A 2009, and 2023 75th Goodwood Anniversary Photo Medley

Here was me thinking that I had half a clue about classic cars! Turns out that the beautiful silver coupe in the centre of the above shot is not a Zagato-bodied Aston Martin, as I'd imagined it to be, but is actually an Abarth 205/A Berlinetta!

Fortunately, Google Lens was able to put me right, with further research and the simplest process of elimination revealing it to be chassis number 102 of just four examples ever built. The first three - today's plus chassis numbers 101 and 103 - look much the same, whereas chassis number 104, known as the Sport Ghia Coupe (inset, below), differs markedly in its styling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abarth_205A_Berlinetta, accessed 25 AUG 23).

The real take-home from all of this is that the Goodwood Festival of Speed - where the opening shot and all the following photos were taken - has boggled my tiny Southern Hemisphere mind through its vastness and the extraordinarily exotic and rare nature of the cars on display. And I wasn't even there! Fortunately, the man behind the camera - Goodwood member David T - has included an image of the explanatory plaque accompanying each exhibit, whenever there was one, enabling us to Google away at anything that tickles our particular fancies.

David’s magnificent pictures are presented here more or less in the order in which I received them. However, I’ve loosely grouped them together in the following entirely arbitrary categories, just to serve as a sort of index of what readers can expect:

Art on Wheels;

Used in Anger;

Exotica that isn't a Ferrari;

Chris Evans' White Ferraris (four of them, anyway);

Ferraris that Aren't White;

What are Probably Le Mans Type Cars;

Latter Day Bugattis;

Cars that are either Minis or are Mini-based;

Proper Bugattis;

Open-Wheelers;

Closed Wheelers; and

Cars as Art.

Amongst all this auto-exotica, there's one car in particular - a 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Sports Saloon, BGH 716 (a "proper Bugatti") - that I was was extra excited to find amongst David's shots. Back in 2017, this very car participated in the Bugatti Club Australia's tour of Victoria and Tasmania, during which I photographed it in Port Arthur. To say that the car gets around a bit would be a huge understatement! Here's a link to my coverage of that event: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2017/03/bugatti-club-of-australias-victoria.html.

Everything else in this post is David's work. Please enjoy!

--- ooo --- OOO --- ooo ---

Art on Wheels

Used in Anger

Exotica that isn't a Ferrari

Chris Evans' White Ferraris

Ferraris that Aren't White

What are Probably Le Mans Type Cars

Latter Day Bugattis

Cars that are either Minis or are Mini-based

Proper Bugattis

This one! Last sighted by the author in Tasmania, Australia.

Open-Wheelers

Technically, yes.

This one, too.

Closed Wheelers

Cars as Art

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not browse the rest of the uppermiddlepetrolhead site? There are loads and loads of classic, sports and performance vehicles featured, as well as stacks of car shows and motorsports events.

Here's just one example: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2023/05/upper-middle-petrol-head-drives-john.html, a short piece detailing a double road-test involving a Jensen-Healey and a race-prepped MGB. It even includes a bonus video of dubious artistic merit but the sounds the cars make does mitigate the woeful editing just a bit!

And if you do enjoy what you read and see, you can follow either the 'blog itself or do so via Upper Middle Petrol Head's Facebook page. And please do feel free to like and share!

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

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.

Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Search This Blog