Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Here was me thinking the old 205/60/R13 Performance Formulas looked pretty good.  Maybe they did.  However, these 15"  Super-lite style Rota wheels, shod with 195/50 Toyo Proxes4 s are next level in terms of looks and handling.  Merry Christmas, Galant!   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

There's no doubt there are some real stinkers out there, styling-wise, and some of them from manufacturers we might expect better of (for example, Alfa have come out with a few real shockers!).  Just to be clear, we're not talking "quirky" here; we mean the sort of absolutely hideous, "WTF were they thinking?" grotesque that can only be measured in international pig-dog units (IPDUs). The team at UMPH have put together four of their all-time "un-favourites" and are asking that you, dear reader, vote for the most egregious, if-it-were-alive-you'd-euthanise-it choice.  We have for your viewing displeasure a Nissan Juke , a Fiat Multipla , some sort of abhorency that might be another Nissan and, last but certainly not least abominable, a Ssan Yong Stavic . Please make your choices, 1 to 4, and attribute each car an IPDU score out of 100.  The winner will be ... .  Nup!  Who are we kidding here?!  They're all capital L losers but

This lovely Alfa 33, featuring the 1.7 litre engine, really stood out for the quality of its lustrous red duco and all round good condition.  There was no ostensible rust, the panels and plastics were all in great nick and the interior was pretty good, too.  The wheels suited it rather nicely, although I have to admit a fondness for the "tele-dials" that 33s were also commonly fitted with.  The only apparent departure from standard were its neatly fitted under-bumper LED auxiliary lights. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

This year's CMI Italian car show, on the lawns of Tasmania's Parliament House in Salamanca Place, Hobart, was in marked contrast to last year's event when an already healthy fleet of local cars was bolstered by a large contingent of Lancias touring the state from mainland Australia, plus quite a big showing of Triumph interlopers. It clearly didn't help that the weather was faecal this time around, also in stark contrast to 2017's gorgeous late spring sunshine and warmth. That's not to say it wasn't worth heading down for a look, of course! Cars like this magnificent Alfa 105 are always a treat to get up close and personal with and never fail to attract plenty of compliments from attendees. This rather tidy Lancia HPE belongs to CMI stalwart Graeme and features very, very low mileage (I think he said approximately 80,000 k), having been hidden in a shed for much of its life. It was very straight, rust free and had g

I can't believe that I've never been to the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania in  Cimitiere Street, Launceston, two hours' drive of Tasmania's capital city, Hobart!  Fortunately, Matt O has and captured the photos shown here.  I think I'd better head up and take a look myself!   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au. ) Photos by Matt O.

This ostensibly stock 1980 Corona is a good pairing with last post's LT Celica, as both cars would've almost certainly have been on Hobart Toyota franchise Co-Op Motors' floor at almost exactly the same time, with each of them baring BK rego plates within 195 digits of each other. They're also both exceptionally good examples of their respective models, with the car shown here featuring very straight, rust-free panels, unblemished chrome and a lovely interior. Its only apparent modification - one that suits it very well, it must be said - are its slightly dished Bathurst Globe style wheels and low-profile tyres. As a sedan, this Corona was Australian-made - or at least assembled - and would be fitted with the Starfire 4 engine, as shared with Holden's deservedly much-maligned Sunbird and four-cylinder Commodore ranges, plus a four-speed gearbox. The rarer, fully imported Corona lift-back of the same era, on the other hand, was equipped wit

I can't remember the last time I saw a Celica like this, even though the earlier coupes and lift-backs seem to remain quite popular.  What I can recall, however, is the derision these so-called "librarians' cars"* used to cop. Ok, so the 2.0 litre SOHC Celica wasn't the most exhilarating car of its day but it was nicely appointed, with velour seats and an AM / FM radio / cassette (?) and four speakers, plus a five-speed box and better than passable handling.  Aircon may have been an option but it didn't feature on my mate's car that we drove from Hobart to Queensland in 1982, and we actually had to wind our own windows and manually adjust the driver's side-only exterior rear-view mirror.  What can I say?  We were made of tougher stuff back then!    The one shown here - identical to the other AW's in every respect except the seat fabric - was in apparently completely original, and remarkably fine, condition.  The paint was unblemished,