Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Ci è voluto un po 'più del previsto, ma la mia Fiat X1 / 9 del 1978 è tornata sulla strada. In effetti, ho avuto entrambi i miei X1 / 9s rinnovati - o ricompositati, a seconda del tuo punto di vista - scambiando tutti i bit rapidi (ish) dalla mia Serie 1.5 del 1980 nella Serie Speciale del '78 mostrata qui, usando il suo parti non modificate per riportare la prima su un'auto ordinata, praticamente standardizzata. L'idea originale era di scambiare semplicemente la testa, la camma lieve e i gemelli IDF Weber, forse riutilizzando l'accensione elettronica Mallory e forse le ruote Stilauto da 15 ". Quindi uno dei miei meccanici e ho pensato che potremmo anche fare il motore, holus bolo, che a sua volta ha reso più possibile uno scambio completo del cambio, portando alla fine al momento "xxxx it, we may do do the lot!". Alla fine, siamo andati con tutto quanto sopra, più i coilovers della nuova auto, radiatore e due ventole, e ha gettato in una ...

It took a little longer than anticipated but my 1978 Fiat X1/9 is back on the road.  In effect, I've had both my  X1/9s  rebodied - or re-componentised, depending on your point of view - swapping all the quick(ish) bits from my 1980 Series 1.5 into the '77  Serie Speciale  shown here, using its unmodified parts to return the former back to a tidy, virtually bog-standard car. The original idea was to just exchange the head, mild-cam and twin IDF Webers, maybe reusing the Mallory electronic ignition, and possibly the 15" Stilauto wheels.  Then one of my mechanics and I thought we may as well do the motor, holus bolus , which in turn made a full gearbox swap more feasible, ultimately leading to the "xxxx it, we may as well do the lot!" moment.  In the end, we went with all of the above, plus the newer car's coilovers, radiator and twin fans, and threw in a set of brand new stainless cooling pipes for good measure.  Just w...

Today's photos - of a pristine XM Falcon sedan spotted in Canberra - were supplied by the recently appointed Correspondent for the Australian Capital Territory or, as he shall known from now on, CACT.  Ironically, an  XM would've been a new car the first time that CACT lived in the nation's capital, given that he was born in and resided there in 1965.  It's an amusing, albeit fanciful, thought that this car may have been in use locally during the intervening 55 years.  CACT's offering is one of many, many Falcons that grace the pages of uppermiddlepetrolhead and, if the reactions to previous posts are any guide, it'll be very popular.  For example, there's Nick's soon to be restored 351 XB GS hardtop, as shown in the screenshot below, or any of the others listed in the smaller search results panel above and to its right.  Just type 'Falcon' (or the name of any type of car - such as Galant hardtop or X1/9 - that takes your f...

Those of you who have been following the restoration of the Italian Correspondente's Alfa GTV will, like me, be very excited to see these latest pics.  The car is looking amazing, having received extensive body repairs and an immaculate paint job in its original ivory hue (please refer to earlier posts for details of the work performed).  The chrome has also been redone and a number of NOS parts have been sourced and fitted.  The dark grey ex-Alfa 33  Teledials , as shown in the bottom photo, are soon to be replaced with a set of refurbished Campagnolo Camapanturas , which are a period correct GTV option.  I reckon they're going to be the icing on an already very tasty looking cake!   A Campagnolo  Camapantura (internet image) U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Car photos supplied by the IC. PS:  Wanna buy a nice set of Teledials ?  If so, please leave a message in the comments section....

Can't quite work out what this vehicle is?  Find its styling familiar yet oddly not?  That's because it's probably Land Rover's least well-known model, the forward control, or FC . FC  Landies share their basic mechanical underpinnings with their instantly recognisable cousins, the Series I, II, IIA, IIB and III, as well as the later 110 Inch and Defender models.  However, they were only ever released in IIA and IIB guise (early-60s to mid-70s) and were never commercially available with disc brakes, coil suspension or any of the 110 Inch onwards refinements.      This one - spotted in Cygnet, in the Huon Valley, south of Hobart - has been converted to a camper van, as was the only other one I've ever seen in Australia, Iain Watson's khaki coloured behemoth.  This one has had a caravan body neatly grafted onto its rear, whereas Iain's featured a custom built camper unit, with a pop-top, that continued the horizontal lines from the fron...

The following article comes from the newly appointed U M P H correspondent for the Australian Capital Territory.  He's an MG owner and long-time sports and classic car fan, so we can look forward to seeing a few more interesting vehicles from Canberra and surrounding areas from him.   The current model's heritage has been honoured, as reference to this classic edition shows (internet image). The Mazda MX5 enjoys a deservedly large and loyal following.  However, for the true motor enthusiast, loyalty may not be in their best interests.  Although a sibling sharing many parts, the Abarth 124 Spider is no mere badge engineering effort.  This example, apparently as purchased from the showroom, had an exhaust note unlike any stock MX5 and arguably superior styling taking clear hints from its classic namesake. Internet image Internet image Lt G For U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.c...

  Has this spaceship cum oceanliner cum embodiment of 1950s American excess been given lead position in this month's Classics by The Beach edition of U M P H as some sort of cynical attempt attract readers?  You betcha it has!  If you're going to use 'clickbait,' as I believe this sort of thing's called, you'd be hard pressed to find better.    You might wonder why there's not just one, but two, Series I Audi TT Quattros  featured today.  First, I reckon they're amongst the German marque's most iconic designs and that, as attractive as the subsequent TT models may be, the first series stands as a defining point in Audi's transition to the uber-stylish brand that it has become.  There's also the fact that the Series I TT has become an endangered species, having fallen victim to the dodgy Takata airbags saga that's affected other similar era models from the German manufacturer and many, ma...