The Aesthete stirs

I was shaken into action after a long post-Christmas nap by a loyal reader enquiring where the cars were. There is no good answer to this apart from vague and evasive claims to have been busy or distracted, none of which are strictly true. At this time of year we tend to roam the neighbourhood dining on other people's leftovers so we do not even have to attend to basic chores like cooking and cleaning. Mexican taco presses seemed to be the gift du jour so there was a south of the border feel to the festivities in Puerto Chalmers which will be followed up by another ruinous Magarita party on New Years Eve. I may be late then as well.

1996 Maserati Quattroporte. Obscuring its svelte Marcelo Gandini lines under a cheap plastic cover is possibly not the best way of marketing a Maserati but at least it is not covered in possum ordure and under a tree like the last one. The best thing is the buy now price that will have you in one of the greater performance saloons of the period for the price of a high milage Nissan Fistula. Negative points are lack of use and the vendor attempting to blame his wife who should probably leave him.

For: Don't tell everyone but it is one of the ultra rare V8 versions.
Against: No WOF, no registration. What the heck is going on here?
Investment potential: 0/10 or 12/10 depending on your attitude to these matters.

1978 Fiat X19. Fiat's mid engined X19 was like flicking from Dr Who to Coronation Street, products of the same entertainment industry but intended for different audiences. Bearing in mind that you could still buy a sports car with cart springs and a Post Office van engine in 1978, can you imagine a Cyberman in an MG Midget? No, I thought not. QED.

For: Much good work carried by a marque expert.
Against: But what has gone wrong then?
Investment potential: 6/10 if you attend to the niggling bugs.

1974 Porsche 914. Porsche was always about modernity but the 914 seemed a little too far ahead of its time. The slab sided appearance lacked the immediate appeal of the Fiat and most US examples were lumbered with smog equipment and laboured to 90 mph. These were not qualities associated with Porsche and no-one wanted it as VW either. The cars beg for improvement and this vendor is half way to a 914-6 which is where the money is. Just find that disused old 911 motor in the shed and you are away.

For: Look upon it as a work in progress.
Against: What is German for neither fish nor fowl?
Investment potential: 2/10. The price will need to fall a little lower for this to make sense.

1952 Morris Series Z Commercial. This has been languishing on Trademe for a while now so is perhaps not the bargain that its agitated vendor thinks as he bellows about REALISTIC OFFERS ONLY. As I have been learning from Discovery Turbo, the realistic offer is the one that buys the car. Even so, this charming Morris Eight derived commercial deserves a new owner and a bit of light use. Uncovered storage is doing it no favours at all by the look of all that delaminating plywood.

For: Cute, just like a pound puppy.
Against: Knock a zero off the price and then we can talk.
Investment potential: 1/10 and that is being kind.

1978 Ferrari. I repeat the vendor's own hopeful description for this vehicle as I cannot work out what it is either. He mentions the name Goodwin who I know to be associated with the Fiberfab Bonito, a wickedly attractive American kit car of the 1960s. While crazy, Warren Goodwin had an eye for line and proportions which is missing here. Was it a brave local effort as suggested by Carjam? Someone must know something.

For: The Aesthete loves a mystery.
Against: Oh, plenty I am sure.
Investment potential: The previous purchaser paid for it but never collected so work it out yourselves.

On some faraway beach...

1940 LaSalle 52 Special Coupe.  Intended to be a low priced brand for Cadillac dealers to sell alongside their prestige models, LaSalle ended up with the best looking American coupe of the era. The seamless body shell and delicate details are precisely controlled under the hand of Harley Earl and it is almost enough to persuade me away from the Packard Clippers of which I am similarly smitten.

For: Oh, come on. Look at it.
Against: Not too many LaSalle fans to buddy up with.
Investment potential: It is US31K if the looks do it for you...



Oh, and vale Stevie Wright as well, co-architect of Friday On My Mind and Sorry

What to buy the Aesthete for Christmas

Any of the following will do. Thank you.

1961 Ford Consul Capri. Styled by Charles Thompson under Mk II Zephyr man Colin Neale and intended to fill a virtually non-existent gap for a slow and rather expensive two seater coupe, Ford's first Capri was almost doomed from the outset. It shared no panels at all with its saloon siblings and its pre-crossflow iron  engine was not sporting in the slightest. Even so, it takes and great picture with its fishbowl screens and mini-Thunderbird nose while the combination of primrose hull and white cabin makes the Aesthete weak with unrequited and unexplainable ownership urges.

