The Aesthete sees the end coming

The Aesthete's Fleet

 That Jeremiah J. Clarkson believes the world is losing interest in cars due to the fact that most new ones are inherently uninteresting and young people are not sitting their driver's test and prefer getting carted around by bus. Was it not always so? Could anyone who bought a Morris Marina be said to like cars? It did strike me at the Rally of Otago that many of the competitors might have looked more comfortable on the sofa but they were out there getting their sciatic nerves pinched and covering spectators with dust and stones. Apart from that, old people have far more money and time than granted to the young, two factors that remain necessary for classic car ownership. Hasten the male menopause and superannuation then.

1955 Packard Clipper Coupe. Packards were thought of as stodgy but all the Aesthete sees is patrician elegance, a quality suppressed in most American cars of the period. The single deep blue hue of this Clipper shows its handsome details in high relief and one could see it pulling up to the doors of the Monaco Casino in period without raising a smirk from anyone.  If you are tempted to take it to the beach hop, keep your distance from the others and maintain your standards.

For: A proper American.
Against: The vendor has been caught out somehow. Find out how.
Investment potential: 4/10 if you can have it for 15K.

1959 Jaguar 2.4 Litre Saloon. This phase of Jaguar's first unit bodied saloon saw handling and braking improvements that meant its performance could be used properly and they were the car of choice for a generation of professional drivers. The simple cabin details hark back to a period when a cigar lighter was a luxury feature but I guarantee that you could still drive one of these all day and not feel like you had been put on the rack.

For: When Harold McMillan told the British public that they had never had it so good, I believe he was talking about this car.
Against: Train robbers liked them too.
Investment potential: 8/10. I would grab this one and the grey automatic and get them to the UK quick smart.

1967 Audi 75. This would have earned good spotting points in my Observers Book of Automobiles,  filled out by the junior Aesthete while his parents drove the countryside looking for a pub. I recall a small number of these plush little German cars, usually with continental owners driving them carefully in case anything broke. This one fits the pattern so if you desire a well engineered and perky alternative to a BMW, here it is.

For: An Audi or an Oxford. Well, what would you do?
Against: Don't break anything. Nothing much has changed on that score over the past fifty years.
Investment potential: 2/10. They will never be worth a fortune.

1977 Panther Lima. The Panther Lima was no kit car but more of a Lotusey sort of thing with decent creature comforts and enough performance to scare the wits out of driver and miserable passenger. Powered by the 2.3 Vauxhall OHC motor from a Victor, there was torque and horsepower in a light package with turbo variants capable of 150 mph. Let us salute them then, those who go out on wet days in a Panther Lima.

For: They may laugh at your funny little car until you give it the gas.
Against: Make sure you have plenty of room on the road.
Investment potential: 1/10. Not much room to move at 30K it has to be said.

 1971 Toyota Crown Hardtop Coupe. The Aesthete guiltily savours the period where the Japanese stopped asking Italians to style their cars and began doing it for themselves. This Crown startled the senses with a raised bonnet intake sweeping across the wings to take in the side lights and flush body coloured bumpers. A number of these were shipped down to New Zealand where we seemed to be immune from aesthetic trauma. This will go in a flash, I predict.

For: Not like Italian ugly/beautiful. Just ugly.
Against: Its like an Alfa Romeo painted by Roger Bacon then.
Investment potential: 5/10. Ironic cars are the only way to please the coming generation of hipsters. Buy now or miss out.

On some faraway beach...

1958 Ford 10 Special. Not that faraway at all really but worth our attention anyway. This special bodied Ford looks like it deserves finishing and it would be a treat to see on the track, if other owners would come forward with theirs and make a day of it. It needs a few things but it would give you an excuse to attend swap meets instead of cutting the hedge. Now is that not a better use of your time?

For: Ching-designed according to the vendor. Tell me more about this Ching.
Against: A bit too old school for you is it?
Investment potential: 3/10 but make sure you finish it.