Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This LH or LX Torana was spotted in the forecourt of a service station in Huonville, south of Tasmania's capital city of Hobart.  It has been painted in 1970s Peter Brock racing livery and also features half-cage roll-over protection, so it's probably intended for historic racing.  However, its current pristine state suggests that it may not yet have been used in anger.  The twin exhausts are indicative of a V8 donk, but it's unclear of what capacity, and it features a floor-mounted four-speed 'box, too. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

UMPH spotted this fairly tidy Karmann Ghia in Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.  It may not have been concours standard but, hey, it's pretty good for a car that would be in the vicinity of fifty years old!  Let's see how many Hyundai Excels even make it to such a venerable age.    U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) All iPhone images.

Nearly 50 years after it was built, this HR Holden van still looked perfectly at home parked by the coast at Queensland's Maloolaba.  Aussie panel vans and VW Kombis used to be surfers' vehicles of choice, allowing them to cart their boards and wetsuits to beach, as well as providing a cosy bed for overnight expeditions.   U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) iPhone images.

Sadly, this classic sliding-window Mini estate has seen better days but, on the positive side, it's still on the road and its B -reg designation suggests that it's not been that long since it passed a roadworthy.  It is probably a Morris, rather than an Austin version, as far fewer of the latter made it to Australian shores.   Mini estates - or, as they're also known in the UK, Travellers or Countrymans - weren't common here in Oz, either.  We did, however, see large numbers of Mini sedans, vans and Mokes, as well as some rarer Speedwell editions, plus a few Wolseley and Riley variants. According to the UK-based Mini Traveller and Countryman Register ( http://www.minitravellerandcountrymanregister.org ), all Morris steel-sided and 'Woody' estates were given the Traveller designation, while their all-but identical Austin cousins - in either guise - were called Countrymans.  Being steel-sided or wood-embellished therefore has nothing to do with ...

This 1960s Valiant Regal station wagon, seen parked just off Noosa's Hastings Street cafe / shopping strip, was a joy to behold.  It was extremely straight and rust-free, and featured a lovely paint job and very tidy interior.  All its accessories - from the chrome hearse-style roof racks through to its rear dust deflectors and white-walled tyres - were bang-on for its era, too. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

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The sheer ingenuity of rat-rods makes them very appealing.  This particular vehicle, spotted in Victoria's Lakes Entrance, is a case in point, with home-made engineering evident in the engine fitting, brakes, suspension and mudguards.  It's an automotive work of art!    U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) All iPhone images.