Upper Middle Petrol Head:

The Austin Healey Sprite and its twin, the MG Midget , would have to be one of the most fun cars ever made by nearly every measure, be that per cubic centimetre of engine capacity, purchase price or even the way other people respond to them.   There are faster cars, more expensive cars and arguably better looking cars - beauty being in the eye of the beholder - but how many are as downright, all-round fabulous as that dynamic-duo of diminutive 1960s' British ragtops? You just can't get up people's noses driving a "Spridget" the same way that ownership of certain high-end German and Italian marques might. How could you possibly not like something that just so frightfully and inoffensively charming? You can't and I should know, having owned a IIIA Sprite 15 years or so ago. Probably shouldn't of sold it. Too late now. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.  

Don't get too hot and flustered, Mopar-maniacs!  Unfortunately for you, this exquisite '76 VK Charger is not for sale, now or ever, according to its gentleman owner.  He says that even when he goes to the great car show in the sky, it'll remain firmly within his family.    And who could really blame him?  He's owned it from nearly new - it was just two years old when he bought it - and it's entirely original, other than a newish set of mags.  That's fully original  Amarante   red   paint, chrome and all the interior, which is finished in a sort of 70s' carpet-meets-corduroy fabric. Being the 770 variant, the car's fitted with the 4.3 litre engine and has been coupled to a three-speed floor shift.  Again, that's totally original, unmolested, stock standard spec.  Nice!     U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

Is this a winning formula or what?!  Take a beautifully restored 1965 F100 Ranger , hitch-up a matching custom-made retro caravan and head to KIngston Beach on a lovely spring morning to bang out some of the best toasties anyone's ever likely to have.  Add great coffee, tasty snacks and free dog treats, and you've got all the essentials for a great day by the seaside!   Tai and the Stella's team usually operate in the Kingston area.  However, they can also cater on-site for events.  You can find them on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/Stellas-Food-Bar-105761447817180 . Mrs UMPH was dressed by Lulu Lemon; Minnie is wearing Wet Dog by The Water's Edge.   Succulent smoked chicken and mouth-watering pulled pork Turkish bread toasties. Did you enjoy this post?  Are you a classic car junky?  If so, why not have a look around the rest of the uppermidlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au site?  There are loads and loads of classic vehicles, ca...

  The Canberra correspondent filed these images of an immaculate Mini Moke from Bermagui on the New South Wales south coast, suggesting that the idyllic seaside town was that state's own version of Tasmania's Bicheno.  I certainly can't disagree with that, both towns being very, very picturesque.     Places like Bermagui and Bicheno are also the natural environment of the Moke, which was once popular up and down Australia's entire eastern seaboard, with especially large concentrations of them in Queensland where they were popular as hire vehicles.  However, it's unlikely that they'll ever make much of a comeback as rentals - even to a niche market - given their lack of anything even approaching the safety features required of today's cars.   Mamby-pamby safety issues aside, I'd love to have a Moke in my stable!  There's very little to break on them.  How can you beat a car so basic that it doesn't even have doors? And speaking ...

October 2020's Classics by the Beach featured lots of precipitation but not very many cars.  However, the quality of those few vehicles that did attend was actually pretty good, as shown by this fabulous Alfa 33 Quattro. Hobart being the country town that it is, I have known about the car for a while now but hadn't yet clapped eyes on it.  My understanding is that its current owner sold it several years ago, then found it languishing, neglected, in a paddock , so he bought it back and restored it with his father. The quality of the duco is first rate, as is the car's general presentation.  The white teledial wheels and yellow of the fog lights contrast beautifully with the rosso corse colour scheme, while the front is nicely complemented by what might (?) be a Zenda-style* front bumper / spoiler.  I'd hazard a guess that the rear bumper is an aftermarket item, too. The interior looks to be standard Alfa of the era, although it does have a nice Momo Corse s...

If Queen Liz thought 1992 was an annus horibillus , I'd like to know how she refers to 2020!  Annus bloody terribillus doesn't seem quite adequate and I'm not sure Her Majesty's vocabulary extends far enough into expletive territory to do the year's total faecality proper justice.  Let's pretend that I'm not a potty-mouthed lout, predisposed to gratuitous use of the F-word, and go with thoroughly egregious ! One of the most thoroughly egregious things about this very, very egregious year - for me and my fellow motoring fans, at least - has been the cancellation of all our favourite events.  Targa Tasmania and Targa Wrest Point both fell victim to the C-word, as did the Baskerville Historics.  The Picnic at Ross didn't eventuate, either.        Possibly even worse for southern Tasmanian motorsports fans was that Club Motori Italia's Lufra Hillclimb, which regular readers might remember is one of my all time favourite outings, also got kno...