Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Generally speaking, people don't use their classic cars as daily-drivers.  That's got its upsides and its downsides, one of the more obvious pluses being that classics don't tend to get knocked about as much as the average commuter or family hack and they're not subjected to the same amounts of wear and tear, either.  On the minus side, however, some vehicle components need to do a bit of work to remain fully functional - a case of  use it or lose it  - which is especially true of car batteries. Both the UMPH-mobiles - his trusty Galant and rather more temperamental X1/9 -  have suffered from under-utilisation and battery problems in the past.  To have a battery newer than two years old fail is not only frustrating, it's expensive!  UMPH knows he's not alone in having experienced battery issues, either ; similar tales of woe are not uncommon in classic car circles (even for vehicles with otherwise well-maintained electrical systems). The Galant's mos

2016 must be at least the fourth, if not fifth, year that southern Tasmania's Italian community has staged its excellent Festa Italia , a celebration of all things from the Old Country.  That means  Italian music and dance,  Italian food, Italian wine, Italian beer and, last but not least, Italian cars!  Ferraris will always draw a crowd, especially when they're lined up like this.  Another red 308 joined in on the end of the line shortly after this photo was taken.    The 308 is so much more than just the Magnum, PI , car but for a young bloke in the 80s, it's hard to shake the connection!  Six plugs = six cylinders.  But that's just half of 'em! Phil Blake's 850 Abarth replica is a regular entrant in Targa Tasmania.  Phil told UMPH that this year's event will be his 21st, and final, entry in Tasmania's most iconic Motorsports event.  However, he was quite emphatic when asked if that meant his yel

Below are two fine examples of Aussie muscle cars from the 1970s.  The first is a Ford Falcon XB GT, built sometime between 1973 and 1976, powered by a 351 cubic inch V8.  They were fitted with either four-speed floor-change manuals or three-speed T bar autos.  With their twin 'nostrils' built into the bonnet, they shared styling cues with their American cousin, the Mach I Mustang, especially in two-door hardtop form.  Holden GTS Monaros, like the one shown here, were General Motors' answer to Ford's performance Falcons.  This particular car is a 1972 HQ series, which had a production run from 1971 to 1974.  Like the Falcons, the GTS HQs were V8s mated to four-speed floor-shifts or three-speed T bars ( Trimatics in GM marketing parlance).  However, their engines were usually smaller at 308 cubic inches, although there were some 350 cu versions.  Like the Fords, they were also available in coupe form.  All the above are iPhone images U M P H.

Cygnet, home of the Lotus Eater and Red Velvet Lounge eateries ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1789515365344557423;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=42;src=postname ; &  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1667150042274094703;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=24;src=postname ), is a favourite UMPH destination.  The town takes its name from the title originally bestowed upon it by French explorer Bruni D'entrecasteaux - Port des Cygnes Noirs - which Google wants to translate as 'wearing black swans.'  UMPH knows that French is a funny language but he's not convinced that's quite correct ; it's therefore enough to know that Cygnes was Anglicised to Cygnet and the rest, as they say, is history. Le Weekend is Cygnet's festival of all things French - a pondering of what might have been if D'entrecasteaux and his con