Objects of Desire         

There goes the stock market again. Elected officials are saying, " Someone somewhere should have done something."   

Sound familiar? Are you looking for something real to invest a bit of your money into? Cars are real and their value is not determined by a greedy guy with a golden parachute. Cars are a lot more fun than watching stock prices go down like Iraq. Car values are determined by supply and demand not by the futures market or complicated financial schemes that few understand. 

Cars we have for sale have great style.  Classic styling is something many late model cars lack as great style is not necessarily efficient. All modern cars are designed with careful attention to drag co-efficient using wind tunnels and CAD/CAM design. Thus modern cars are aerodynamically efficient and this is good in many ways yet as a result many modern cars look much alike. 

Beats a heart that does not soar when driving a vintage E-Type, a classic Rolls Royce, an always beautiful Austin Healey, a cool MGA or ferocious Mercedes Benz 300 SEL? Such an experience has been designed out of most late model cars despite what the endless drone of TV car ads maintain. There is more to a car than brute horsepower and modern cars are better in many ways yet are worse in many ways. The engines in vintage cars were designed to be admired. Many engines, like 1950-1968 Jaguar motors, were quite beautiful with highly polished aluminum heads and cam covers with chromed acorn nuts, quite unlike most modern cars that feature  engines covered with plastic covers so the engine looks like a big ugly plastic battery. So what's wrong with a good looking engine? 

"Ultra automotive sophistication can rob the joy of simple and primitive pleasures that can be the most enjoyable to experience." says Scotty MacClymonds. 

Many cars are stuffed with gimmicks, bells and whistles to help manufacturers float a high sales price.  Why make it simple when complex works so well is the design philosophy these days. Once the expensive electronic modules (ECMs) start burning up and the buttons have been pushed enough times to start falling off, the car can be an expensive drag to own. "One thing that never gets boring is the thrill of driving a great classic sports car.", says Scotty MacClymonds. 

 The fine cars we deal with were made from steel, leather, chrome,  wood and Rexine! Early models were made using the eyes and hands of artistic human beings working with clay models without the assist  of computers or focus groups. Jaguar's founder, Lord Lyons, had his cars designed using full size clay mockups of the cars. He had his engineers build the mockups in his driveway so he could think about the designs while he had his morning tea and crumpets. When he looked out the window and the car was beautiful from every angle, that was the design. Thus the cars we like to own have humanistic charms and flaws that make them ever more endearing to the soul. We honor the spirit of great automotive design with our restorations. 

Have a look at some cars we have available and keep in mind that we offer a full and comprehensive pre-purchase inspection service if your car quest is not to be found on our steadily shrinking list of automotive offerings. Many cars have recently sold so the list is growing smaller. 

Buying cars though on line auctions:

Caveat Emptor my friends! Every week we have cars brought to us which have been acquired sight unseen (other than by little digital photos like what are on our website) via popular on line auctions. This is a buying method fraught with peril as most any car can be tarted up to look good in a series of digital photos. What you see is not at all what you can get and in many situations, when people sell cars via on line auctions, they may do so because they are unable to sell these cars in their local areas, perhaps because the cars may be in poor condition. Photos can show what people want them to show or what they don't want them to show. This is not to say that ALL cars bought via on line auctions are Trojan horses waiting to rob you of your last cent. We suggest that any major purchase should be inspected by a knowledgeable person before purchase. This sort of examination is simply sensible. Otherwise such purchases can be like playing craps with someone else's loaded dice. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose depending how the people holding the dice feel about it. Scotty hates for our clients to lose so we do offer a most comprehensive inspection program for cars. If an inspection is not possible, be sure to ask LOTS of questions keeping in mind that the words and phrases "restored", "rebuilt", "everything is new" or "perfect", means vastly different things to different people. Some folks think that painting an engine or assembly with a spray can is rebuilding it. Some car owners claim their car have been "totally restored" for much less than what the parts to do so would cost! Now, how can this be?  Cars, like many things, are not always what they seem or are claimed to be. An expert opinion can and should be an important element in the buying process. 

Of course a buyer may choose to be like the Captain of the Titanic was. .

"Hey Captain, this report says there are lots of icebergs out there.", Says the soon to be drowned Marconi radio operator.

" The sea looks good to me so full speed ahead while I take a nap. Don't bother me unless you hit something really big", says the smiling but soon to be embarrassed and drowned Captain. 

We have a new page for the sale of rare and unusual automotive related objects and for antiques we have collected over the last 30+ years. Check out this section here! This page will be rapidly growing. 

