The Aesthete takes a holiday

The Aesthete's Fleet

I was delighted to get a drive in an Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale, the 'sixties equivalent of the new 4C and just as thrilling. One hundred horse power from a 1300 was almost unheard of in a road car and we fairly yowled up the hill from Port Chalmers.  I did my utmost to frighten the Sprint's owner with the GTV, to no avail.  It has had a good workout though as the Aesthetette and I are on holiday at Manapouri. This is something of a big deal as panic sets in quickly when I am out of range of a coffee shop. Fortunately, all the residents of Fiordland have given up their honest trades and there is freshly brewed coffee every 10 kilometres. Testing this out involved a drive to Milford Sound where we enjoyed the worst lunch ever.

The Aesthetette suns herself on a rock while the GTV cools down in the shade.

1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit.  Once the exclusive domain of captains of industry and retired senior public servants, old Rolls tend to follow the trajectory of any large and complex saloon until they become available to the hoi polloi. Now no one wants them.  On the other hand, you would not want an old Honda Legend for any money, would you?

For: Oooh, just look at those rear seats.
Against: You would have to employ a driver as the other end of the car is no fun at all.
Investment potential: 3/10. Buy it so that your poor parents can think you have finally made something of yourself.

1950 Jowett Javelin De Luxe. Yorkshire was an unexpected place to find an advanced aerodyne like the Javelin but yet it was one of the most modern cars anyone could buy after the war. Clean sheet designs have a way of troubling their creators and Jowett lacked the engineering capacity to test the car properly, leaving owners cursing on the roadside with broken cranks and failed gearboxes. Most of the cars still functioning have been modified to alleviate these flaws and they make a desirable alternative to a Citroen, much as they did in their hey day.

For: Make way for the 1940s revival, the final Georgian era.
Against: Nothing. They really are very good.
Investment potential: 8/10 and usable as well.

1955 Hillman Husky. This delightful little load carrier looks like it has had an easy life as most were reduced to scrap years ago or are now being sold as 'barn finds'. This one has the auxiliary rear seat where you could torture your passengers on a short trip but the rear bay could be put to better use fetching Alfa engine blocks. Or flowers from the market for your stall if you are more that way inclined.

For: Wallace and Grommit charm in abundance.
Against: Too much of that sort of charm perhaps?
Investment potential: 3/10 and attracting bids already.

1955 Nash Ambassador Pininfarina. Okay. It is $1600 now so someone out there must put the vendor out of his misery before he makes good on his threat and puts it back in storage. One of you step forward now.

For: A restored one of these stole the Aesthete's heart at the Dunedin Autospectacular.
Against: Yes, I know. It has no engine. It had no engine last year either.
Investment potential: -12/10.

1964 Bond Equipe GT4. I listed this on the blog last time it was for sale as I am partial to the works of Laurie Bond, that unheralded British genius of the fibreglasser's art. Most of you will know that he started with a Herald and carefully glued his clever coupe superstructure over the top meaning that it was a plastic car that rusted swiftly from the bottom up. Very few survive and this one deserves to be finished off and used as its maker intended.

For: Rare and funny looking, just how the Aesthete likes them.
Against: Not everyone's cup of Horlicks, I know.
Investment potential: If it just needs the door cards fixed and a tickle up, 6:10.

On some faraway beach...

1963 Autobianchi Stellina. Well, I got three correct answers straight away on my little Italian quiz so clearly the readers are well up on their Etceterini for indeed it is a Fiat 600 based spider from Autobianchi. Unusually, it was a fibreglass shell and a first for the industry. It was designed by Luigi Rapi whose Fiat 1200 Spider sold in far greater numbers. With only a few hundred made you are unlikely to see another.

For: Just the thing for taking to the lake, Como or Manapouri.
Against: You could have bought that 850 Spider the other month and saved a lot of trouble.
Investment potential: 3/10. Small is the new big, you know.