For: Lovely to look upon.
Against: But not to drive.
Investment potential: 1/10. Approaching the outer limits of what these  cars will ever be worth.

1971 Saab Sonnet 3. More from the world of awkwardly configured two seaters with flawed power units comes this Saab Sonnet, a fibreglass concoction originally fitted with a two stroke triple under its shovel nose. The compact V4 from the Transit van was able to be squeezed in and the series 3 cars were so equipped. They sold in reasonable numbers in North America but are as rare as Swedish cactus anywhere else.

For: No one else has one.
Against: No one else has one.
Investment potential: 2/10. No one is rushing forward to buy this one so I would suggest it is over priced.

1991 Mazda Eunos Cosmo. Speaking of two strokes, the Wankel rotary is technically one which explains the high pitched howling and exhaust pings that you hear when the cap on backwards set are out on Saturday night. When searching for added performance, Mazda's engineers attached another beer keg full of rotors, instantly increasing output by a third and enabling their boulevardier coupe up to 160 mph. Talk nicely to the pimply boy with the laptop and 180 is not out of the question.

For: An odd lapse in taste, I know.
Against. Wouldn't you rather have a Porsche 928?
Investment potential: 2/10. As the usual buyers are all out of work or in prison, not great.

1973 Porsche 911. Built to an uncertain specification but to an apparently scrupulous standard, this 911 points to the skyward prices for the early series cars that went through the 100K bracket some few years past. Anyone who has one sitting around in pieces (and you know full well who you are) should probably get moving while the bubble still holds air.

For: A white 911 on Fuchs wheels. Grwwlll.
Against: Other Porsche 911 owners.
Investment potential: 3/10. Uncertain parentage warrants close inspection.

1982 Porsche 924. Or for approximately 1.8% of the asking price of the hybridised 911 you could enjoy this 924, also in white, and never have to worry about installing a surveillance camera in your garage or employing private security. They will never be worth anything and are consequently a lot of fun.

For: Its white and its a Porsche and its almost free.
Against: I know. Its a VW with a van motor in it.
Investment potential. 2/10. Don't be the pub bore and say it is not a real Porsche. Buy it and enjoy it.

On some faraway beach...

1969 Plymouth Barracuda. Because the Aesthete has no masculinity issues he would be happy to drive this Plymouth Barracuda with its rare Mod Top trim option down to the beach and throw the doors open so that onlookers could coo at its flower print seats. He would be wearing matching Bermuda shorts and carrying a cooler bag full of Margarita while playing sounds suitable for the Age of Aquarius.

For: Help the Aesthete live his dreams.
Against: No. Save him from himself.
Investment potential: 12/10.

The Aesthete has an epiphany

The Aesthete's Fleet

An epiphany is not a new type of party drug (now there is an idea...) but a moment of sudden and great revelation or realisation. I had one when I realised that the loud rattling in the GTVs cabin that sounded like it was right inside the car indeed was right inside the car. The long rear side window had become unglued from its fragile supports and a healthy dab of Araldite stopped it resonating. You would almost want to drive it a long distance now so I am weighing the options for a modest road trip. The blog has an impact greater than I expected with Andrew Fletcher's Daimler Dart listing making its way to the Herald's motoring section where his good reasons for not calling him about his car were enumerated again for the benefit of North Island readers. For those that missed the listing, I quote but a modest section of it below...

Beware…. if you like shiny, over restored, buffed up, trailer puppy’s, don’t contact me. Or you think you might like to own an old car and does the hood leak - don’t ring me. If you think a sensible question is “what’s it like on gas” don’t ring me, if your favourite teacher, uncle, mate etc had one once, I don’t care. Or if you think because there are some cracks and scratches in the paint and seats stitches are coming apart it needs “restoring” do us both a favour and don’t contact me. If you have ever owned an Italian car don’t ring… If actually you want an SP250 think hard..why? then don’t call. Ok. 

