The Aesthete looks for signs of life on Trade Me.

The Aesthete's Fleet
The Alfetta motored under its own power all the way to the workshop where the esteemed proprietor was up to his shoulders in a Citroen C6. I enquired about the driveshaft rumble but Al looked like he was thinking of a new use for a high pressure sphere so I slipped away. The car is at the auto electrician now where the fresh faced trainee is learning about The Earth Wire, theory and practice.

1967 Renault Caravelle. There is no point in providing a link to this one as it flashed across the Trade Me firmament like that exploding bolide earlier in the week. In fact I wondered if the bright light  was not overheating modems as buyers made their bids on this fine little French delicacy. The dealer who had it listed for a desultory price should be kicking himself across his yard with his pointed clown shoes.

For: Arrgghh!
Against: Bardot looks, Edith Piaf speed.
Investment potential: 18/10 at that price. Estúpido!

1969 Renault R10. You could always salve your disappointment at not buying the Caravelle and become smitten with its dumpy but enthusiastic saloon sister. This R10 has been sensitively modified and would be a hoot on track day where its overtaxed rear end could be just the sort of booty call you need to shake you from your lethargy.

For: Oddly proportioned French rear engined buzz box. What is not to like there?
Against: You will always be in love with the sister.
Investment potential: 1/10 but she is waiting for you to call, you callous sod.

1985 Lancia Beta Volumex. It sounds like this Beta coupe has got a bit beyond its current owner who seems bewildered by a minor fuel issue. The Volumex cars were a clever combination of fuel injection and mechanical supercharging so – when running at least – offer turbo-like performance but without the lag and rude flatulent noises. The rest of the car looks very pleasant so a weekend of tinkering may be fruitful.

For: Fast, refined and rust protected. Yes! Truly.
Against: You don't believe me, do you?
Investment potential: 3/10. These cars must become desirable soon.

1971 Lotus Europa S2. Staying with the Francophile theme, this Europa is presented in glossy black which would show any deficiencies in the fibreglass panels from 100 paces at night. It must be said that the Europa is a younger person's car so unless you are whippet thin with a dancer's hips, best buy yourself a big floppy American with electric swivelling seats.

For: It has opening windows. Early S1s did without with this luxurious excess.
Against: Its charms are revealed slowly.
Investment potential: These cars now seem cheap compared to the competition. Looked at any Porsche 912s recently?

1993 Subaru SVX. Subarus never sold as well as their Japanese competitors but that did not distract the engineers at Fuji Heavy Industries who marched to their own strange beat. The big flat six was unique to these coupes that also benefitted from styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro, then deep in his aircraft canopy mode. The slippery shape with partly framed glass was effective without the maddening inconvenience of gull wing or scissor doors. If you can tolerate the awful interior decor, these are oddly attractive cars.

For: Little appeal to the cap on backwards set.
Against: You may still be invited to do a burnout which the early computerised transmission will not allow.
Investment potential: 1/10 unless Need for Speed 17: Steal Dad's Keys features one.

On some faraway beach

1963 Zagato Zimp.You might expect the Aesthete to become loud and uncontrollable at the thought of owning a Zagato bodied prototype Hillman Imp, a doomed effort by the Italian firm to convince cunning old Lord Rootes that he needed an expensive, funny looking, hard to build Imp to add to his catalogue. As they say in the north, ah bless.

For: One of three and the only running example.
Against: Absolutely nothing. You hear me?
Investment potential: Without plausible limit in the Aesthete's view but you should not listen to him when he is like this.

The Aesthete's Prayer

Santa Giulia, intercede for the hopeless spellers
As we pray for those that cannot master declension
or recall their Latin conjugation.
Save them from the sin of promiscuous mixing of vowels
and improper use of the colon.


