The Aesthete curates his selection

The Aesthete's Fleet

I went to see Rush last night. The scene I most enjoyed was Niki Lauda driving a Lancia 2000 Berlina very fast with two excited Italians in the back seat shouting "Niki Lauda, Niki Lauda!" There was also a great divers' meeting where actors were clearly selected for their eerie resemblance to Emerson Fittapaldi, Jochen Rindt and others. I was waiting for Brian Eno's Baby's on Fire to appear on the sound track but that opportunity for period similitude was missed.

1974 Mini De Joux. Ferris DeJoux was an Auckland based designer and builder of refined specials with an output that got close to small scale series production. He was an ex-window dresser and so had a good eye for form. His fibreglass bodied Mini is almost as nice as David Ogle's SX 1000 but I am not aware of one of those here. This wreck certainly needs work but you would then have a piece of New Zealand design history to drive about in.

For: Clever and stylish local product.
Against: Most were built by the owners. Results may vary from the image on the pack.
Investment potential: 2/10. The parts you can actually buy are cheap enough. Who knows about the rest though?

1969 Fiat 850 Sport. Or you could just say "Shag all that. I will have the best looking small coupe of the 1960s and save myself a lot of hard work." And who could blame you? This 850 Coupe is absolutely the right colour and has clearly been treasured. You can tell very quickly if they have not been so chose well.

For: Bellissimo!
Against: Nulla!
Investment potential: 7/10. Even if they frack the whole country wide open petrol is never going to get cheaper.

1960 Lotus Elite Super 100 S1. I interviewed the New Zealand designer John Frayling in Wales many years ago and he related various tales of the development of the fibreglass monocoque Elite, including having to start again after they failed to use the correct release agent and the moulds stuck fast to the styling buck. It was all very Lotus. Hardly anyone got paid but the project was guided by some of the smartest minds in the business. I am not sure if there was a cleverer car made in England until the McLaren.

For: A true landmark in style and dynamics.
Against: Fast but noisy and fragile.
Investment potential. No price but I would hazard upwards of 120K.

2002 Peugeot 406 Coupe. Old friend Buck took me to task for my narrow selection of contemporary classics and he is quite right to say that the Pininfarina designed 406 Coupe is one. Colour makes all the difference so the Giallo Fly example I had ready to go this week has been snapped up. Well equipped, decently quick in 3-litre form and becoming ridiculously cheap. Many have run up high milages already which suggests their owners can't keep out of them. It is a good sign.

For: Glorious looks.
Against: Not much that I can think of.
Investment potential: 0/10. The lift is still going down, sadly.

1963 Studebaker Lark Cruiser. This was Studebaker's last effort to capture part of the luxury compact trade and they looked to Europe for ideas. Although many see an American Mercedes, I suspect they had a picture of a Lancia Flavia saloon pinned up by the drawing board as many of that fine but ugly saloon's eccentricities are evident here. This one is the desirable small V8 with manual gears so might be quite fun to drive. The Flavia pic is for reference only.

For: If I had to attend a beach hop it would be in this.
Against: You have to want one but relatively few seem to.
Investment potential: 1/10. No-one under the age of 65 knows or cares about Studebakers any more.

Something for the weekend, sir? *

1953 Healey Alvis 3-Litre. Considerably more rare than the Nash Healey that it is based on, this big sports car features the smooth Alvis motor and the all synchromesh gearbox for which they were justly reknowned. I doubt if many were sold in period when you could have bought an XK120 but I am quite taken with its Anglo-American-Anglo heritage. Oh, and when looking at the dealer's pictures, observe the honey taking them. Grwwlll.

For: Odd but strangely attractive.
Against. A bit of a duffer in the sports car stakes.
Investment potential: 1/10. A tough sell, then and now I imagine.

* Apparently a question asked by barbers who were allowed to sell prophylactics but could not say so directly. 

The Aesthete goes modern

The Aesthete's Fleet

I work with another car enthusiast although I would not describe what he drives as classical in any sense. He often sends me links headed up WTF!!! and other expressions of utter disbelief. He tells me that all of the European cars predating 2000 are about to be tossed on a large bonfire on the Central Plateau as they are now officially worthless.  Consequently I overcame my prejudices and looked into the recent past on Trademe. I saw terrible things no one should ever have to see...

