Upper Middle Petrol Head:

One of the really, really great things about classic cars is the people that you meet when out and about driving them.  For example, take the the crew of this absolutely lovely Vauxhall Viva , and its  entourage,  touring Tasmania from their home state of New South Wales. UMPH first saw the car when he turned into Willow Court, New Norfolk, in Tasmania's Derwent Valley, looking for a decent cup of coffee.  He was just about to head over to strike up a conversation when Alison, who was driving the  Viva 's support car, came over to take a look at the UMPH X1/9 ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=8173377202801720952;onPublishedMenu=overviewstats;onClosedMenu=overviewstats;postNum=14;src=postname ).     It turns out that Alison was a bit of an Exxie fan, having had one for her first ever car (a green 1300 that had caused her more than its fair share of grief).  ...

UMPH knows a bloke that once owned a classic EJ Holden wagon much like the one shown here.  He was known as  The Zoob .  The EJ  was actually pretty cool, even if it was pink. One of UMPH's mates thought it might enhance The Zoob's pink EJ if he were to colour the driver's side front tyre yellow with a crayon.  The Zoob wasn't as amused as everybody else was, which was potentially unfortunate for all involved (the crayon-wielding would-be-artist and those who did find the spectacle of a bright yellow, sunshine-themed front tyre even vaguely amusing).  The Zoob was then, and remains to this day, a proper hard-man - even if he is now in his late 70s.  The artist's details are a closely guarded secret, lest The Zoob should ever determine his actual identity. So you're probably still safe, __thony Wi__iam Hoop__, resident of Bri_b_n_, Que_nsl_nd, Australia.  Unless The Zoob is an UMPH reader, that is ... ! ...

This ultra-groovy Beetle - seen parked near Hobart's annual Greek festival, Estia, on a lovely autumn morning in North Hobart - may or may not belong to a local politician.  Actually, it does belong to a local politician but, being an apolitical car blogger, UMPH has no intention of entering into any form of quasi-political promotion, irrespective of the merits or otherwise of its owner.  Let's just say he likes the car, man!  (Or woman , being, as he is a committed non-sexist!).   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

Thanks to regular reader and avid car fan Nick for this photograph of an immaculate 1960 Mk II Jaguar spotted in Kingston, south of Hobart, a couple of weeks ago.  Just beautiful! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

UMPH was not always a fan of Peugeot's 504 .  Not until he drove one, that is! Manufactured from the late 1960s to the early 1980s,  504 s are, simply put, one of the most comfortable cars that UMPH has ever piloted.  What he had thought might be a sloppy, old man's ride of a car turned out to be a remarkably plush, compliant, yet competent experience, smoothing out the rutted Tasmanian gravel back roads on which he tested it with ease.  No wonder they're so popular in Africa! The car featured here - photographed in North Hobart - was in good condition for its age, with only minor signs of wear and tear evident - what might be indulgently described as 'patina.'  Alright - that's wa*k - but it shouldn't detract from the quality and durability of a car that's in the vicinity of thirty-five years old and still appears to be in regular use.  504 s were very popular in Tasmania, with a surprising number still in every...

This funky looking late 50s / early 60s NSU Prinz is currently awaiting some* mechanical work at North Hobart's Fogarty Automotive before it's shipped off to mainland Australia. It's equipped with an air-cooled, two cylinder, rear mounted motor and has storage under the front bonnet, original VW  Beetle and Fiat  Bambino style. According to Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Prinz ), Prinzes were manufactured in West Germany ; Chile ; and Heidelberg in the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria, and had an engine capacity of 583 cc, coupled to a four-speed gearbox.  What Wikipedia doesn't explain, however, is what NSU actually stands for (other than non-specific  urethritis , that is!) ; it only says that the company was known as  Motorenwerke AG and was based in  Neckarsulm, Germany . So, if someone can enlighten us what NSU stands for, that would be appreciated. And in case anyone's wondering...

HZ Holdens, like the one pictured here, were the last of the passenger vehicle line that began with 1971's HQ .  The HQ - many of which are featured elsewhere on this 'blog - was replaced by the HJ in 1974, the HX in 1976 and then, finally, the HZ in 1978.   Each subsequent model was an evolution of the previous one, featuring cosmetic and engineering changes.  However, the differences were most notable between the HQ and the three models that followed it ; the HJ, HX and HZ were stylistically quite similar, with only slight differences evident in the grille, lights and minor trim items - although the HZ sedan's boot lid was unique to that model.  Holden continued the  HZ  until 1980, after which the  VC  Commodore took over as Holden's only large family car offering.  According to Wikipedia, the previous Commodore, the  VB , was produced from 1978 until the  VC 's introduction and therefore ran in parallel to the HZ ...