Upper Middle Petrol Head:

UMPH believes that the term  classic  can be applied to a whole range of cars - from agricultural  to awesome, from prosaic to performance - and that price and prestige don't have to be part of the definition.  However, to borrow from Orwell, some cars are more classic than others. Take this extremely beautiful 1956 Beetle, for instance.    It would be hard to imagine a better example of the marque ; from its flawless paint, to the tasteful era-appropriate accessories, every single part of this car screams German classic!    Oval-window Beetles aren't common in Tasmania (they're probably not that common anywhere these days!).  Adding to this particular ones uniqueness are its one-piece front door windows which, according to the proud owner, weren't actually standard for 1956 but were fitted because he liked them. And he's not the only person that likes the car, giving rise to its nickname - The Slut - given ...

Pretty much anything that UMPH could say about the mighty Mini Cooper S has  already  been said, and by people much more knowledgeable than he is, so he'll let these photos of this very fine example seen in Hobart do the talking. U M P H. ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .)

Horizontal styling elements and slightly flared mudguards give the Sprint a wide, squat stance. For true Alfisti, there's probably no such thing as an ugly Alfa Romeo.  UMPH isn't so sure ; he can think of one or two that have styling that's questionable, to say the least, but he won't dare elaborate for fear of alienating anyone. What is undoubtedly true is that when Alfa do get their styling right - which to be fair is way more often than not - it usually results in cars that are sublimely beautiful.  Whether or not a small hatch-back is the pinnacle of Alfa beauty is debatable.  However, it's probably fair to say that the Giugiaro designed Veloce Sprint is one of the prettiest of that general class ever made.   The wedge-shape is not dissimilar to Fiat's 128 3P, released a year earlier (1975), but is arguably better proportioned with a long bonnet, what was a fairly rakish windscreen for the era, a lowish roof-line, a 'fast-back' ha...

The blogger doth protest too much, hethinks.  There are great looking classic VWs all about Hobart, so how could he not photograph and upload them to his blog?  He therefore maintains that he is not a Volksie-nutter.  Really. U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

For non-Australian readers, the term ute is short for utility - as in utility vehicle - and means the same as the American term pick-up .  An Australian ute is usually a style-side or flat-tray variant of a common sedan - a Ford Falcon or a Holden sedan - for example, as opposed to a Ford F100 (which is more of a light truck).    We Aussies love our utes, which isn't surprising given that we invented them! This EK Holden ute was manufactured in Australia between 1961 and 1962.  The EK range included a sedan, a station wagon (what would be called an estate in some countries) and a van, and came fitted with a 138 cubic inch (2.3 litre) six-cylinder 'grey' motor and either a three-speed manual or automatic gearbox.  Like many Holden utes, the majority of the vehicle's styling carried over from earlier models - in this case, the FE, FC and FB series, respectively (go figure the logic of Holden's model designation conventions).   This particular exa...

This schmick looking Lancia Fulvia was spotted outside Italian specialist Fogarty Automotive's new premises in Wellington Street, North Hobart.  It's an ex-South African car that looks ostensibly standard.  However, it does feature a cleverly installed Ford Fiesta brake master cylinder.    Fulvia fans might also enjoy https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=769226449991019236;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=60;src=postname and   https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=2214422603185860812;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=48;src=postname  (one blue and one red Zagato-bodied version).  There are also another couple of shots of the car shown in this post at  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1489911664731834261;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMe...

This nifty Fiat 850 was spotted in one of Hobart's southern suburbs.  It's one of at least three Tasmanian early 850s known to UMPH, the others being a stock looking blue one and Phil Blake's very potent Abarth replica ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1411228409624317255;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=34;src=postname ;   https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=4162286812682154743;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=6;src=postname ;   and http://www.shannons.com.au/club/enthusiasts/fiatmeister/garage/1964-fiat-abarth-ot-1600 / ) .  Not sure where this particular version sits on the hot or not performance scale but it sure does look good! U M P H  ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au ). iPhone image.