 Unless otherwise noted, all cars are located in Houston. Please ask for price quotes. Sometimes we will improve these cars and rebuild something or other and thus the price of the car depends on the condition of the car at the moment. We can restore any of these cars or upgrade them as a new owner may desire. Email us for details. All the photos are thumbnail photos. Click the photo and a larger version will appear. We have lots more photos for interested buyers.

We are going to open all our cars to offers and all offers will be considered. Of course, low ball or silly offers will receive the consideration they deserve!  We can help arrange classic car financing on any car purchased from us.  This could be your lucky day!

Austin Healey's and cars that start with "A"

1967 Austin Healey 3000 roadster for sale.  This Ice Blue big Healey was carefully stored inside and recently brought out for sale. We rebuilt the entire brake system with new wheel cylinders,  rebuilt brake calipers with new pistons, new front brake rotors, pads, brake hoses and a new brake booster with silicone brake fluid were fitted. The front wheel bearings were cleaned and repacked with new seals and the rear axle seals were also replaced. We replaced the clutch slave cylinder and rebuilt the clutch master as well. The steering idler was removed and rebushed and various bushings and mounts have been replaced and the car brought to a good driving condition. The carburetors were rebuilt. The excellent engine was serviced and re-painted the original color. It looks great.  The car was disassembled for painting with the fenders and all trim removed and was painted the original Healey Ice Blue. New fender beading was installed. The door and window mechanisms were serviced and lubricated and new window seals fitted. New carpets and the upper dash and arm rests were re-upholstered and fitted. We don't want to make this car into an over restored by catalog car so most of the nice for the age original interior is being retained.  New Vredestein tires. These are the best tires available at this time for this wheel size. The wire wheels have been bead blasted and repainted the correct color. The trunk looks clean and nice with the all original materials and a new gas tank was fitted. The paintwork is simply stunning in Healey Ice Blue in clear/base coat. The original bumpers were re-plated to a very high quality and look great. No cheap junk repro bumpers for this car. The convertible top frame was removed, sandblasted and repainted the original color with all joints lubricated with synthetic lubricant. The wood parts were recovered with the original Parchment Ambla material so the top look very nice and works well. New front seat bottom foams were fitted and the steel seat pans were also replaced with new pans. The seat tracks were cleaned and lubricated so they work smoothly. Some think this is most beautiful color of all Healey colors. There are a lot of junk Healey's out there, this one is not among them. More photos will be up soon.  

Rolls Royce and Bentley cars for sale

1971 RR Silver Shadow Long Wheel Base LHD runs and drives. Let's call it shabby chic $7500. 00

1974 RR Silver Shadow LHD Silver Blue with blue leather. Very nice car. We are completing replacing the engine as the previous owner drove it from Florida to Houston without much coolant. $18,500

1978 RR Corniche Convertible-LHD green with a nice green canvas top and brown leather, freshly refinished wood work and yes, it's outstandingly beautiful. New shocks all the way around, new exhaust, fully serviced, has the sheepskin floor coverings, low miles. The front seat bottoms have been redone in fresh leather and the car will soon be ready for sale. Not yet priced but in the low $50K range. 

This is a 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II in the spray booth. The car had all it's scarlet leather interior removed and all bright work and glass removed as well for the intensive paintwork. The old paint was sanded off and the entire body prepped and block sanded with many man hours expended.  In the photo the car is in primer and is receiving it's first top coats of white. The car is finished with painting and looks great. The wood work has been refinished and a new wool headliner was installed. All new body seals have been fitted. The doors were totally disassembled and new window tracks installed for smooth operation. The brakes have been removed, remanufactured and fitted.  The engine was removed and rebuilt as were the carburetors. The underbody was steam cleaned, prepped, painted and Waxoyled. This will be a very nice Silver Cloud 2 and will be for sale once completed later this summer. This Rolls Royce has air conditioning and is R.H.D.  The car has recent restoration work like new paint,  mechanical rebuild of the brakes, transmission rebuild, engine rebuild, carburetor rebuild, ignition updated and misc. services totaling $48,000. We are now accepting solid offers.

Jaguars

1971 Jaguar E-Type Open Two Seater convertible.  

This beautiful Jaguar is being repainted  as shown in the photos and is between clear coats as these photos were taken.

  The E-Type is receiving a new and correct black cockpit with fresh leather seats, carpets and a new top. This Jaguar has low miles, about 35,000 and was stored for many years. Wire wheels and a four speed gearbox.  The car was disassembled for painting with the interior, all chrome and trim removed. Have not priced this one yet as its a moving restoration and can be purchased anytime.

 1962 Jaguar MK2, LHD automatic, Posidrive differential, wire wheels, burgundy paintwork with black leather, rust free. This car is now receiving fresh brakes, suspension updates, new coolant hoses, new shocks, new springs, new carpets, we are restoring the extensive woodwork now, new headliner, new exhaust, rebuilt power steering, new door seals and tune up work and lots of bushings replaced. This car will be a great one.  Photos will be up soon..$25,000 as it sits. 