2003 Volkswagen Passat W-8 4Motion. There is hardly anyone who does not know that a Bugatti is just a big expensive Volkswagen. Likewise Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche. The anodyne looking Passat saloon also packs the kind of technological wallop that commands wicked prices in those other brands. Seeing as the engines are modular you are buying 4/5ths of a Lambo. The 4-litre W8 is governed to 250 KPH apparently. Yours for something over 7K.

For: Again, vorsprung durch dirty big engine.
Against: The next major service bill will have you questioning your decision.
Investment potential. 0/10. It will burn merrily on the fire though.

1995 Fiat Coupe. Or you could fix up this one owner NZ-new Fiat Coupe which has sadly defiled itself with a cam belt failure and bent its valves. The Aesthete much prefers these daring Chris Bangle styled coupes over their bug eyed Alfa GTV counterparts which are also heading down the trail to worthlessness. Bids are stuck below $800 with reserve already met so remember, fortune favours the bold.

For: Unlike almost everything else from the period, characterful and great fun.
Against: Dare I say it, a bit temperamental?
Investment potential. 2/10 as long as the engine is not completely wrecked.

1990 Porsche 928 S4. You could pay a lot less than 28K for a 928 now but this one appears to be brand new with one previous New Zealand owner. As regretful purchasers of rough 928s find out, an engine rebuild can consume the greater part of that purchase price so if you want the best example of one of the best cars ever built, it is not seemly to quibble.

For: A modern Porsche has few real advantages.
Against: Big and heavy.
Investment potential: 2/10 given that there will always be a market for the best ones.

1991 Nissan Silvia Mitsuoka Le-Seyde Coupe.  I imagine this vile creation was built to allow Japanese porno stars to pretend they were driving an Excalibur in Miami so now you can repeat whatever illicit sensations they experienced right here in Dunedin! I will go and have a look at it tomorrow but I will be disinfecting the seats before I get in.

For: Words escape me.
Against: I told you I have seen terrible things.
Investment potential: Bwahahaha.

1973 Fiat 125T. I could not have paused in benighted era for one second longer so back to my happy place with a nice boxy Fiat 125 saloon.  The vendor purports this to be a genuine 125T which was a local variant fitted with desirable extras by the Fiat agents. High back bucket seats... grwwwlll. In my car spotting teens, I always gave myself an extra high score if I saw one during my parent's interminable drives to that nice pub that they kept forgetting the location of.

For: Make sure it is a real one and then buy it.
Against: Any good 125 is desirable now so nothing much.
Investment potential: 3/10. The cachet of the letter T commands a premium


Something for the Stan Getz fans... 

Volkswagen SP2. The 1972 World Cars Annual that I used to take on those drives with my parents was full of oddities like this and safe to say I never saw any of them on our roads. I would have given myself a score of 14000 if I had spotted this Brazilian-built Volkswagen SP2 that looks like a cross between a Lancia Fulvia Zagato and a 240Z.

For: Just the thing for slow drives to Ipanema.
Against: VW Variant bits.
Investment potential: Who would know? Quite sought after in Brazil, apparently

The Aesthete hits the track

The Aesthete's Fleet

The Aesthete's dreams occasionally lurch into lurid fantasies of competition, ironic when I can't keep the current fleet registered, WOFed and on the road when all they get is a gentle flogging up to Central Otago from time to time. The actual cost of serious racing does not bear thinking about, as the parade of money hungry projects through Wonderboy's workshop attests. Even so, here are some ways in that offer pleasure without penury.

1964 Volvo 122S. Imagine the Aesthete as the Swedish chef on the Muppet Show to gauge my response to this rather superb Amazon. The scaled down Chrysler lines have weathered the years far better than the models that replaced them and this one has all the expensive pieces of kit that you would need for the Targa or other gentlemanly (or ladylike) track pursuits. The price seems completely reasonable for such a capable classic rally mount.

For: Yah, dot's nice.
Against: Don't resist. Just buy it.
Investment potential: 6/10

1972 BWM 3.0 CS. Or you could finish this immaculately prepared CS racer and scare yourself completely witless. Offered with a choice of potent power plant and gearbox combinations, it has the look of a project that, for some doubtless sad personal reason, must be sold despite the vast sum of money that has been forked into it. So now you can exercise your own fantasies of track domination until your bank manager reaches into his desk for his revolver.

For: Vorsprung durch dirty big engine.
Against: Are you a race mechanic? May I suggest Wonderboy might like to assist?
Investment potential: 3/10. Any race car is a money pit but this looks more than viable.

