Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Thanks to the awesomeness of Google's image search facility, I believe this car to be a Buick of some description.  Google's other suggestion - antique car - wasn't as helpful and I'm not settled on its precise identity yet, as I know that a lot of GM's platforms were shared around their sub-brands.  Take, for example, the Chevy  Camaro and its cousin, the Pontiac Firebird.  Same but different but, in the end, probably much the same.  And no, there weren't any (obvious) badges to help me identify the car! It may be fair to suggest that its styling's not quite PC these days, given its rifle-like side profile, gun-site bonnet emblem and the canon-esque adornments that flank its low, wide grille.  The word gangster comes to mind - gangsta if you're sub-30 (my MacBook's spell-check didn't baulk at that latter spelling!).  It makes Chrysler's 300 look decidedly pretty by comparison! Anyway, I'll leave the allusions to ...

Sometimes, I like to value-add my photos; maybe do some research and write a few lines.  But sometimes I prefer to shut the f*ck-up and let the featured cars speak for themselves.  Today I choose the latter. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

I remember early Geminis like it was yesterday.  Sad, eh?!   This one - a TD series  SL/E  - is at least 41 years old, the TD having been produced in 1978 and 1979 only, replaced by the TE with its longer bonnet and boot.  It's mainly distinguishable from its forebears - the TXs and TCs - by the square headlights that replaced the former versions' round  ones.   Hopefully, no one will be offended by the observation that it's more of a survivor car than anyone's perfectly restored example, but it is still in really, really good nick, given its age.  There are a couple of minor dings and the paint has its imperfections .  However, there's no obvious rust, the bumpers are quite straight with nice chrome and everything - including its top of the line  SL/E  colour-coded mirrors and very elegant alloy wheels - are still present. Given Geminis' rarity these days, I'm certain that there would be plent...

This apparently daily-driver  Type 3 wagon comes hot on the heels of the Mega-Random VW edition of UMPH, posted mere days ago.  It rounds out the Type 3 range nicely, as both sedan and fastback versions were featured in the previous article, leaving only the wagon variant unrepresented.  The Canberra Bureau are certainly earning their pay!   I've always thought that the Type 3 wagon was what Subaru Leone AWD drivers drove before the latter was invented, given the Volksie's quite impressive off-road abilities.  It certainly wasn't uncommon to see wagons like today's example - plus the equally popular at the time Renault 12 wagons - laden with kayaks, bikes and camping gear back in the 70s and 80s.   The one shown here today was in great nick, with good all-round duco, straight chrome and no apparent rust.  Not bad for 50-odd years' worth of service eh? U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.c...

It's not clear if this gathering of classic VWs was a club event or an informal get-together of Volksie fans out for a post-Covid 19 run.  What is obvious, however, is that the owners picked a perfect early winter's day to do it and that their cars really did, quite literally, shine! Classic car action seems to be ever so slowly coming back to life, as these shots from the Canberra Bureau chief photographer show.  It's the same down in Tasmania; it doesn't seem to take much of an excuse to fire up the engines and head out for a drive, even if it's not the brass monkey-friendliest weather ever! Regular readers will know that the lovely low-slung Karmann Ghia above isn't the only one getting about in the Australian Capital Territory, with a lustrous deep red example already gracing the pages of this 'blog.  It was also great to see that in addition to a couple of Beetles and an early Kombi, there were two Type 3s - a sedan and a fastback -...