1988 Maserati Biturbo. If you are going to find a Maserati mouldering away under a tree nowadays, it will be a Biturbo. This is not just to do with the relatively high production rate but a general lack of feeling for these fine cars that were BMW challengers rather than competing in the Ferrari league. They have depreciated in the same way as their Bavarian fellows but their electronics are even more of a hurdle today. Befriend a helpful young person with a laptop and a talent for hacking ECUs and you could be on your way with a 230KPH Italian for the price of a Nissan Nopulse.

For: An early Biturbo with manual transmission is almost as good as a Porsche 928 but even cheaper.
Against: They are cheap for a variety of good reasons.
Investment potential: 4/10 but I would say that.

1957 Buick Riviera. This black Riviera pillarless coupe has a menace about it that lifts it from the usual heavy iron. It would look even better with a silver roof, almost like a Facel Vega, and the vendor has the original steel wheels to replace those egregious low profile tyres that do nothing for the car at all.

For: I could see this being driven around Monaco in 1957 and getting the right looks.
Against: Would need a red leather retrim and an expensive repaint before you parked outside the casino.
Investment potential: 2/10

1937 International D-Series Van. The vendor explains that this is a New Zealand built delivery van on an International Harvester frame but I am sure there is more of a story to it than that. The questions on the listing suggest it was a grocery delivery van but there are no images of the interior and it seems to have a row of rear seats. Whatever, it hits the Aesthete's spot for unusual commercial vehicles and local design significance.

For: Do you need an unusual load carrier?
Against: An esoteric one?
Investment potential: 2/10 with its dumpy looks a minor drawback.

1975 Daimler Vanden Plas. Early V12 XJs are a rare sight now, most being too expensive to maintain and consequently suffering from long periods of disuse. This vendor has not stinted on the repairs and shows us this by offering up lots of images of expensive garage bills. You may not consider this a clever way of selling a car but a fuel fire in a V12 engine bay is the unpalatable alternative.

For: Golden sand, tan leather and vinyl roof. Grrwwlll.
Against: More to be spent on it yet? I hope not.
Investment potential: 4/10 with a buy now price of 9K.

1959 De Soto Firedome. All looks superficially well with this handsome De Soto Firedome in coral pink, one of the Aesthete's favourite hues when applied to big American cars. The terse sales pitch tells us it needs an engine rebuild so one imagines its exterior does not match the condition of the mechanicals, so often the case with US imports. A rebuilt 361 cubic inch hemi V8 will see you to 100 kph in a bit over 7 seconds so do check the brakes.

For: Virgil Exner at his Forward Look best.
Against: Best check out the rest of it before committing yourselves.
Investment potential: 1/10. Add 10K for the motor and it is not looking too bright

Whoops. I forgot the funny foreign car

1981 Renault Alpine A 310.  Arriving at the end of the avant-garde A 310s production run was an upgrade to the V6 engine found in cars as varied in character as the Peugeot 604 and DeLorean DMC-12 Restyled by Citroen SM genius Robert Opron, the rear engined Alpine was hard to beat on the rally circuit and the equal of a Porsche 911. This well kept example is available for less than 20K EUR or around one fifth of the German competition.   Vive la différence!

For: Gorgeous and awkward simultaneously.
Against: Nothing and so cheap!
Investment potential: 6/10 and more saleable than the bigger Alpine replacement.
 .

The Aesthete forges ahead

The Aesthete's Fleet

In a further effort to tame the GTVs wayward rear I fitted new gas dampers and all the neoprene suspension bushes that mechanic Dennis had left in their bags after installing the new gearbox. Despite using more vaseline than a private gentleman's bath house, there is now a cacophony of squeaks and a ride like a race car's. As the suspension is only supported at three points it is hard to envisage where this racket is coming from. It does handle well though so perhaps I will get a powerful stereo and drown out the extraneous frequencies that way.

1960 Daimler SP250. I like the cut of the vendor's jib and the sales pitch for this early Dart is one of the best I have ever read. The reasons he gives for not calling him about the car are so fulsome that I doubt he really wants to sell it. He even whips up the ancient enmity between the British and Italian tribes that can only be settled in a field to cries of "One cam good, two cams bad!" and "MG merda!".

For: A battle hardened Dart with bits of Alfa Spider still stuck in its teeth, no doubt.
Against: Nothing really. I know the vendor and it is a great car.
Investment potential: 4/10 and half the price of a restoration project E Type.

