s. You might not sense that looking at this elegant coupe, however, which was part of the mid range lineup intended to compete with Oldsmobiles and similar brands. Financial ruin followed naturally from this strategy. And look at the house in the background. Grwwllll.

For: Doomed but attractive. Like Veronica Lake.
Against: A car for history bores.
Investment potential: 3/10 but surely it will not sell for the current offer.

1960 MGA Coupe. Before the MGB GT came the fixed head coupe version of the slipper bodied MGA. You got winding windows and plumper seats along with the mini-XK Jaguar looks and as long as you don't mind not getting your hair mussed up or being rained on, it is a delightful way to travel. This one is equipped with an 1800 MGB upgrade so performance is part of the package.

For: Oh so pretty. And steel wheels too.
Against: You might as well have a Morris Minor I hear you say. Cynic.
Investment potential: 2/10. It may have to be better to reach the vendor's expectations.

1970 Ford Escort Twin Cam. Using the well known camshaft/value multiplying formula, that extra piece of turned metal has added about 40K to the price of this Escort so it will be interesting to see if the market agrees and rushes forward with its cash. Rarity and unsated demand suggests that his dreams will come to pass although we Latinophiles know that an Alfa GTV is a much nicer car for half the outlay.

For: Save us Santa Giulia!
Against: Nothing but blind prejudice.
Investment potential. 4/10 but inspect carefully for forgeries with these.

1958 Buick Riviera Special. The Aesthete is oddly susceptible to vehicles that look like a child's drawing of a car so this Riviera fits the bill exactly. Festooned with bling applied out of a brimming bucket of awfulness, this Buick marks either the zenith or nadir of American styling. Your attitude may depend on whether you appreciate the work of the wonderful illustrator Bruce McCall whose 1958 Bulgemobile is only a mildly exaggerated rendition of this, the real thing.

For: The neighbours will look at you differently.
Against: Arghh! My eyes are burning!
Investment potential. If the ugly multiplier worked like the camshaft one, 9/10

On some faraway beach...

1974 Alpine GT4 Dinalpin. A what's that again, I hear you ask? It is a stretched Alpine A110, the Renault hybrid that dominated international rallying in the 1960s. Those cars now fetch a Dauphin's ransom so this family friendly variant makes a lot of sense. They were assembled in France as well as Spain and Latin America with this one hailing from Mexico. Let us check the boxes. Oddly proportioned plastic bodied French rear engined buzz bomb that sold in minute numbers to an elite but informed clientele.

For: Oh come on. Look at its cute little face.
Against. No one will know what it is. No one.
Investment potential: In this benighted part of the world? Not great.