Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Regal by name.  Regal by nature!  This 70s Valiant is elegant and stylish, combining length and a presence that the two other 'big' Aussie manufacturers, Ford and Holden, couldn't match.  Mocked in their time as 'wog chariots,' I bet it's the lucky owner who's laughing now! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

Local architect and design guru Mark Drury, FSB, took a liking to this very sharp looking Beetle in Hobart and fired off a few frames for uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.  If you see a car that you think's worthy of inclusion on this blog, feel free to do as Mark did and email them to alastair.watson1463@gmail.com.au. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

This very, very special SL/R 5000 was photographed in Hobart, Tasmania, one early winter's morning.   Why's it special? , you ask.  Because it's probably one of the least molested, straightest and cleanest apparently un-restored examples that UMPH has seen in many years. The entire car appeared to be completely original, right down to its sports-style hubcaps, which are quite a departure from the Hotwire alloys that would normally grace an SL/R of this era.  The front and rear spoilers appear to be ex-factory, too.  Even the interior was all present and correct, including a black three-spoke sports steering wheel, as also fitted to Monaros , SS s and Sandman vans and utes of the time.     U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

This immaculate Triumph TR4 was spotted by peripatetic Tasmanians Iain and Di, who are holidaying in Queensland.  It's owner did a total 'nut and bolt' restoration in the UK, including galvanising the chassis, respraying the body and having the upholstery redone.  There's a file of receipts that's four inches thick detailing all the work done.  It's no trailer queen, seeing regular use in the sunshine state, which is how it should be!   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

This LJ Holden Torana S , photographed in Hobart, Tasmania, was in excellent condition.  Every aspect of the car - including its paint, chrome, exterior trim, and interior - was first rate.  The only things that may  have departed from original were its velour-trimmed seats but it's not impossible that they were available as an option when the car was new.  Early Toranas are becoming few and far between, especially the less sporty versions, as many of the original coupe shells were used to rebuild written-off  GTR s and GTR XU-1 s.  This can be a bit of a trap ; with those sportier - and thus more desirable -  performance Toranas now commanding big money, there is the potential for re-shelled cars to be sold as original versions when they are actually no more than replicas, at best, or, at worst, fakes.     Competent 're-birthers,' as those who fraudulently re-create vehicles' identities are known, will even attach...

This immaculate F100 ute was photographed in Hobart's CBD in Autumn, 2017.  Whilst F100s are quite common in Tasmania, style-sided versions aren't, and it's likely they were never officially imported to Australia.   Someone has clearly gone to a lot of effort with this particular example.  The paint, panels and bright-work were all as-new.  The E- prefix registration plate   suggests that it's either new to the state or has just been reintroduced to our roads.  Similar vehicles can be found elsewhere on this 'blog.  Please go to: http://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/random-105-ford-f100-sport-custom.html ; http://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/random-47-ford-100-twin-i-beam-pick-up.html ; http://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/classics-by-beach-sunday-6th-of.html ; and http://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/the-top-end.html . U M P H (uppermid...

As far as UMPH knows, there was never any such thing as a Mazda RX6 .  Google doesn't seem to think they exist, either, and, if confirmation were required, neither does Wikipedia.   However, if there were such a beast, the RX6 would almost certainly have been based on the 626 like the one featured here, the logic being that the first rotary-powered Mazda readily available in Australia was the R100 , which shared its body with the 1000 coupe of that time.  It was followed by the Capella -based RX2 in both coupe and sedan styles; the RX3 , with its two- and four-door bodies common to the 808 ; and the RX4 and RX5 which were more or less a rotary-engined 929 s (two distinct versions, though, with the later RX5 being coupe only).   Chronologically, the next step would seem to have been a 626 -based RX6 .  Adding weight to the theory is that the 626 had both a coupe and a sedan in its range, following the precedent set from the RX2 on (and even the R...