Giulia, Giulia, Giulia, Giulia, Giulia, Giulia
Giulietta, Giulietta, Giulietta, Giulietta, Giulietta
Giorgetto Giugiaro, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Giorgetto Giugiaro

 

The Aesthete's auto-da-fé

Another disaster was narrowly averted in the shed when a stray welding spark ignited some thinner soaked rags by the side of the bench. Just how close the Aesthete was to total destruction could be seen by the molten plastic that was left after the blaze was quelled by a bucket of water. This is the third time the Aesthete's soul has almost been purified by fire so some divine agency is looking out for him. Santa Guilia da Corsica perhaps. Atonement was secured by lending the Alfa and Lancia for a wedding ceremony held high up in the wind swept hills overlooking Otago Harbour. The groom and his party gamely squeezed into the tiny cabins and were whisked upwards on gravel roads to a large barn where the happy act was carried out.  Best wishes then to Dunedin City Councillor Aaron Hawkins and the lovely Anya who was fashionably late for her own wedding and did not make it in to my photographs.

1955 Austin A90. What strange inverted logic it was to make the bigger six cylinder variants of British cars so hard to distinguish from their humdrum brethren. This A90 packs a mild wallop from its 2.6 litres and could motor along at a decent speed so driving one today would not mean that a man with a red flag had to walk ahead of you. And that duotone interior looks like quite a pleasant place to be.

For: Subfusc but quite charming nevertheless.
Against: A middling sort of car then and now.
Investment potential: 1/10. I have not noticed A90 Westminsters storming up the market rankings.

1955 Packard Clipper Super Panama Coupe. Close to being an ugly nose welded onto an old Studebaker body shell, Packard was struggling by the mid-1950s. You might not sense that looking at this elegant coupe, however, which was part of the mid range lineup intended to compete with Oldsmobiles and similar brands. Financial ruin followed naturally from this strategy. And look at the house in the background. Grwwllll.

For: Doomed but attractive. Like Veronica Lake.
Against: A car for history bores.
Investment potential: 3/10 but surely it will not sell for the current offer.

1960 MGA Coupe. Before the MGB GT came the fixed head coupe version of the slipper bodied MGA. You got winding windows and plumper seats along with the mini-XK Jaguar looks and as long as you don't mind not getting your hair mussed up or being rained on, it is a delightful way to travel. This one is equipped with an 1800 MGB upgrade so performance is part of the package.

For: Oh so pretty. And steel wheels too.
Against: You might as well have a Morris Minor I hear you say. Cynic.
Investment potential: 2/10. It may have to be better to reach the vendor's expectations.

1970 Ford Escort Twin Cam. Using the well known camshaft/value multiplying formula, that extra piece of turned metal has added about 40K to the price of this Escort so it will be interesting to see if the market agrees and rushes forward with its cash. Rarity and unsated demand suggests that his dreams will come to pass although we Latinophiles know that an Alfa GTV is a much nicer car for half the outlay.

For: Save us Santa Giulia!
Against: Nothing but blind prejudice.
Investment potential. 4/10 but inspect carefully for forgeries with these.

1958 Buick Riviera Special. The Aesthete is oddly susceptible to vehicles that look like a child's drawing of a car so this Riviera fits the bill exactly. Festooned with bling applied out of a brimming bucket of awfulness, this Buick marks either the zenith or nadir of American styling. Your attitude may depend on whether you appreciate the work of the wonderful illustrator Bruce McCall whose 1958 Bulgemobile is only a mildly exaggerated rendition of this, the real thing.

For: The neighbours will look at you differently.
Against: Arghh! My eyes are burning!
Investment potential. If the ugly multiplier worked like the camshaft one, 9/10

On some faraway beach...

1974 Alpine GT4 Dinalpin. A what's that again, I hear you ask? It is a stretched Alpine A110, the Renault hybrid that dominated international rallying in the 1960s. Those cars now fetch a Dauphin's ransom so this family friendly variant makes a lot of sense. They were assembled in France as well as Spain and Latin America with this one hailing from Mexico. Let us check the boxes. Oddly proportioned plastic bodied French rear engined buzz bomb that sold in minute numbers to an elite but informed clientele.

For: Oh come on. Look at its cute little face.
Against. No one will know what it is. No one.
Investment potential: In this benighted part of the world? Not great.

