The Aesthete rewards himself.

The Aesthete's Fleet.
After much groaning and writhing on the cold garage floor to remove the wrecked Alfetta's transmission, I rushed into the city for a quick look around the Dunedin Autospectacular. It should really be called the Automuchasyouwouldexpecttofindit but it could be that looking at photographs for the Hocken exhibition has burnt out my visual cortex and I can no longer see anything that looks like a car. This week's list will therefore be made up of flower pots and kittens playing with bits of string.

1993 Mercedes 600 SEL Brabus. Depreciation has brought these plutocratic bruisers down from the lofty peaks of the movie Ronin (Dir. John Frankenheimer, 1998) to within reach of the irregularly employed. The vendor's pitch is certainly entertaining with claims of lady drivers, lack of thrashing and bullet proof windows but reticent about recent bills. If you want to signal to the neighbours that you have acquired a taste for methamphetamine and are needing to rob a Michael Hill store, here is your car.

For: It will probably still do 240KPH in silence.
Against: You will certainly  be pepper sprayed at the next police drink driving test stop.
Investment potential: 0/10 but imagine the joy of the scrap metal dealers when they get their hands on it.

1958 Mercedes 220. Nowhere near as exciting but considerably less life threatening is this handsome Ponton Mercedes. The six cylinder version is capable of getting out of its own way although the bridge like construction and lavish sound proofing dulls whatever performance there may have been. The otherwise comfortable interior has lost its carpets but that is an easy thing to rectify, unlike a 240 KPH blow up in a Brabus.

For: Solid mittelklasse taste.
Against: I am against such thinking in general.
Investment potential: The owner cohort is ageing so it depends how superannuation tracks alongside the cost of living. 2/10

BMW 3.0 CSA. With manual cars chasing Porsche 911s into orbit, 60K for an auto BMW coupe does not seem entirely out of order. Being perverse, I would prefer one of the glass nosed older four cylinder cars that are redolent of 1960s art house movies and black polo necks rather that the body shirt and medallion decade that followed. Fashion reveries aside, values for these fine cars will continue to escalate until we mortals have lost sight of them.

For: Sublime in every detail.
Against:  The price mainly.
Investment potential: 5/10 if things hold up.

1969 Fiat 850 Coupe. Legendary in Fiat 850 Coupe circles is the one owner, 30,000 mile earthquake damaged example owned by the Bain family in Christchurch. It does exist and here it is in its battered but restorable condition, supplied with a parts car for the needed repairs. It was not included in the recent auction of Bain memorabilia but has now found its way onto our favourite trading site to make me break my stern resolution not to buy another project. Therefore one of you must.

For: Needs a face lift but will be a stunner once completed.
Against: Possibly not worth a professional restoration, otherwise why sell it?
Investment potential: Do the work yourself and 10/10

1932 Riley Special. The vendor is not a lot of help with this Riley Special, unaware that if he wants someone to pay 60K for his artful confection he must call it something other than Other, supply copious pictures and a history of its construction. It looks like it means business with its cycle wings and the Riley twin cam engine is a good place from which to to start. This is what the Aesthete wishes to blast along the Dunedin-Port Chalmers Highway with droplets of frozen Castrol motor oil hanging from his nasal hair.

For: Like being whipped by your favourite dominatrix.
Against: Only if you are partial to that sort of thing.
Investment potential: 0/10, sorry. It may have cost that much to build but that is not how it works.

On some faraway beach...

1963 Fiat 2300 S. With its glassy Maserati looks and fabulous interior, this Ghia designed Fiat is your last chance at la dolce vita before the value of anything similar exceeds the bounds of economic rationality. In contrast to rusty Iso Rivoltas in need of full restoration, this Australian domiciled car represents the ideal and affordable path to rewarding Italian classic ownership. If the estimable C. Werner is reading this post, I suggest a plane ride is in order.

For: Dunedin Public Art Gallery director John McCormick once explained the institution's collection policy as I like it,  I want it, I am going to have it. Good advice.
Against: Nothing.
Investment potential: 5/10. It will not be worth any less in the near future anyway.