The Good Oil

A quick trawl around the web will show there is a bunch of people who appreciate old cars that, until recently, were considered scrap. There’s an unhealthy love of Morris Marinas, Hillman Avengers, Austin Allegros, Ford Sierras and Holden Geminis and prices for these questionable gems are starting to get worryingly high. It’s getting to the point where a tired Datsun 120Y is selling for more than this Merc wagon that’s coming up for auction at Turners Cars Albany in Auckland.

I’m always on the lookout for the odd and interesting at Turners but while this fully Electric Mitsubishi iMIEV is not a common sight the Government intends it to be much more common over the next five years. So before everyone has one get in early with this one that’s available to buy now.

Kim Dotcom loves his toys and at one point he had the money to buy pretty much whatever he wanted. Unfortunately for KDC not everyone was happy about how he made his money and the legal battles have been drawn out and still continue. Caught up in all this is some of KDC’s assets, two of which are a couple of gorgeous, low mileage Mercedes that are now being sold by Turners on behalf of the Crown and Kim Dotcom.

I bet your pampered pooch will love being a passenger in this vintage sidecar with the wind in its ears. Alternatively you could take the kids out for rides – they’ll absolutely love it. But I’d think very carefully before getting your better half to ride in the little torpedo attached to your bike. There are certain places adults shouldn’t be seen and one of those places is in a sidecar. I don’t know, it just nearly always looks undignified. This one is selling right now.

Compared to the iconic first generation Mustang the third generation Fox body Stang is a bit ugly. But compared to its second generation predecessor it’s as foxy as all hell and is a product of its time – the eighties. This one is part of the latest Turners online classic car auction that’s running right now.

If you want the pure Porsche driving experience you’d probably plump for a hard top with manual gearbox, maybe even with a turbo strapped on. But if cruising along the waterfront in front of the throngs of cafe goers on a glorious spring day is your thing then this bright yellow 996 cabriolet should be the ticket. It’s being auctioned in Wellington next Thursday and the price estimate is not crazy either.

Yes it’s an Alfa Romeo which means it carries around a reputation of being temperamental and high maintenance. But all that seems rather trivial when you consider the beautiful lines of a body other car makers can only dream of designing. This one’s the top of the range V6 in the right colour with a 6 speed manual box and it’s being auctioned this week.

It may not be fun stuck behind one of these on the drive to your summer holiday destination but retro caravans are very popular right now. It’s not surprising, really, as anything vintage is hot and the humble caravan is a practical proposition...especially in Auckland. These two are being auctioned at Turners right now.

This tiny Daihatsu Copen looks a bit like a toddler’s shoe and weighs about the same, but you can’t deny that it’s cute and it’s quite rare, too. There can’t be too many better examples around than this one and it’s being auctioned on Wednesday (24th Aug) at Turners Tauranga.