The Aesthete does his penance

I have paid for all my sins with a weekend of torment in the shed. The lack of soft trim parts for the Alfetta GTV has seen desperate efforts to reclaim waterlogged  door cards by peeling the heat formed vinyl trim off the rotten backing panels and gluing them to newly fashioned boards. This involved many trips into Mitre 10 as different ways of bonding the whole sorry mess were trialled and found wanting. Old fashioned pop rivets worked better than an expensive fibreglass repair kit as the Alfa trim pieces were coated in some sort of 'waterproof' substance that rejected all forms of glue and resin. Photographs will follow but after I have recovered from another bout of solvent abuse.

1967 Vanden Plas Princess 1100. The charm of these pompous little cars is enough to elide the fact that they were owned by terrible old tories, anyone with any sense being perfectly happy with an Austin. French polished burr walnut and 2cwt of sound deadening distracted from the parent car's many quirks and they still have an air of Cotswolds country retreats and willowy girls called Cynthia.

For: A sherry before dinner? Splendid.
Against: Riles the old Marxists but maybe that is a good thing.
Investment potential: 5/10. Yes, that is right.

1970 Renault 16 TS. The groundbreaking five door 16 created a new class of family car that could be used in as many ways as the driver desired. Extraordinarily composed on the road with a lively alloy engine as used in the Lotus Europa and a superb column shift, it was comfortable as only a French car can be. You can surprise those unfamiliar with the model by pointing out that car has two different wheelbases as the torsion bars for the rear suspension are offset. It could only be better if it was a TX with the square Cibie lights, tinted glass and sunroof. Grwwllll.

For: Characterful and elegant.
Against: Getting very rear now, as Tradme vendors are fond of saying.
Investment potential: 4/10 as 2K is a bit of a snip for what you are getting.

1955 Ford Thunderbird. Early Thunderbirds in right hand drive are unusual enough and this one looks like if has been used and enjoyed rather than being parked permanently in some collector's horde. The lack of latter day improvement extends to the six volt electrics, a Ford oddity that no doubt stems from that old fascist Henry not wanting to waste extra volts on the great unwashed.

For: The face that launched a thousand Ferraris.
Against: You can only have it if you use it.
Investment potential: 3/10. Undervalued now but no-one is rushing to buy this one.

1957 Daimler Century. This takes the Aesthete back to his youth when a weekend car buying expedition often concluded with the purchase of a moribund Daimler Century. Replacing broken second gear bands became something of a habit but they had 100 hp engines and a wonderful dashboard, and could usually be dragged away for less than $200. The brakes need attention on this one. A doddle as only the fronts were hydraulic, the rear end operated by ropes, wires and pulleys.

For: Does not look like it has been holding a collapsed shed up, as many were.
Against: Not a lot of information in the listing.
Investment potential: 2/10: It is a fair price if the rest of the car is a nice as the front.

1951 Pontiac Chieftain. Don't mess with Mr In-between is the Aesthete's rubric if you fancy an old American car but this tastefully modified Pontiac offers a modern driving experience with decent brakes and handling, matched to wholly innocent Driving Miss Daisy looks. The vendor seems like a sensible chap and, with two door Pontiac Chieftains lacking a fanatic following, clearly likes the car for what it does.

For: A cruiser that can take the bends.
Against: Quite a lot of money for something nobody particularly desires.
Investment potential: 1/10 but perhaps a good buy if you don't care about the image.

On some faraway beach...

1958 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super. Pause for a moment and join me in gloating over the details of tbis magnificent Alfa Romeo saloon. The company was still in post-war recovery and the 1900 marked a point where the bespoke glories of the 1930s were present in the new mass produced models. The image of the door pockets alone is enough to make me regret that I have wasted so much money on lesser cars over the years and will now be deprived of this.

For: A sports saloon in the real sense.
Against: I will hear nothing said against this car.
Investment potential: 0/10, sadly once you have got it here for the thick end of 80K.