1992 Porsche 968. Honda made a strong play for this market segment with their S2000 and set an intimidating standard for middleweight sports cars. They were aiming for the outgoing 968, a model not much loved by Porsche enthusiasts that sold on its build quality rather than overt sporting character. The automatic gearbox puts its slingshot torque to good use and at this low milage you will get years of service out of it.

For: A sports car with few of the drawbacks.
Against: It is the drawbacks that make cars interesting.
Investment potential: 1/10 if you start putting KMs on it but what would be the point of not using it?

1952 Riley RMB. There is something heroic about old Rileys that lets them get away with dishevelled paintwork and duct tape on the fabric roof although this example is falling fast towards shabby with its torn front bumper and scraped flanks. It looks good everywhere else though and a quick repaint in decent British Racing Green will have you back on the right side of the ledger.

For: An exception to the two cams bad rule.
Against: If the vendor does not care to fix the obvious faults he may have to compromise on the price.
Investment potential: 2/10 but only because I really like old Rileys.

1955 Willys Custom Sedan. Willys, Frasers, Packards, Nashs and Hudsons  are so much more interesting than the bread and butter products of the 'big three'. The Willys range was European in its packaging and pace with the larger engined version of this model having the highest power to weight ratio of any contemporary US sedan. This rhd model would make an unusual and enjoyable project with the bids currently stuck at a risible 1.5K.

For:  What sort of Belair would you get for that?
Against: At that price, doodly squat as they where Willys come from.
Investment potential: 6/10 if you have the resources.

1929 Ford Model A Phaeton. I usually avoid the American vintage cars listed on Trademe but this Model A has many charms and is being offered at a sane price. A Phaeton is a tourer with a steel panel behind the front seat  and was one of a number of body styles offered. This colonial example has the smaller capacity engine so lacks the urge of the US cars. A big bore motor and two speed rear axle will let you see 120KPH.

For: Rough but genuine.
Against: Watch the brakes.
Investment potential: 2/10 in a market where there are more Model As than buyers.

On some faraway shore

1953 Kaiser Deluxe Traveler Vagabond. Like Willys, Kaiser was compelled to get the most out of their model range and consequently invented the hatchback saloon.  Business sedans often had opening rear doors but were configured like two door wagons. Fraser marketed the Vagabond as three cars in one and the advertising graphics in the Ebay listing are descriptive and quite fascinating. 

For: The best looking of all early 50s Americans with added benefits.

Against. I know. It needs work.

Investment potential: 6/10 but I am partial to Kaisers

The Aesthete revisits a forgotten decade

The 1940s are a lost era in automotive design although there is much of interest in the various ways that car makers adapted to a changed world. The Aesthete abjures from fins and space age details for a world of shapely wings and pointed tail sections, rear hinged doors and central headlamps.

1948 Alvis TA14. One of the first new cars available in Britain after the war, Alvis' offering suggested that buyers were still happy with solid front axles and rod brakes even though those features were becoming retrograde even by the end of the 1930s. Quality of assembly and a certain snobbish cachet convinced some to choose this over a Rover 60 which was its native competition in those austerity years.

For: Pleasant and well mannered.
Against: Just like a mock Tudor bungalow.
Investment potential: 2/10 unless the 1940s suddenly becomes the next decade to take off.

1949 Humber Super Snipe ambulance. If you are attracted by the era, however, you may as well have something no-one else has. That coach built Daimler Consort shooting brake languished unsold for months which suggests that the economics of full restoration have to be considered carefully. This atmospheric Snipe appears to need little further work and I would quite fancy riding in the back of it in a morphine haze while a pretty nurse mops my brow.

For: Downton Abbey on wheels.
Against: Not much good for nipping down to the shops.
Investment potential: 1/10 unless there is a film crew in town that needs one.

1951 Rover 75. Nothing less than a hotrod Cyclops, this first generation P4 has been upgraded with Rover 90 engine and brakes which provide a useful performance boost. The early square dials make a change from the familiar decor of the later cars and you could entertain yourself by unrestoring the interior, returning it to its late 1940s ambience.

