Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Horizontal styling elements and slightly flared mudguards give the Sprint a wide, squat stance. For true Alfisti, there's probably no such thing as an ugly Alfa Romeo.  UMPH isn't so sure ; he can think of one or two that have styling that's questionable, to say the least, but he won't dare elaborate for fear of alienating anyone. What is undoubtedly true is that when Alfa do get their styling right - which to be fair is way more often than not - it usually results in cars that are sublimely beautiful.  Whether or not a small hatch-back is the pinnacle of Alfa beauty is debatable.  However, it's probably fair to say that the Giugiaro designed Veloce Sprint is one of the prettiest of that general class ever made.   The wedge-shape is not dissimilar to Fiat's 128 3P, released a year earlier (1975), but is arguably better proportioned with a long bonnet, what was a fairly rakish windscreen for the era, a lowish roof-line, a 'fast-back' ha

The blogger doth protest too much, hethinks.  There are great looking classic VWs all about Hobart, so how could he not photograph and upload them to his blog?  He therefore maintains that he is not a Volksie-nutter.  Really. U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

For non-Australian readers, the term ute is short for utility - as in utility vehicle - and means the same as the American term pick-up .  An Australian ute is usually a style-side or flat-tray variant of a common sedan - a Ford Falcon or a Holden sedan - for example, as opposed to a Ford F100 (which is more of a light truck).    We Aussies love our utes, which isn't surprising given that we invented them! This EK Holden ute was manufactured in Australia between 1961 and 1962.  The EK range included a sedan, a station wagon (what would be called an estate in some countries) and a van, and came fitted with a 138 cubic inch (2.3 litre) six-cylinder 'grey' motor and either a three-speed manual or automatic gearbox.  Like many Holden utes, the majority of the vehicle's styling carried over from earlier models - in this case, the FE, FC and FB series, respectively (go figure the logic of Holden's model designation conventions).   This particular example was

This schmick looking Lancia Fulvia was spotted outside Italian specialist Fogarty Automotive's new premises in Wellington Street, North Hobart.  It's an ex-South African car that looks ostensibly standard.  However, it does feature a cleverly installed Ford Fiesta brake master cylinder.    Fulvia fans might also enjoy https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=769226449991019236;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=60;src=postname and   https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=2214422603185860812;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=48;src=postname  (one blue and one red Zagato-bodied version).  There are also another couple of shots of the car shown in this post at  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1489911664731834261;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=51;src=postname .

This nifty Fiat 850 was spotted in one of Hobart's southern suburbs.  It's one of at least three Tasmanian early 850s known to UMPH, the others being a stock looking blue one and Phil Blake's very potent Abarth replica ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1411228409624317255;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=34;src=postname ;   https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=4162286812682154743;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=6;src=postname ;   and http://www.shannons.com.au/club/enthusiasts/fiatmeister/garage/1964-fiat-abarth-ot-1600 / ) .  Not sure where this particular version sits on the hot or not performance scale but it sure does look good! U M P H  ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au ). iPhone image.   

Nice Datto!  This cool 1200 wagon was seen in Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, on a particularly fine autumn morning.  It's straight, rust-free and has a pretty tidy paint job, too.   The forward-mounted external rear-view mirrors lent it a bit of an old-school Japanese look but, given the very early Tasmanian rego-plates, it's clearly been a local car for the vast majority of its life.  It featured non-standard headlights with faceted lenses, natty 13" alloys, a sports-steering wheel and race-style bucket seats. U M P H (u ppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .)

Only a few hardy car lovers ventured out for June's Classics by the Beach.  However, that only reduced the quantity, not the quality, of the assembled vehicles.  There were even a couple that UMPH hadn't seen before. There is quite a healthy population of MGAs, MG TFs and other examples of the marque in and around Hobart, many of which are often seen at Classics.  It looks like the wet weather put the other owners off on this occasion, though. Lucas Le Mans headlights. This 2 litre TC Rover was in lovely condition.  There are a few of the 3.5 litre V8s in and around Hobart but the four cylinder versions are rarer. Citroens like the model shown above - a CX Pallas - aren't common, either.  If anything, there are fewer examples than there are of the iconic DS series, several of which are still doing duty as daily drivers.  The Mk III MG Midget featured here is a regular at Classics.  There are still quite a few Midgets