Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This was Iain Watson's Land Rover Forward Control, featuring a custom made camper unit, with a pop-top, that continued the horizontal lines from the front doors all the way down the length of the tray-sides, mimicking the regular IIA utility's cargo area in style and width.  The entire camper part of the vehicle was designed and built by Iain in the early 1980s at Dodges Ferry, south east of Tasmania's capital city of Hobart. Has anybody seen it recently?  It was sold and reportedly went to mainland Australia in the late 1990s but, distinctive as it is, I've never been able to track it down.  Any info would be appreciated - or, failing that - please feel free to share this post about within the Australian Land Rover and broader four-wheel-drive communities.  Please leave any tip-offs or leads in the comments section of this post. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au). Photo from Iain's private collection.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't open a photo sequence with a car's badging.  However, it's not often that bright work is as evocative as the example of art deco capitals and sexy cursive script shown above.  To me, the stern upper case KARMANN  is a metaphor for the car's Teutonic manufacturers while the curvaceous nature of the lettering used for  Ghia suggests its freer, more liberated Italian design origins.  Or I could just be being a bigger w⚓than I am normally. Either way, I am totally enchanted by this car!  The Karmann Ghia is easily Volkswagen's most beautiful creation, a collaboration also involving German coach builders Karmann - who made the bodies - and Italian carrozzeria Ghia.  Its style, elegance and presence easily eclipses anything from fellow German brands Porsche, Mercedes or BMW. Not only is the Karmann Ghia the jewel in VW's crown, this particular example is as lovely as you could hope to s...

We car people would appear to be setting a great example to everyone, because I don't reckon I've seen a classic, sports or performance car on the road since this whole Covid-19 nonsense reared its annoyingly restrictive head.  So in order to bring some automotive colour to a very drab world, here's another six of the best from Sandy Bay's Classics by the Beach.  Enjoy! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Sure, new cars have got lots of stuff.  Safety stuff.  Comfort stuff.  Connectivity stuff.  Stuff for the sake of stuff.  Stuff 'em, I reckon!  Gimme this ultra cool 1965 VW Beetle any day!   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by CACT

I suppose that, in the whole scheme of things, missing out on my regular first Sunday of the month outing to Sandy Bay's Classics by The Beach isn't a huge deal, what with Covid-19 and all that rot.  So, rather than dwell on its temporary cessation, I've gone through my photos and put together half a dozen of my favourites, whether they're interesting cars or just images that I particularly like.  This selection is from late 2015.  I hope you enjoy them, too.  Is this your first time on uppermiddlepetrolhead?  There are plenty more classic, sports and performance cars, as well as car shows and motorsports meetings, on the site that you might enjoy.  J ust use the search facility - the magnifying glass icon - in the top right hand corner of the screen to look for any type of vehicle or Tasmanian automotive event.  Please enjoy!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Thirty odd years ago, I'd have rolled about on the ground urinating myself laughing at the prospect of liking a Holden Gemini.  However, here we are in the third decade of the 21st century and not only do I like one, I'm (almost) in raptures over the example featured today, recently sent in from the UMPH Canberra Bureau.   It's ostensibly stock, save the ultra-tasty BBS basket-weave wheels but it's a fair bet that someone's put a lot of effort into the duco, such is its lustrous depth.  The interior appears to be just as perfect, too. A simple Google search is enough to reveal that there's a flourishing Gemini scene, with plenty of great examples of sedans and wagons from the TC of the mid-1970s, right through to early- to mid-1980s TGs like the one shown here.  Sadly, the now much sought after coupe is a little less common, which might be attributable to some degree to their manufacture having ceased in 1979 (Wikipedia). As preva...

The Canberra UMPH Bureau staff have come up with this ripper GC Galant, equipped with some very tasty 13" gold-spoked mags, period correct Cibie Type 45 - or Airport -  driving lights and FoMoCo exterior mirrors.  Its front bucket seats don't appear to be standard-issue, it's missing its 'eyebrows' - a common problem, given their scarcity - and has a bit of primer on the driver's side, suggesting that it's under active restoration.  It's otherwise in excellent condition and I, for one, love it! U M P H (upperemiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by CACT.