The Aesthete's summer holiday

The Aesthete's Fleet
Painting the Alfetta GTV meant that your Aesthete has lost the better part of summer shut in the shed and covered in dust. A rough tally of hours comes to over two hundred and the paint cost more to buy than the car so what is the outcome? Frankly, all that time adds up to a second rate job compared to the work of the refinishing trade with access to spray booths and some level of skill. So what is the point of doing all this work on a car that very few people rate? The directness of the preceding Giulia coupes was always more satisfying than the rattling dashes, Kombi gearshift and buzzing drive trains of these cars. They also deteriorated and became unwanted within a few short years. Even so, becoming intimate with the car has revealed charms that I had not hitherto seen. The rear quarter detail with the letters GTV punched out of the vent is magical and pure Milan show car.  Even the interior with the divided instrument pod is pardonable as a piece of mad futurism. The next task is to repair and replace all the broken and missing bits. To that end, a long email has been sent to Chris Sweetapple at Highwood Alfa in Swansea, the only UK specialist in these unloved cars.

1952 Daimler Consort Shooting Brake. This epithet seems more appropriate than the vendor's 'woody' for this charming and rare Daimler station wagon. The timber framed body looks professional and it would be interesting to know if it was a local production or by one of the many English coach builders that specialised in such bespoke conversions. This entry wins the coveted Petrolhead Aesthete award for the worst automotive photograph. Step forward, that man.

For: Ideal for pottering around the old estate and shooting at things.
Against: Needs a retrim at least.
Investment potential: 3/10. Well, it is the right price for a project.

1956 Nash Rambler. Less overtly Italianate than the earlier Pininfarina Nashes of which I am known to be fond, this Rambler has charms of its own. It was one of the few mid-sized cars able to get away with tri-tone colour schemes with the roof detail particularly nicely handled. The styling became more frenetic as the decade progressed with fins and other gewgaws spoiling the clever outline.

For: Look Anna. It has a tow bar for that caravan.
Against: The modern electronics but that is an easy matter to sort out.
Investment potential: 2/10 but you will need to find another committed Nashophile, and most of them have been.

1984 Rover Vitesse. An automatic Vitesse seems enigmatic but if you wanted a British built continental cruiser to outrun a big BMW or Mercedes, the specification is spot on. It is pointless comparing them to the earlier cars, being the product of a corporatised industry where the badge identity was decided by a marketing subcommittee. The boffins could still play out of sight, however, and the Vitesse was a seriously quick car in the 1980s.

For: A blast from the last golden age, and increasingly rare.
Against: Nothing that matters. Buy it now.
Investment potential: 4/10. See it as a four door Ferrari.

2009 Lotus Elise SC. Offered as a track day tonic for the troops, this no milage Elise offers a great deal of potential fun for a particularly modest outgoing.  The vendor suggests a steering conversion is possible to allow the car to be compliant for road use however there are possibly less troublesome ways of acquiring an Elise. Best follow his advice and join the growing enthusiast scene at Cromwell's Highland Park.

For: Lotus temporarily recovered on the extruded aluminium frame of the Elise which was a very clever little car indeed.
Against: Impractical but a little indulgence never hurt anyone.
Investment potential: 2/10 as it is a new car but how many like this are there?

 



Well halloo old friend

1938 Willys-Overland Model 39. The Aesthete does like a good streamliner and Willys-Overland produced one of the best examples on its four cylinder economy car frame. It is the sort of thing that whizzed around in miniaturised form in the Futurama display at New York's 1939 World Fair, although that terrific spectacle was sponsored by General Motors. The vendor does not make it easy to find on Trademe listing it as a Ford Deluxe. Maybe that is why it is not selling.

For: 1930s scientific charm.
Against: Like flat roofed concrete houses, you like this sort of thing or you don't.
Investment potential: 1/10. Obviously.


On some faraway beach...

1971 Mazda Cosmo Series II L10B. Mazda's in-house rocketship styling for its rotary range leader was looking a bit antique by 1971 and few were sold outside Japan. This second series car has an improved twin rotor engine and stronger brakes to cope with the added propulsion. Mr Spacely of Spacely Sprockets was named Cosmo and I am sure a live action remake of the Jetsons would be a sure fire summer hit if someone out there would like to pick up the option.

For: Nostalgia for an age yet to come.
Against: Strong collector interest keeps prices high but not as high as a Toyota 2000.
Investment potential: 3/10 with Jay Leno in the race.