For: Post-war Solihull Studebaker.
Against: Originality should not matter at the price.
Investment potential: 4/10

1950 Jaguar Mk V DHC. Generally known as a spiv's car, Jaguar's Mk V offered Bentley looks at a substantial discount, made possible by William Lyon's ruthless screwing of his suppliers. Even so, the Jaguar does a great job of hiding its rude bits under sweeping pre-war coachwork with only faired in headlights to indicate we are in a new era. The effect is more Mayfair the men's magazine than Mayfair the locality but its charms  outweigh lack of breeding.

For: Owned by people who did well in black market sausage casings.
Against: Yes, I know. I am a snob.
Investment potential: 6/10. These cars fetch a lot more in the UK.

1950 Triumph Mayflower. The strange internal world of Trademe is revealed in this vendor's touching belief that anything old and black has to be worth loads of money. That the Mayflower was a comedy in 1950 is overlooked, as is the fact that this example has only one door.

For: Words fail me.
Against: ...
Investment potential: Only Einstein could know for certain.

On some faraway beach...

1940 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe. If none of this polite British reserve turns your crank, perhaps a Lincoln Zephyr might be what you need? John Tjaarda's streamlined shell draped a side valve V12 and a solid front axle so addressed the modern world from both ends of the engineering spectrum. Later models lost the pointed prow so this is the optimum year for aesthetics.

For: Thanks to Ford logic, surprisingly usable.
Against: A lot of material to house two passengers.
Investment potential: 3/10.  Only resistance to extruded slug like forms holds them back.

The Aesthete finds a Fiat for every occasion.

The Aesthete's Fleet

The Aesthete began his affair with Italian cars with a Fiat Crusader that combined spirited performance with a permanent smell of damp carpet. Water sealing was not a strong point and the survival rate of older Fiats is much dependent on dry garaging and periodic attacks with wire brushes  and rust inhibitors. The product range extends from the most basic of transport to stately coupes so there is indeed a Fiat for every age and stage in life.

1966 Fiat 500. This mid-period 500F followed on from the D model with its rear hung doors but retained the crash gearbox that took some skill to drive smoothly. The body has received some remedial attention but amateur mechanical reassembly has resulted in some random effects that one of you should be able to sort out. Given that restored 500s are selling for twice the starting price there may be a modest profit to be had.

For: Some useful work has been done already.
Against: Of what quality, one wonders?
Investment potential: 7/10 if a bit of weekend tinkering is all that is required.

1973 Fiat 850 Spider. Rarely encountered outside Europe and America, Bertone's Spider was left hand drive only. Marcelo Gandini's sharp modernist lines are perhaps not as immediately charming as those of the fastback coupe but the easily worked top and winding windows make it a practical  prospect. Keep it dry however, as rust has rendered most of its fellows to scrap.

For:  Style in a small package.
Against: The vendor may have high expectations.
Investment potential: Unknown until the reserve is revealed.

1972 Fiat 124 Spider. Unlike the 124 coupe that was periodically restyled and became less handsome over time, Tom Tjaarda's Spider design was left alone for its lengthy life. The dip in the boot lid and pert nose frame a tightly drawn profile that was more visually balanced than Alfa's 105 series Duetto, as characterful as that car was. This one has been trimmed of the small amount of bling that it started out with although the light European bumpers do not spoil the shape at all.

For: RHD conversion and upgraded interior.
Against: No, I would not rather have an MX5.
Investment potential: 3/10. These cars have languished and are now cheaper that the coupes. It makes no sense.

1990 Fiat Uno Turbo. Your reaction to this will depend on your view of after market body kits but no one could say this Uno lacks for presence. The mini-Testarossa side strakes are hilarious of course but the vendor has curated this fast super-mini with care and I vouch that it would be a lot of fun on the road.

For: Almost worth buying a Testarossa to have in the garage as well.
Against: Nothing much that I can see.
Investment potential: 5/10 in the face of greatly diminished numbers.

2000 Fiat Coupe 2000 Turbo. Chris Bangle's Coupe could appear incoherent or gorgeous depending on your attitude to wheel openings and other traditional measures of car styling. The angled slashes remain unique to this generation of sporting Fiats and the five cylinder turbo and modest weight give it spectacular performance even today.

For: A 15 year old car that still looks like a new production.
Against: Some servicing issues with that tight Punto based engine bay.
Investment potential: 3/10 but why won't the vendor get it vin'ed himself?

On some faraway beach.

