By my dodgy reckoning, there hasn't been a Classics by the Beach since February this year, thanks to the dreaded Covid-19 virus. That equals three months' worth of catching up to do!
Fortunately, there was a down-scaled, socially-distanced version of southern Tasmania's best regular get-together of classic car fans - complete with elbow-bumping in lieu of handshakes - to make up for the forced hiatus. And, even better, the quality of the vehicles on display didn't disappoint!
The first car to take my eye was Mike H's magnificent MG TC Special. For anyone that might be wondering where the car came from, it used to belong to the godfather of woodfired pizza and mushroom-man extraodinaire, John Clare, although it's certainly come a long way from its former light yellow livery.
Mike's dab hand at car restorations, owning one of Hobart's better fleets not to include a Galant hardtop or a Fiat X1/9, and is responsible for the magnificent Lancia Fulvia Zagato featured in last year's Festa Italia UMPH post. As with the Zagato, he's done the majority of the design and finishing work on the TC himself but subbed-out the fabrication and upholstery.
The front half of the car remains original, albeit now resplendent in raw aluminium where there was once pale yellow paint. Aft of the windscreen is all new, having been rebuilt in aluminium sheet to Mike's own design by a northern suburbs fabricator, echoing a classic boat-tail style. Even the rear mudguards were penned by Mike and fashioned by the same company. The bonnet straps are new, too; they were custom-made by a leather worker based in New Town.
Finishing touches include the aluminium dashboard and perforated sheet of the same material lining the lower part of the cabin. Both are of Mike's making and show an attention to detail that really enhances the whole effect, without detracting from its period charm.
This is also a boat-tailed TC. However, this one's a factory original version. I should've asked the owner to confirm this but I suspect that there's a supercharger lurking behind the MG cowl at the car's front.
The only thing that Google revealed about the Mustang Grande - a version of Ford's evergreen pony car that until now I'd never heard of - was that they were produced between 1969 and 1973 as an "attempt to create a more luxurious Mustang for those who wanted the brand's signature performance without sacrificing creature comforts" (https://www.google.com/search?q=mustang+el+grande&rlz=1C5CHFA_enAU816AU816&oq=mustang+el+grande&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.4545j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). The closest version I've ever seen would be the Mach 1 "Facelift" Mustang of that era, but without the Aussie XA - XC GT Falcon-style NACA bonnet scoops.
Mind you, this particular example was fitted with four wheel disc brakes which, in my opinion, is a more desirable feature than a pair of largely cosmetic vents - especially in a big, powerful V8 behemoth - so maybe performance wasn't entirely sacrificed for that luxury. Of course, it might be that four wheel discs were also available on the Mach 1s but, given the period of manufacture, it's probable that they weren't, or that the set-up on this car is a post-production modification.
Either way, the car shown here was in superb condition, with amazing paint and chrome, and a pristine interior. Its rarity - very few early '70s Mustangs grace Tasmania's roads - was a bonus.
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| The rear window and rear butress set-up is very, very similar to that featuring on the Aussie Charger range. |
Ever needed a quick visual guide to the XW and XY GT Falcon line-up? Here 'tis:
XW:
XY:
A picture (or six) really do paint a thousand words!
Here's to the return of relative normality and a big thanks to all who participated in the first post-covid Classics! Hopefully, the restrictions that we've seen over the last three months will be relaxed further but please remember that this depends on each and every one of us remaining sensible, maintaining social distancing and continuing to use hand sanitiser and observing other pandemic-related precautions! I suspect that, like me, you'd rather not endure another three month lock-down!!
U M P H
(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au)
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