 










 

The Aesthete faces his critics

The Aesthete was reminded last week that he cannot spell for nuts. He also used his two pretentious words of the week in a rather inelegant manner so calumny and obloquy were deservedly heaped on him. I blame the dangerously volatile paint thinners that are part of the transformation of the Alfetta GTV. Lurid hallucinations and wild mood swings are just the start of it. Still, some pleasure was gained through a visit from Alfa club friends bearing old photos of the GTV in its pomp. The moustaches suggested a date in the early 1990s which is when I first saw the car parked outside the old Dunedin Police Station looking sharp indeed.  

1950 Morris Minor Convertible. This streamlined low light Minor has a look to it that is suggestive of a speedster resto-mod project. I suggest a twin cam motor and five speed gearbox with painted wire wheels and a lowered front screen. Gunmetal grey and red interior would be ideal and a cowling over the rear seats would be cute too.

For: Go on. Show some spirit there.
Against: Oh come on. It would be fun.
Investment potential: 4/10 if you were clever about the right parts.

1951 Reliant 8cwt. Yikes! You would not wish to drive one of these unloaded as the chassis dynamics were set up with a few hundredweight of sausage casings in mind. Most were bodied as vans and I cannot help but think it would make the most wonderful flower wagon. An Austin Seven type motor got them going at a decent clip but you would need to be brave. Is there a brake on that front wheel?

For: Yes, it is real.
Against: Sadly...
Investment potential: 3/10. I see a rosy future for it at the farmers' market.

1939 Mercury Eight. Staying with the distressed theme for a moment longer, this 1939 Mercury radiates integrity from its worn through paintwork to its sideways Morris Minor tail lights. This was the sort of thing that made a very acceptable first car for a young fellow back in the day so most ended upside down in a ditch. My own dear mother managed this particular manoeuvre while overtaking a truck on a gravel road.

For: You can put the new headlining in it but then leave it alone.
Against: Accept it for what it is.
Investment potential: 2/10 as long as you don't spend any more money on it.

1973 Jensen Healey. A misbegotten effort to update the tiring MGB formula for the American market, the Jensen Healey suffered from clumsy styling that was muddled further by William Towns, plus a woefully under developed Lotus engine. Properly sorted out as this one appears to be, they are quick and surprisingly pleasant to drive. Permanently depressed values make them seem like a bargain as long as you can forget their reputation.

For: Best that you run hard in the opposite direction from a Jensen Healey but this one is worth a look.
Against: All that is stated above and more.
Investment potential: 1/10. In this age of dirt cheap MX5s, who can be bothered?

1958 Jaguar 3.4 Saloon. This Jaguar comes with a three speed automatic which allowed a split bench front seat with the gear selection operated by a lever under the centre of the dash. These peculiarities add great charm to the already appealing Jaguar traits and the great urge of the 3.4 engine still allowed for 120 mph performance. Needless to say, that was a cracking pace in 1958 and no disgrace now.

For: No more nasty whines and crashing first gears now.
Against: Not much that stands out from here.
Investment potential: 3/10 and great for towing a period caravan.

Well, halloo old friend.

1955 Nash Farina. Engineless, rusted out and with a ruined interior, this Nash requires a fanatic like the charming fellow I met at the Dunedin Autospectacular last year with just such a car. The time involved in the restoration of these fascinating vehicles does not lead to great prices but this does not perturb the vendor who sticks doggedly to the 4.5K price.

For: Italo-US hybrid styling of real elegance.
Against: Oh come on. Give it to someone.
Investment potential: Well, not great it must be said.

On some faraway beach

1960 Borgward Isabella Coupe. Borgwards were, to be charitable, no great beauties. This deficit was elegantly remedied with the coupe version of the excellent Isabella that shared no panels with the homely two door saloon. This example comes with the accessory rev counter which adds thousands to the anticipated price, or so says the starry eyed vendor.

For: This would almost sway me from the Italians.
Against. Rusty sills might be the start of it.
Investment potential: Should be worth more than a Karmann Ghia but probably won't be.




 

The Aesthete brings forth an obloquy

Or a calumny if you prefer. These interesting and useful old words describe different ways of defaming or causing a person to suffer public ridicule. It is the Aesthete's sombre public duty to call attention to unrealistic vendor expectations of the value of their treasures. To this noble end, see this week's new category 'Halloo old friend'.

