The Aesthete tries a bit of everything on the Trademe buffet

The Aesthete's Fleet
I drove in friend Sam's 2.0 GTV on the weekend, listening carefully for creaks and rattles. They were there but the whole car felt much smoother than mine. My obsessive watching of air crash documentaries on Sky remind me of the nature of vibrations that can be picked up and amplified inside closed metal bodies and I suspect this is what is going on with the Alfetta. I fully expect it to break up in mid-flight and rain fiery debris in all directions.

1950 Mercury Eight. The pontoon bodied Fords and Mercurys led the industry in 1949, superseding the jug eared forms that had prevailed since the war. There always seemed to be a lot more of those on New Zealand roads than their replacements so we somehow missed out on the elegant stretched out Mercury with its reverse hinged rear doors. Anyone who tried opening one on the move soon knew why they were called suicide doors. Not only that but the airbrake effect could see the whole car off the road.

For: Like a 1950 Ford but more so.
Against:  Neither vintage nor modern.
Investment potential: 2/10 once you do the maths.

1974 Morris Marina TC Coupe. Challenged to duplicate the success of the Cortina and achieved by poaching Ford of Britain's top staff, the Marina sold to people who did not like cars at all. Owning the coupe made even less sense. Everyone had to get out to allow Aunty Dolly and Uncle Reg off the back seat and the vast side window was a reminder that the makers had not allowed for proper doors.

For: Great for those that enjoy reruns of Some Mothers do 'Ave 'Em.
Against: Everything that was wrong with the industry in one vehicle.
Investment potential: I am tempted to use a mathematical impossibility.

1973 Jensen Interceptor. In-house designer Eric Neale was sent to the bench by Jensen management  who were very lucky that substitute Carrozzeria Touring played a blinder with the new Interceptor. The Italian firm was almost broke from building Sunbeam Venezias that no one wanted so the signs were not good. How they must have thrown their caps in the air at West Bromwich when the prototype rumbled in, having been driven from Turin overnight.

For: Allows you to say "I will pick you up in the Interceptor".
Against: Like a ravenous petrol powered furnace.
Investment potential: Cheap compared to the competition.

1953 Sunbeam Talbot 90 Mk II DHC. The Loewy studio brought a suave touch to the post-war Rootes range to help buyers forget that they were thrown together from bits of Humber Hawk and an old Sunbeam Talbot 10. Even more charming in drop head form, this example is certainly worth the effort of getting back into fighting form. Gun metal gray and red leather. Grwwlll.

For: You need one of these for the carport of your modernist house.
Against: Nothing. Stop complaining and pay the man his 5K.
Investment potential: 17/10.

1978 Studebaker Avanti II. One of the cars made after the failure of Studebaker and suffering an interior that looks like the inside of a slaughtered ox, you could still do something clever with this Avanti that retains most of the details that made the earlier cars so striking. Retrofit with an early interior and tighten up the 1950s handling and you will have fun with those smug Comustango types.

For: One of the high points of automotive design.
Against: Old horse drawn underpinnings need an upgrade.
Investment potential: 4/10 if you find a discerning buyer for it.

On some faraway beach...

1967 Ghia 450SS. A fine bookend for the Ghia bodied Fiat last week is this very handsome Chrysler, actually an even more humble Plymouth, treated to the same Guigiaro bodywork. This one has the incredibly rare hardtop that makes it look more glorious and few better ways of arriving at your favourite mountain resort could be imagined. They will swoon across your path in Queenstown when you swank into the village in this. And why do they not make cars this colour anymore?

For: Well, if I need to explain...
Against: Yes, I know. I am running out of exhortations.
Investment potential: 12/10