The Aesthete relapses

The Aesthete's Fleet
I could not help noticing that the address to which I delivered the Lancia was dotted with Alfetta GTV wrecks so I have made an offer on one with the intention of scavenging its gearbox and sundry bits and pieces. Costs mount up even when buying second hand so a spares car makes sense although its flayed corpse will go to the crusher as soon as I am done with it. I cannot be lowering the tone of the neighbourhood by filling the driveway with hulks, even if they are highly desirable Italian classics. As it is, the Aesthetette is doing her bit by driving into cars at random. She: "I have hit the Alfa" He: "Which one?" So there is the problem laid bare.

1974 Citroen DS23 Safari. I am surprised Wonderboy has not got the trailer hitched up behind his Porsche and speeding northwards now. DS23s are unusual enough but there must only be a handful of Safaris in this the penultimate DS specification. There is not a lot of useful information on the listing and the vendor does mention rust issues but what can be seen looks tidy enough apart from the damaged rear wing. Go forth Francophiles and hie thee to Levin before someone snaps this up.

For: C'est formidable!
Against: Fifteen years laid up could spell trouble.
Investment potential: 6/10. No matter what is wrong with it, the price is right.

1974 Rover 3500S. Cuba was a triumph of western economic planning compared to Solihul in the 1970s. Despite Jaguar being in the next village, no manual gearbox could be found to withstand the torque of the V8 even in mild tune so the five speed conversion is a welcome modification. The interior is looking a bit sad but there are enough of these sitting around under trees for better  seats to be a fairly straightforward matter. If you were feeling suitably bold you could take the resto-mod path and liven things up even more.

For: These are fun with a proper gearbox.
Against: The rest of the mechanicals may need a once over.
Investment potential. Oh, come on. Its 2K.

1937 BSA 10. The Aesthetette's Brummie dad decided that I was fit to marry his daughter when I answered correctly that BSA stood for Birmingham Small Arms. This cumbersome industrial combine also included Daimler and Lanchester so the BSA was effectively a midget Daimler and very well engineered for a car in the 10hp class. The range was typically bewildering with both front and rear wheel drive versions produced in this model year. This appears to be a 10 rather than a Scout but charming in any case.

For: A toff's 10hp.
Against: Make sure you find all the bits. There are not many of these left.
Investment potential: 2/10 and where is the interior may I ask?

1955 Mercury Montclair Sun Valley. The Alfa Brera's glass roof made people look twice ten years ago but the idea goes back to old Henry Ford's experiments with plastics in the 1930s. The Sun Valley option on Mercury's top coupe was tinted glass rather than perspex but there were few takers when a drive in the summer sun led to heat prostration and the potential for driving your new pride and joy into the rear of a semi trailer.

For: The ideal car for Dunedin.
Against: A lot to pay for a failed gimmick.
Investment potential: 2/10 but rarity counts for something.

1961 Skoda Felicia. Bob the Bi-spiderman spotted this last week and told me to look out for it. The Felicia must have brightened up 1950s Prague and you could imagine the city's bright young things feeling happy that they had a domestic product that did not look like it had been designed by slave labour. This one has some dints that detract from the almost Alfa like rear end but those rear quarter bumpers give the Aesthete a pleasant tingle.

For: Fun, fun, fun until her daddy took the Tatra away.
Against: Nothing really.
Investment potential: 4/10

On some faraway beach...

1961 Moretti 500. People pay more than this for 500 saloons now so this coach built Moretti coupe should find a buyer quickly. The tuning potential of Fiat's little twin knows few rational bounds so the daring owner could find performance to match the Le Mans looks. Now there is an idea... Index of thermal efficiency anyone?

For: Oh go on. Look at its cute little face.
Against: Nothing, and think of the planet.
Investment potential: 6/10 and you can always convert it to electric traction.