Classics by the Beach: December, 2022

The UMPH editorial team nearly got a loose theme going at December, 2022's, Classics by the Beach, with a few links and parallels between some of the cars on display. That almost-theme could've been stronger, mind you; it would've been more obvious had the chief photographer not nattered away several opportunities and let a couple of the exhibits get away before he could snap them! The writer-in-chief could've and should've chased a few leads up, too.

Almost Theme #1: This stunning Ford Customline is nicely complemented by the equally beautiful example of GM's Chevrolet Bel Air shown a few pics further down the page. As both cars hail from the USA during the same era, it's not unlike lining up a couple of contemporary Ford Australia and GMH products from any given decade - an XA Falcon and an HQ Holden, for example - and seeing where they're similar but how they differ.

It's probably reasonable to say that the styling of each of these American classics is more a product of the 1950s and the States' then obsession with the "Space Race" than it is of their respective designers, as there are more shared aesthetics than differences. High-mounted headlights with prominent "brows"? ✅. Wrap around front and rear glass? ✅. Slopey rear rooflines? ✅. Tailfins straight out of Cape Canaveral? ✅. All present and correct, Sir!

Almost Theme #2: All three of these classic British sports cars - the Austin Healey Sprite (above), and the Triumph TR4 and MGA that follow - have each been in long-term single person ownership. The Sprite did spend many years off the road but was never let go during that time, whereas the Triumph and MG have both been gracing Hobart's roads since the early 1980s, at least (that's when I remember first seeing them both). Only the Sprite doesn't wear decades old rego; the other two have had their plates as long as I've known of them.

The Italians have gone Teutonic!

Almost Theme #3: The car shown above is a Ford Capri. So, too, is the one below. They have nothing in common, other than sharing a lazy-arsed marketing department that couldn't be bothered thinking up a new name in the decades in between each version's release.

Even worse, Ford also used the moniker to denote a sporty coupe version of their stodgy 1962 Consul (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Consul_Classic), which was the forerunner of the Cortina. It was a pretty enough car for its time but hardly revolutionary. It didn't really share anything with the Capri shown above, either.

There was a second example of the later Ford Laser / Mazda 323-based Capri at Sandy Bay but, annoyingly, it had gone before the UMPH shutter man got around to capturing it for posterity. They're quite rare now, which is a pity, and actually great fun to drive briskly, especially in turbocharged XR2 form. Or so says UMPH's Editor in Supreme Command, at least.

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

iPhone images.

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

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