1974 Jaguar E-Type Convertible 4 speed 32,000 miles Primrose yellow. This E is a four speed with wire wheels, original black leather seats and interior. Very clean and original. $52,000

1975 XJ12C One of the rarest V12 Jaguars ever built with some 655 or so made. This one needs a restoration, not running and it's all there. Low miles, green with a tan roof and interior. $3500. 

MG's, a Morgan and other cars that start with "M"

 1948 Morgan +4  Flat Rad for sale. A two seater roadster, this car is one of 249 of this series that Morgan built from 1946-1950. We offer this Series One four wheeler Morgan Flat Rad model featuring two spare wheels mounted in the boot. British Racing Green with rich chocolate leather and matching Wilton wool carpets bound in chocolate leather. The cockpit is comfortable and beautiful. The English upholsterer was a real master of the craft. Check out  the leatherwork work that went into the carpet heel pad. The car has a nicely made black canvas top, tonneau cover and and side curtains. This model sports its original 40hp Standard engine. The ivory face gauges are correct and were restored in England,. The dials gleam like jewels in the chocolate leather dash and the wiring has all been correctly replaced.   This Morgan was extensively restored in England and it appears the body was removed from the frame for the work.   We are re-commissioning the car from long term storage. Soon, this venerable Morgan will be ready to drive down the road on it's brand new tires. As you can see, the car body was disassembled for the paintwork. This car has had the same owner since about 1978 when it was brought to the USA. The owner toured the Morgan factory at Malvern Link, bought a new exhaust from them and had tea with Peter Morgan some time ago. A Peter Morgan inscribed workshop book goes with the car.  We had a new radiator made and also had the grill shell replated as the grill shell also serves as the top radiator tanks outer wall. We have one of what we believe to be, an original tire from 1948 and it's mounted on one of the two spare wheels on the boot. It's a piece of tyre history. 

This photo shows the front brake rebuild about finished. We rebuilt the entire brake system, including making new brake pipes. The fuel tank, carburetor and temperature gauge were rebuilt. This Morgan still has it's original Lucas headlamps, glass tail lamps and wing lamps. We obtained a very rare WIPAC center driving lamp for the car. Most if not all Morgan cars of this vintage have lost their original steering wheel as the plastic deteriorated over the years and the wheel would crack apart. This Morgan still had it's original wheel, well aged and cracked so we decided to rebuild it to better retain the character of the time. The car is a work of art, more than well on the way to completion. Serious money went into the car and it's available for fair offer before the car goes to a high dollar car auction. 

      1971 Mercedes Benz 300SEL 3.5 sedan, black on black. One of the worlds great cars built when owning a Mercedes Benz meant something. 

    This Mercedes Benz 300SEL 3.5 is one of the last Mercedes series that was hand built by German craftsmen in a special Mercedes factory reserved for the top of the line cars. This example is a big black solid car with lots of nice chrome, Bauhaus attitude and Michelin tires. 

  With fresh correct black leather seats, black carpets and floor insulation. 

The very nice Madagascar Ebony cockpit wood was refinished. 

 We installed  a new and correct headliner, new front and rear windshield seals with a new tinted front windshield. We replaced all four door seals and the trunk seal as well as the front door vent seals. The front and rear disc brake rotors were replaced and all four disc brake calipers were replaced with new calipers and brake pads along with a new brake master cylinder. The automatic transmission was serviced and new engine mounts were fitted. All the coolant lines were replaced along with a new water pump. We installed a state of the art Pertronix electronic ignition with new spark plug cables, cap and rotor. Regarding the suspension, we replaced the rear shocks and all four suspension air bags. This model does not use road springs and uses air bags instead. It's a wonderful ride. We upgraded the A/C system with a new compressor, dryer and hoses to use HFC-134a. This car is probably one of  few in the world with a working a/c system. The heater system was cleaned and serviced. All the climate control lever controls were replaced and new bulbs were fitted so all the dash lights work properly. At night these controls are subtly illuminated with red and blue lighting. A new power steering filter and all the other filters were replaced. The gas tank was removed and cleaned and a new fuel pump fitted. We replaced the front power window motors and regulators.

 This stylish classic drives very well, is fast and smooth and has no problem with modern day traffic. The V8 engine starts right up, goes like a rocket and is very reliable. Drive it anywhere a road will go. The car is a bargain at $13,500. I should raise the price. 

