Upper Middle Petrol Head:

When UMPH came across this single cylinder, 350 cc Ducati in Burnie, on Tasmania's north-west coast, its owner was about to head over to the mainland for a race meeting.  He readily admitted that it wasn't the competition that attracted to such events ; the allure was in opening up his bike and riding it like it it was intended to be ridden, out on the track with other classic bikes.  Enjoy! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

These photographs, taken at Currie during the King Island Show, come to us via the man who may be the island's fourth or even fifth best baker (although, being unplaced in the Show's bread competition, that could be disputed! 😀). What's not in question, though, is the excellence of the FC Holden Special his photos depict.   The car's in superb nick, which is no mean feat given that the island - in the middle of Bass Straight, off the north-western coast of mainland Tasmania - is notorious for its salt-laden wind. It's not uncommon for even newish vehicles to succumb to rust in fairly quick time, making this car's condition particularly impressive. Old Holdens aren't exactly renowned for their rot-resistance, either ; a lot of early examples - right through to the  HQ s of the 1970s - rusted-out even in more benign environments. So thanks to our island correspondent for sending his photos. And congratulations to Angus...

It's already been established that uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au isn't a classic motorcycle site.  However, that doesn't mean that it cannot feature the odd classic motorcycle ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=3146200279568543937;onPublishedMenu=overviewstats;onClosedMenu=overviewstats;postNum=11;src=postname , for example). It's not a classic truck site, either, but that doesn't preclude the occasional heavy-duty hauler from making an appearance (a couple of F100s have featured in earlier posts).  Hence this 1970 Dodge AT4 353 cu V8, photographed on the lawns of the Bombala Historic Engine and Machinery Society's display in the Monaro region of New South Wales.  Proud owner Eric was more than happy to show UMPH and his fellow travellers over, in and under his truck, which he has loving rebuilt from four separate rigs of varying states of repair.  The paint work was done in the nearby to...

This honest-looking XB GT Falcon was photographed in Bombala, which, ironically, is a town in NSW's Monaro region.  It's unlikely the owner would object to the observation that it's more of a survivor car than any sort of show pony, as evidenced by the odd ding here and there and its slightly faded, occasionally  chipped duco. However, despite the patina, it appeared to be straight, rust free and without evidence of major crash damage. Other than the after-market mags, above, it was totally original, right down to its very tidy cream coloured interior, three-spoked GT steering wheel and a centre console surrounding the four-speed floor shift.  All the exterior classic GT hallmarks were there, too:  a honey-combed grille with integral driving lights and  GT badge; silver contrasts on the bonnet, sills and boot; Mustang-inspired bonnet scoops and bonnet pins; iconic 351 decals; locking chrome fuel cap; and twin exhausts.   ...

The condition of this otherwise clean, straight and tidy late 1970s / early 1980s BMW's red duco prompted UMPH to ask:  Why does red car paint fade more readily than other colours?   Unsurprisingly, the answer - via Google and Quora.com ( https://www.quora.com/Why-do-cars-painted-red-fade-faster-than-other-colours ) - involved a bit of physics: Red paint reflects red light. It therefore absorbs blue, green, UV etc light. The shorter wavelengths of light have greater energy and cause more "bleaching" of the pigments in the paint than the other colours. Therefore it fades quicker. Blue, white or silver reflect blue (and reflects UV) so it fades more slowly. Thanks,  Rupert , for enlightening us so succinctly. Which brings us back to our 323i, photographed in sunny (and there's the problem!) Ainslie, one of Canberra's leafier, more traditional northern suburbs. All things considered, it was still a lovely car with classic BMW styl...