1993 Porsche 968 Clubsport.  I know I featured this car recently but it was in another context altogether. If you want factory reliability in a race car that is drivable on the road, you have few options but to buy a Porsche. At a nudge over 40K, this is value but it will need a roll cage for serious work and that would be a shame. You choose.

For: Immaculate and capable
Against: Poseur image.
Investment potential: 1/10 and diminishing if you start using it.

BMW 2002Tii. I don't wish to sound like a snob but it is probably not smart to buy an old race car from someone with missing teeth and living in a caravan in Clinton. Better by far the North Shore where no one is worth less than a million and they can afford the upkeep on something like this smart 2002 Tii. The owner fitted a new factory engine which has done 5000 KMs and sounds honest about the car's minor flaws.

For: Just right for getting around in the middle of the pack.
Against: You will probably not be satisfied with that.
Investment potential: 1/10. This has been for sale for ages so bargaining skills may be called for.

Begg Daimler 250. The Aesthete squares the circle with this classic New Zealand built single seater that was built around Edward Turner's brilliant alloy V8. Rarely has something so good arisen from such disparate origins but it was typical of the approach of the day. Comes with a Chevrolet V8 for 'reliability' so one might assume the Daimler is feeling a bit tired. You could go out and find a Majestic Major motor for it.

For: Local and significant piece of history.
Against: Arguably better ways of spending 80K
Investment potential: If you could afford it you should not give it a thought. For everyone else 0/10.

Bargain of the year so far...

1975 Citroen CX. I usually keep this spot for off-shore treats but just look at this. Bidding has crawled to a desultory $1240 for this ravishing early CX with the highly desirable red cloth interior looking like a Verner Panton installation (Look him up). The rest of the car is more than presentable and someone needs to buy it right now as the owner seems not to have a clue.

For: Oh, that interior definitely.
Against: Not a top line model but so what.
Investment potential. 7/10 if you can get it for that.

These are a few of the Aesthete's favorite things

The Aesthete's Fleet

Someone is advertising some good looking Flavia 2000 engine bits in Cape Town so as soon as I have paid for my dental work, cleared up the bill for the gearbox repairs, registered the Lancia and paid my outstanding university fees I will send him some money. God... listen to me. I need help urgently.

1958 Borgward Goliath. A surprising number of well engineered small German cars found their way to New Zealand in the 1950s. They were assembled in Australia, making them more affordable than fully imported Europeans and were more sophisticated that their British counterparts. The 1100 models feature a clever Lancia Flavia-like flat four and front wheel drive.

For: Cute and entertaining.
Against: Frequently owned by crazy people with hoarding issues.
Investment potential: 1/10. Who would know? You will never see another one.

1986 Alfa Romeo 90. Someone brave needs to rescue this Alfa Romeo 90, an exceedingly rare example of the V6 powered Alfetta that replaced the disastrous Alfa Six executive saloon. The lovely engine from the doomed Six sat nicely in the smaller Alfetta hull and so it is much like a four door GTV6. Act soon as buying this will ensure hats tipped in your direction and low whistles of admiration when you turn up at the next Alfa club run.

For: Astoundingly good to drive.
Against: Rust has taken hold.
Investment potential: 1/10. You may need to find a donor car and that will not be easy.

1979 Porsche 924 Turbo. In typical Porsche fashion, the turbo model 924 looks like its leaner siblings but was comprehensively re-engineered as it was now a 140 MPH+ car. This one looks like the owner has kept things clean in the engine bay and the tartan trim appears faded but intact. It has also kept its smart factory alloy wheels and would be a lot of fun for 6K.

For: Becoming hard to find in good order.
Against: You could almost have a Boxter for that now.
Investment potential: 2/10 and possibly rising as people look past the 924 image problem.

1966 Pontiac Grand Prix. The twin stacked headlight mid-60s Pontiacs always attracted me as my rich dairy farming uncles used to swank around Karaka in Laurentians as the Canadian built cars were known. They were often a sickening mauve hue so not like this one at all really.  If you claim to read vintage Playboys for the advertisements, you will want this car to complete the subterfuge.

For: Glorious in form and detail. Should have been called a Pontiac Centrefold.
Against: Big and dumb.
Investment potential: I am a bit pessimistic about mid-rank yanks but this is better than average.