This 1975 MGB has 12,600 original miles and is still in the hands of the original owner. The car is actually one of the rare 1974 1/2 models and has the twin S.U. carburetors and no catalytic converter.  We have serviced this car for over 25 years, well before we had computer records. Over the years we kept the fluids changed, replaced most of the rubber parts in the front suspension and rebuilt the carbs and fuel system so the car has stayed in a running and driving state at all times. The owner drives the car a little each month but obviously does not drive it much. The car has its original paint, original trunk with all tops and tools and is just about perfect. The entire interior is original and is also just about perfect. The car looks like its about a year old. All the original stickers are original. We did fit a Pertronix electronic ignition and a small on board battery charger so the car could be driven occasionally yet always start. Drive it anywhere for show or regular use. To make this incredibly well preserved MGB better, you could polish it like a fine looking apple.  $25K. 

1967 Morris Minor 1/4 ton pickup truck- One of two known in the USA and we don't know if the other still exists.  This truck was brought to the USA by the Jaguar dealer in Houston and used as a parts delivery truck. It was sold to an auto part store and later rescued by Scotty in 1976. It's been restored and shown at car shows since.  It has a 1275 engine, late model rib cage transmission, front disc brakes. The truck was disassembled and rebuilt. It has an original Conestoga wagon canvas top in perfect condition and is lots of fun to drive and admire. $22,900. Photos will be up soon. 

1961 MG Magnette saloon,   This very rare four door MG is enjoying having it's brakes replaced, the clutch hydraulics replaced, carbs rebuilt, new tires, new high efficiency radiator and other mechanical updates and is for sale now. Be the only person in your state or perhaps the entire USA to own this rare and stylish model. If the ordinary is not for you, perhaps this super cool MG is. $8500.00

1984 red Maserati Biturbo coupe, ran and drove fine before it was parked. New valve job, new clutch, 5 speed, $1500.00.

1987 fuel injected Maserati Biturbo Convertible,  red with tan leather five speed. $13500.00

Cars of Particular Interest          

We have many project cars, some have had lots of work completed, others have had nothing done we have and pieces of cars that are available as well. Among them are:

1951 MGTD- This right hand drive MGTD was partially disassembled. The body was removed from the frame and here are some photos of the car in varying states of undress. The car was totally restored at some point in its existence and the frame was cleaned and painted. The suspensions and steering appear to have been rebuilt within the last 10 years and are complete.  The seats were reupholstered. The body tub is in very good solid condition and comes with all four original fenders, doors, five wheels, gas tank, radiator, top frame, Moss convertible top, hub caps, bumpers, drive shaft, headlamps and brackets, etc. All the gauges are there. An almost new stainless exhaust and almost new MGTD steering wheel go with the car. There is no motor, transmission, bonnet or grill and the car has no title.  Thus we are selling it as a parts car only. If you have a rusted or trashed MGTD, then this would be the perfect parts car as it truly is a gold mine of MGTD parts and would be an easy restoration project for someone with the missing bits. 

  1976 MGB  a good car, nice top, ANSA exhaust, WEBER carb, nice carpets, .

1960 MGA  a major do but the car has soul and a good Texas title. Comes with numerous spare parts. This car needs someone that enjoys a challenge, someone that feels the need to conquer and go where no man has gone before. If you are brave and want a good challenge, this car is for you. $1250.00 for everything.

1977 MG Midget needs lots of love.

1980 TR7 convertible

1954 Austin A-40 Somerset Convertible project. This super rare ( only a few known worldwide) convertible is available. The car has been stored many years and is very solid.

"We can't take anything with us when we leave this world but these cars sure are a lot of fun while hanging around here.." sez Scotty

Rules of the game.

 If an enthusiast (We do not sell to car brokers.) has a serious interest in a car we have available, please call or  Email for detailed information. We are not a car museum although we may look like one at times as we are fortunate to have a continuous back log of interesting and complex work booked into the shop for owners eager to have their cars returned as soon as possible. Selling cars is not our main line of business and many of the cars we have are from Scotty's personal collection that he is reducing.  Repairing and restoring cars is where our main interests stay focused. 

After all, it's far safer to buy a car from a knowledgeable business like ours with a long and impeccable reputation than from the great unknown auction world where what you see in a photo is what you may or may not get.  Thus we appreciate serious queries about cars we offer for sale.  If a car is not of a color of one's liking or perhaps the year model is not the one sought or the car is not desired for any reason discernable by photograph or description, why waste time on it? We all save time for better pursuits and life is too short to waste. We are happy to e-mail photos to allow inspection of photographic condition and are able to give detailed descriptions of known condition or history. All questions can be answered readily by phone or  Email. If a car maintains interest, we can set up an appointment for personal inspection. If you are a car broker looking for a quick buck, don't call us.  Thanks a lot, we really appreciate it.

Send mail to blimycapn@oplink.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: Mar-08