1974 Fiat 130 Coupe. Fiat had fully acquired Lancia by the 1960s and promised to desist from building large luxury coupes in order for the market to be opened for the new Gamma. What does it proceed to do but to commission a stunning formal coupe from Pininfarina and hand assemble it with the finest materials while whanging a cheap plastic interior into the Lancia?  I suspect someone was trying to curry favour with Gianni Agnelli but you can enjoy the result of the product planner's confusion here.

For: 10% of the value of a BMW. It was not so at the time.
Against: If it does need work it will not be cheap or easy.
Investment potential: 8/10 when the world wakes up.

The Aesthete catches up on his reading

The Aesthete's Fleet
Neil Young's Waging Heavy Peace reveals his attitude to cars which is different to what I imagined a rock star's collection might entail. He tends to buy and keep for a long time and the cars are markers of his rich creative life as well as his tangled personal one. The image on the flysheet is a rear view of a Jensen 541 on a dirt road so the Aesthete was hooked before the first page. By chance on Sky at the same time was AC/DC's Brian Johnson taking to Brands Hatch in a Mini Cooper after some coaching by Paddy Hopkirk. He is a very capable driver and managed a surprisingly good finish after 45 laps of the circuit.

1971 Fiat 850 Coupe. What a sheer delight these Fiats are, a fact that many buyers now recognise so I predict that bidding will be spirited for this example. Designed in-house by Mario Felice and Gian Paolo Boano who had left their own studio to work at Fiat, the 850 is at least as pretty as any Ferrari 250 or Lancia Aurelia from the same pen. Like the perfect pop song, nothing can be added to or removed that would not spoil the balance although they do look great on the Cromodora alloy wheels that were a period fitting.

For: This may be your last chance to get one for under 20K.

Against: Nothing at all.

Investment potential: 14/10 and rising.

1949 Morris Minor MM. Low light Minors are a rare sight nowadays and the tourer more so. Most were consumed by rust when their tops gave way and were not thought to be worth fixing due to the rather inadequate side valve engines carried over from the old Series E. All of this can be remedied and I would like to see one in speedster form in battleship grey with a tuned A series on black painted wire wheels. Come on, one of you.  Step forward.

For: Charm and potential.

Against: At least think about it.

Investment potential: 4/10 

1960 Porsche 356B. As the knowing vendor points out, when did you last see one for sale? They have probably doubled in price in that time, giving cottages in Kingsland a good run for the investor's dollar but we should not bitterly turn away from their considerable charms. There are few cars from the 1950s that you might seriously consider driving the length of the country but you could in one of these.

For: Looking cheap compared to a rotten doer upper in Grey Lynn.

Against: I should not give financial advice to anyone.

Investment potential. 8/10

Austin A40 Countryman. Pursuant to the Aesthete's current preoccupation with old English commercials is this charming A40 wagon that looks like it could be pulled back from the brink with a bit of effort. Whether you think it worthwhile depends on your willingness to lose money hand over fist by paying professionals to do the work. If hand painting cars was acceptable in the 1950s, I would like to know what has changed since?

For: Get out the Dulux and get started on your summer project.

Against: Yes, I know. Its got no engine. Complainers.

Investment potential: 0/10 but you would do it for higher reasons.

1990 Lancia Thema 8.32. Only cognoscenti will know that this Thema is powered by a Ferrari V8 instead of Lampredi's venerable twin cam four but the performance gain was illusory anyway. What it did have was a Wagner like soundtrack, a Poltrona Frau leather interior and a dash to rival the finest William and Mary sideboard.  The competition in the form of the Lotus Carlton has become seriously expensive so unless you can find one of those in Japan...

For: A moment of madness in Fiat central planning.
Against: I would not want to be paying the bill if something goes wrong.
Investment potential: 9/10. Only a Gandini Maserati Quattroporte V8 could be more fun.


On some faraway beach...

1966 Plymouth Barracuda. That rear window sends an acquisitive shudder through the Aesthete every time. In rare V8 manual form, the Barracuda was an uncommon sight and even more so here where Mustangs outnumber them 50 to 1. This refurbished low ownership car is languishing at less than US10K so represents a bit of a steal in my view.

For: Great rearwards aspect.
Against: Nothing really. Cheaper than a nice AP5 Valiant.
Investment potential: 2/10 but at least not in negative figures.