Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Everyone knows what unidentified   means. So, too, the word flying . An object is just a thing. Therefore, any u nidentified f lying thing ( o bject) is a U F O . Take, for example, the UFO in the photograph below. It is unidentified * .  It is flying. And it is an object. An image this grainy could only ever be of a UFO, the Loch Ness Monster or a Thylacine. Flying saucers and little green men are a different matter entirely ... U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.co.au.) Photos by Nick (which may or may not be his real name, depending on the Statute of Limitations). * Although there have been spurious claims that it is actually a police car.

This Series II Toyota Supra is an example of the first edition of that model available in Australia.  It is, in effect, a six cylinder version of the smaller four-pot Celica with a longer front end to accommodate the physically larger engine, and a slightly wider stance. There was an earlier version, known in the Japanese market as the Celica XX , but it was not commercially available in Australia.  It also featured a six cylinder engine and a longer bonnet. Even though the earlier XX edition was never officially imported to Australia, there was at least one white version in Hobart, Tasmania, although UMPH hasn't seen it for a while.  Like the Series II shown here, the XX was based on the lift-back variant of the Celica and was not available as a coupe. Supras are regarded by many people as a grand tourer - a GT - rather than a sports car.  It has been suggested that they were introduced as Toyota's answer the the hugely popular Dat...

Tasmania's capital city, Hobart, in the southern part of the island state, has several highly regarded specialist vehicle workshops.  Owners of Fiats, Lancias and Alfa Romeos are well served by Steve Caplice at his Fogarty Automotive facility, while Eurotech, also in Hobart itself, and Bocchino Motors, in the northern suburb of Moonah, also have solid reputations for their work on Italian cars.     When it comes to British vehicles, most Hobartians in the know would recommend David Short for everything from maintenance to full rebuilds.  Whilst David is best known for his work with MGs, he's also quite at home servicing other marques from the Mother Country like the Triumph estate seen elsewhere on this blog ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=5791010291009256166;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=4;src=postname ), right through to Rovers, Jaguars and classic Minis.   The m...

The XD Falcon and Fairmont  range was produced by Ford Australia from 1979 to 1982.  This particular example, the more up-market Fairmont model, bears a Transport Tasmania rego label showing a build date of 1979, making the car 37 years old.  It's in very good nick for a car of that age. Like the XA, XB and XC series that proceeded it, the XD was an all-Australian design that departed from the earlier Falcons , Fairmonts  and Fairlanes that took their engineering and styling from America.  However, there were some stylistic similarities - Ford's 'global face' - that linked them to other vehicles from that maker - the British Granada being one example (please see below). This British Granada does not share mechanicals or body panels with Australia's XD Falcon range.  However, there are sufficient similarities in styling to demonstrate Ford's more homogeneous 'global' look (internet image).  The XD continued Ford Australia's run ...

It's a Shelby Cobra replica, it's very, very cool and it's a local car.  That's all UMPH can tell you about it.  If you can enlighten him, please feel free to leave a comment below.  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogpot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

A survivor. North Hobart's Elizabeth Street restaurant strip is a happy hunting ground for UMPH, with many interesting vehicles found there over the last year or so.  Take, for example, this tough as boots early 60s Falcon ute.  It would appear to be an XK or more likely an XL version, as the grill differs from those of the later XMs seen elsewhere on this 'blog. The owner has no pretensions about the vehicle, having greeted UMPH's photographic efforts with "haven't you seen rust before?"  Rusty it may be but no worse than a lot of newer vehicles still in regular use.  What's more, it started easily and drove down the road quietly and smoothly, without issuing even a hint of smoke.  Hiluxes aren't the only unbreakables!   This is a workhorse. Original Tasmanian rego plate. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

MMW had barely ended when UMPH came across this excellent Morris Minor ute in Burnett Street, North Hobart, and had a chat with its owner's son, Scott.   Scott's father, Darrel, built the car over a twenty-five year period and only fully completed it recently. Being a mechanically-minded sort of bloke, Darrel did pretty much all of the work himself, including fitting the Datsun 1400 motor, four-speed gearbox and front disc brakes.  Darrel also manufactured the custom extractors that can be seen above and fitted the Weber 45 DCOE carby that Scott says gives the car a bit of oomph and makes a fabulous induction noise under acceleration. One of Scott's brothers did the paint job at the beginning of the restoration and made the front spoiler, while it was Darrel that was responsible for the tray and rear mudguards. The interior also looks a treat with its wooden steering wheel and colour-coded bucket seats. One of the few jobs that Darr...