Ali G has got the sad old Tiger running although he is somewhat critical of my ancient repair attempts on the electrical system, describing it as 'house wiring'. This calls for a new loom but such things are freely available now. In the meantime the tank sits like a severed head in my workshop but it can stay there until reunited with the rest of the bike when I pay my bill. The transformation of Godfrey's scrofulous GTV continues slowly with a great quantity of expensive paint now turned into fine dust that coats everything in the near neighbourhood, including the Aesthete.

1964 Gordon Keeble GK1. This car was for sale in Auckland in the early 1980s where it sat, much admired but unwanted. 20K seemed like a great deal of money back then so the asking price of 60K today appears quite modest. You could have left your money at the Post Office Savings Bank and got a better return. This is despite the fact that the GK1was a convincing effort at an Italo-American grand tourer with styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The American V8 and fibreglass shells seems to be what drags them down but they are also the compelling reasons for buying one.

For: A car of great character and serious performance.
Against: Little use in recent times so may require sorting.
Investment potential: 6/10 as the competition moves steadily beyond reach.

1968 Cadillac Eldorado. The US automotive industry experienced a brief flurry of unorthodox engineering in the early 1960s, resulting in the largest front wheel drive platform ever attempted. Launched first as the Oldsmobile Toronado, the package was given elegant knife edge styling for the Cadillac coupe and it looked superb with its minimal bling. Along with the contemporary Buick Riviera, the best looking of all the behemoths from the golden era.

For: A high point in aesthetics if not dynamics.
Against: It is non-complied but the vendor considerately lists the many jobs that need doing.
Investment potential: 2/10. The low values of big Americans are unlikely to recover even with cheap oil.

1982 Volkswagen Golf Karmann. It has been a long time since a gold Golf convertible dropped squiffy passengers off in an untidy heap outside Club Mirage but young folk should know that this was the way their parents rolled in prelapsarian Auckland. Retro chic could not come with a more reasonable price tag so I suggest you relieve this ingrate of their 'unwanted Christmas present' forthwith.

For: I hope it still smells of Chanel and lady cigarettes. Grwwwll.
Against: And not regurgitated Fluffy Ducks.
Investment potential: 4/10 on the basis of cheap operational costs and glam factor.

1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super. Just how far ahead Milan was in the design of small family cars can be seen in the brilliant Giulia. Aerodynamic, quick and with proper brakes and a five speed gearbox, it makes you wonder how any other manufacturer managed to sell cars in the same market. Inbuilt rust was the unfortunate consequence of crude production processes, making a forty-eight year survivor even more desirable.

For: The 1960s sports saloon nonpareil.
Against: But what about the Hillman Superminx I hear you say.
Investment potential: 9/10. The world will soon realise. Until then be comforted that you own a proper car.

1965 Fiat Ghia 1500 GT. How many carroseria-built Fiats actually arrived in New Zealand? This mini-exotic was produced at Ghia on the very capable Fiat 1500 floor pan, known to us colonials as Fiat Crusaders for some long forgotten reason. The tall engine required an egg shaped profile which is dramatically clipped at both ends. It is gawky but graceful in the manner of subtle aesthetic experiences.

For: A rare sight anywhere, much less in Tauranga.
Against: Only 3K less than a Gordon Keeble you might think but it has sold already (as has the Gordon Keeble.... oh well).
Investment potential. 2/10 but you will always be asked what it is.


Well halloo old friend.

1964 Chevrolet Corvette. I have been writing the blog for four years and this handsome Corvette has been listed for much of that time, stuck hard at 75K. Certain factors clearly mitigate against the success of this selling strategy. Bright red Corvette roadsters at the same price are not exactly flying off Trademe so the market is clearly selective and somewhere high on the autism spectrum when it comes to originality. The lesson here is that if you have a nice driving car that is not going to interest a 'collector', just ask a reasonable price and you will sell it.

For: Not too obvious.
Against: Well, the price mainly.
Investment potential: That is not a fair question to ask, obviously.

