Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Holden model designations screw with my head!  How 1970 to 1971's  HG - of which today's car is an example - follows from the HK (1968 to 1969) and HT (1969 to 1970) is beyond me, given that there's zero regard given to alphabetical order or any other discernible system.     But it does!  The HG station wagon, utility, van and two-door Monaro variant were the last of the series produced between 1968 to 1971 that shared the same basic bodies - albeit with different grilles, indicators and other minor trim - before the introduction of the HQ - HZ / WB line-up.   I'm not so sure about the HK sedan, though; it seems to me that the rear window, rear quarters and the boot may differ from those fitted to the HT and HG sedans.  Please feel free to leave a comment if this is or isn't correct.  Of course, my inability to see logic in Holden's naming conventions does not detract from the excellence of the example shown here today!  It really, ...

Hey, P-Plater!  The team at Upper Middle Petrol Head salute you!  We love and admire your elegant and oh-so-Seventies' ride.  Long live classic Japanese cars and those who drive them!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone images  

This stunning 1972 Alfa GTV comes to us via our South East Queensland correspondent, who photographed it at a cars and coffee event in Brisbane, Australia, in early autumn, 2022.  It certainly is a magnificent example of the marque! The car belongs to a Peter who is not our SEQLD correspondent and was bought from Melbourne, Victoria, a few years ago.  Since purchasing it, owner Peter has been attending to a few faults, although, thankfully, rust has not been a significant issue.  The wheels are copies of the classic Alfa design, made in Germany and certified for racing.  Also new is the instrument cluster, from Slovakia, and the door cards, which came via UK firm Classic Alfa ( https://classicalfa.com/ ).  A new paint job is on the do-do list, although it's not too shabby as it is!     Both SEQLD correspondent Peter and owner of today's feature car Peter have previously owned 147s, with the latter having also had a 159 in his stable.  Sadly, ...

Chris' 128 sedan for attention.  (You're probably tired of seeing P3P by now!) Followers of P3P's progress may remember that brake pedal adjustment was on the agenda.  The pedal was way too tall at about 20 mm above the height of the clutch and significantly further for the throttle, making heel-toe downshift blipping impossible.  This was dangerous, too; the possibility of not being able to hit the anchors quickly enough in an emergency was significant. This shows how high the brake pedal was when compared to the clutch.  The brake / throttle disparity was far greater! Why this was so is anyone's guess!   Mine is that there's a non-original part in the system - maybe a close-enough-is-good-enough brake booster from another car - for instance.  Either way, something didn't quite measure up. An inspection of the set-up that transfers the right-hand-drive pedal action to the left-side-mounted brake booster failed to find the splined shaft that I was...

I'm reliably informed that the 6th of March, 2022, is the 50th anniversary of the Jensen Healey and am therefore very pleased to be able to bring you these photos of two excellent examples - plus their proud owners - taken at a popular monthly car meeting in Sandy Bay, ten minutes' drive from Hobart's central business district in Tasmania, Australia.  The Jensen-Healeys on display were accompanied by a Jensen Interceptor , along with a host of other classic, sports and performance cars.  Happy birthday, J-H! Above and below are several photos of a beautifully restored Fiat 850 Spider.  Coincidentally, the car that replaced the Spider in Fiat's line-up - the X1/9 - shares its 50th birthday with the Jensen-Healey, having also debuted in 1972.  I know this, as I plan to attend a celebration of the Italian mid-engined masterpiece's big-5-0 in Canberra in April.  More on that next month ... . The quality of this Bertone-styled Spider's restoration is first ...