1933 Riley Monaco. Alright, you know I am a bit soft on old Rileys but what can you get with a pedigree like this for 15K? If it was Italian it would be five time the price. Art Deco lines, sweet twin cam four and a manual transmission rather than the characterful but tricky preselect that some were equipped with. Pity there are no images of the interior as they are wonderfully evocative of vintage biplanes.

For: David Bowie loved them and had a Riley Gamecock...
Against: 100 KPH flat out.
Investment potential: 2/10. You have to be a certain age to get these cars.


Waiting for you to call the shipping agent...

1955 Packard Clipper Constellation. Yes, roll that around on your tongue and give it your best Boston Brahmin accent when someone asks what you are driving. I loudly assert that Packards are the best value 1950s Americans, particularly when you think of the quality of design and assembly. Much more tasteful than a Cadillac and handier than a Chrysler Imperial. All this for around 25K delivered to New Zealand.

For: No one else will have one.
Against: Not a lot that I can see.
Investment potential: 3/10. It does not cost 50K for a start.

The Aesthete welcomes in spring

The Aesthete's Fleet

A fair amount of open road running has loosened a few fixtures on the Flavia. The right side mirror popped out and hit the road with a musical tinkling leaving something that looks like an empty eye socket. It was useless anyway and gave either a blurred view of distant suburbs or the road surface so I may just take it off and fill the holes. A loud bang on exiting the shed left me looking for what I had struck but then I noticed the exhaust hanging rather low. At least with an old Italian car you know how you will be spending the weekend...

1991 Subaru Alcyone. It may just be my weakness for the underdog but is there any Japanese performance coupe as unloved as Subaru's SVX? It has a lot in its favour with Italian lines courtesy of Guigiaro, a bespoke flat six that makes the right noises and typically unorthodox engineering from our Lancia smitten friends at Fuji Heavy Industries. Is that not enough? Oh, go on. Its cheap enough.

For: Very capable.
Against: Automatic but almost all were.
Investment potential: 1/10. The vendor says collectable. Not in this universe.

1964 Riley 4/72. Percy Riley would have committed murder with a ball peen hammer if he had lived to see what BMC did with the cars that carried his name. The Riley, however,  was the best of the many alternatives made out of the basic Pininfarina design. I would swap the front panels and trim into the Traveller I featured a few weeks ago and put it on wire wheels. That would get them talking at the next All British day.

For: Easy to own and quite pleasurable.
Against: A pipe and slippers sort of car.
Investment potential: 2/10. Even good old Rileys are cheap so what hope is there?

1981 Ferrari Mondial. Now that even the 400-series is moving out of reach, those of modest means can still toy with the idea of owning a Ferrari. It just has to be one of these. There is nothing wrong with the V8 engined Mondial which was produced with an eye to the Porsche market and with a dollop of Fiat technical input. That means modest prices then and now but hurry on if you want one at this price.

For: Dare I utter the word practical?
Against: Surely that is not the point.
Investment potential: 2/10. As cheap as a big Fiat should be.

1949 Jaguar Mark V. This spiv's Bentley offered a lot for the purchase price in the 1940s and the asking price today seems quite reasonable too. You get pre-war style bodywork of almost coach-built quality and a glorious leather and walnut interior. A Standard-derived engine pushes the whole ensemble along at a decent rate although you will rue Willian Lyon's cheap brakes if anything blunders into your path.

For: Never mind the quality, feel the width.
Against: You know you should buy a Mk 6 Bentley.
Investment potential: 3/10.

1953 Packard Cavalier. It is odd to think that you could have gone shopping in the US and found a more dignified and well designed alternative the flashy Jag in the form of a 300 series Packard. This example needs finishing off but a lot of expensive work has already been done so if you are prepared to source another windscreen you will have a car of uncommon quality.

For: A tasteful big American.
Against: What? No tail fins?
Investment potential: 1/10. Still cheap in their country of origin.

On some faraway shore...

Lancia Flavia Coupe 1.8 HF. Oh alright. I know this is rather more me than any of you but there is an accompanying Youtube clip that lets you hear what this rally prepped Flavia sounds like. The gates of hell opening and closing 5700 times per minute would only be a close approximation. The engine was worked on by Claudio Maglioli who sadly passed on last year so I cannot ask him how he squeezed 150 BHP out of the thing.

For: Oh, definitely the sound.
Against: I already have one. Nothing stopping you though.
Investment potential: 0/10. Here, virtually nil. Leave it in Rome and pay the odd visit.