The Aesthete rattles the Trademe box

The Trademe box feels suspiciously light, as well it might at this time of year when everyone has other thoughts in mind than buying or selling old cars. I was discussing this trend with my Alfa owning friend Terry who has put his Duetto restoration aside while he generates a four door Monaro out of sundry HQ bits that have accumulated in his garage, seemingly brought there by a whirlwind. He sagely points out that many of the cars we both peruse have been on Trademe for years and we agreed that the next list shall be called 'Hello Old Friend' and be filled with nice cars that simply will not sell.
Until then...

1967 BMC Freeway. Extra points would be gained in my juvenile car spotting days if it was a model not listed in any of the otherwise comprehensive guides I had at my disposal. Australian oddballs were always good for this, particularly if the equivalent model simply did not exist in the UK. As with the one they drove in the old country Pininfarina got to fool around with the extremities while the mid section was left as Alec Issigonis intended. The outcome was like a Lancia that had done the wild thing with a garden shed.

For: No one else will have one.
Against: There are probably manifold good reasons for that.
Investment potential: 1/10. Buy it and use it.

1955 Morris Isis. Likewise the exotic six cylinder variants of humdrum cars that British product planners seemed to specialise in during the era. It took sharp eyes to determine the extra length in the front wings necessary to smuggle a Westminster motor into the unsuspecting Oxford shell and most buyers preferred the handy smaller engined version. If you desire both foul handling and a 90 MPH top speed on drum brakes, here is your chance to rewrite history.

For: See above.
Against: I know the list should only have good cars on it but I can only work with what I am given.
Investment potential: 1/10 and I am feeling generous.

1977 Fiat 850T Amigo. Looking like a pre-shrunk Kombi, this factory built Fiat camper sits on an 850 van frame so you will not be going over the Haast Pass in top gear, be assured. Even so I would be prepared to crawl behind in first, cheering you upwards as I would know only a true aesthete would see the advantages of buying and restoring this wonderful vehicle. The vendor has clearly seen the mad prices asked for the Volkswagen Type 2 campers and thinks he is selling a gold mine. There was one for sale in a dealer's yard in Dunedin ten or so years ago for a desultory figure and I still kick myself for not acquiring it then.

 For: Just you and a lightly built friend, venturing into unknown wild places but very slowly.
Against: I know. Everything.
Investment potential: -12/10. The rust looks a bit terrifying. Count on some expenses there.

1971 Fiat 850 Sport. There are two 850 Sports on Trademe this week but it always pays to stump up the extra funds and buy the best one if pleasure of use is your main criteria. It should be as these are as close as most of us will get to la dolce vita for a modest outlay and you can be assured of admiring looks and eyebrow lifts from even the snootiest of car snobs.

For: Girls love them. You are a girl? Perfect!
Against: Nothing. A good one is a treasure.
Investment potential: 9/10 and rising.

1983 Lancia Gamma Berline. The price has been dropped to the point that it is almost being given away so why, oh why will someone not buy this superb Lancia? Do not be needlessly afraid. Embrace its essential oddness. Would you rather have a baggy old Mercedes or BMW? Again, why? They were bought by people with no imagination then and we should learn something from that. Toss down a handful of your partner's sedatives and float into Bains with a chequebook before the dead hand of common sense spoils everything.

For: Mmmmmmmmmm. Rare, beautiful Italian oddball saloon.
Against: You can't do anything with him when he is like this.
Investment potential: 0/10. That will snap him out of it.


Away in a foreign land...

1960 Lancia Flaminia Coupe. Much the same could be said for this early Flaminia coupe, one of the finest cars in the world in 1960 and now languishing unsold for under 10K in Swindon. Of course the problem is 10K would not even buy you a valve grind in the UK so I say export all your careworn Lancias to New Zealand where native ingenuity will achieve what English marque specialists fail to deliver. First into the container will be this beauty. It only has 60 thousand miles on it.... Oh, and vale Gianni Lancia whose vision this was and who died only last year.

For: Patrician individuality of a kind beyond crude cash.
Against: You will need plenty of that, sadly.
Investment potential: There is none. Sorry.