The Aesthete is the Alfa whisperer

The Aesthete's Fleet
With all the 105 Alfa fettling that has been going on locally, the Aesthete has been out dispensing helpful advice and spanner swinging although not all of his ministrations lead to immediate improvements in the patients. There is a GTV in Outram with its front suspension installed backwards and a Spider temporarily fitted with a Sud distributor but all will be put right before these mutant Alfas take to the street again. The surgeon buries his mistakes but the mechanic just keeps fixing things.
Some have suggested that I return to offering Youtube links to long forgotten songs. Here is one to be going on with from the Monochrome Set. The struggling band I played in during the early 80s played a note perfect cover, if you can imagine it. I bought a very expensive flanger so I could copy the guitar sound. He's got clothes all red on a rumpled bed indeed.

1980 Fiat 131 Racing. The Fiat community has been roused to action by the emergence of this well preserved 131 from its lengthy storage. As the vendor points out in his comments, almost all its compatriots have crumbled into orange fragments or have been raced, rallied and rolled to pieces so this is almost a unique opportunity to acquire one of these hilarious devices. I hope it still has the purple velour interior as that is certainly to die for.

For: Lampredi engined rear wheel drive shouty Italian. What more could you want?
Against: You will be bidding against people who know how good these cars are.
Investment potential: 12/10

1954 Austin Healey BN1 100. Gerry Coker's slipper bodied Austin-Healey saved the business in 1952 as  previous products were barely pardonable in the styling department. Coker (b.1922) was employed as a body engineer and also conceived the Frogeye Sprite, one of the cleverest and most original things ever to come from the British side of the industry. This usable car is the best looking of all the many variants and therefore very good looking indeed.

For: A proper sports car.
Against: Rude hidden parts.
Investment potential: 4/10. Do some tidying and your investment is safe.

1938 Ford V8 Coupe. Some may find it a surprising admission but the Aesthete likes a well turned out street rod, appreciating the streamlined 1930s looks with tooth loosening performance. This properly engineered Ford looks like it could deliver the goods and the combination of solid body colour and American Racing wheels seals the deal.

For: Find your inner pony tail.
Against: And the hair dye and treadmill.
Investment potential: 2/10 given that the market is a bit crowded.

1974 Ford Capri GT. Much the same might be said of 1970s Fords. While sullenly grateful to have his mother's Mk 1 Escort 1300XL in which to speed around the North Shore, the junior Aesthete would not have been seen dead in one otherwise. Maturity has seen these prejudices melt away, as I am sure would have the resistance of girl passengers had my mother insisted on one of these. Oh well...

For: A time machine is waiting to take you back to Glenfield.
Against. NO NO! NO!! I don't want to go!!! You can't take me back there!!! Etc etc...
Investment potential: It depends what value you put on being seventeen again.

1952 Armstrong Siddley Whitley. I am sure no-one ever wasted his youth in one of these unless you are one of those Tory types dreading the footfalls of the vice squad as they investigate your brief spell at Eton. My old friend Bob from the motor trade tells a great story of taking one as a trade-in, followed by increasingly desperate measures to see it off the yard. Time heals all wounds, as they say.

For: Stand up straight and take your hat off, man.
Against: Nothing. Like Kim Philby, charming to a fault.
Investment potential: 6/10. Its cheap.

On some faraway beach...

1959 Borgward Isabella Coupe. If a Karmann Ghia is too little of a challenge, you could take on this moist and trailer bound Borgward. The coupe shared nothing with the slightly pudding like saloon and is a svelte autobahn cruiser with one of the most spectacular glass houses ever put on a car body. Just the way the door shut reaches up to the screen pillar is enough to make the Aesthete's head spin.

For: Ya das ist gut!
Against: Like a child's drawing of a car but is that bad?
Investment potential: Oh I don't know. Infinite.