Upper Middle Petrol Head:

It seems that the Italian Correspondente and his mates are keen and efficient, as these images were taken within just a couple of days of my earlier shots when the GTV was first disassembled.  Paint and, where necessary, a thin layer of body filler has been removed right back to bare metal, panels have been beaten out and puttied, and primer has been applied. The GTV's going to be resprayed in its original ivory colour.  I understand that the black that used to feature below the doors and under the rear bumper will go, in favour of a one hue paint scheme that's more in keeping with the Alfa's original look.  Although the bumpers look good, they're going to be rechromed to complete the job in keeping with its shiny new finish. Given the enthusiasm shown for the project so far, and the participants' work ethics, it mightn't be too long before the car's back on the road.  I hope to bring you some "after" shots and maybe even

Above is the Alfa Male's 33, as it was a few weeks back when he sent the image through.  It's been under restoration for a while now as he's sourced parts, disassembled, refitted and renewed various bits of suspension, engine componentry and other stuff, as required and when he can obtain it.  He's had the rust professionally cut out and replaced with new metal but, being the can-do sort of bloke that he is, he's having a crack at the duco himself.  And, by having a crack , I mean getting a shed built, plumbing a compressor into it, doing all the sanding-back and other prep, erecting a temporary plastic spray booth and applying the primer and  Rosso red finish himself.  There'll be a bit of fine rubbing and buffing to come, too.  Quite some project, eh?!    The original paint code sticker. As the photos below show, it's not some quick-fix bog 'n' flog ;  there's been a bit of attention to detail paid to the resto

Everyone knows what to do when in Rome.  But what to do when not in Rome? -  or anywhere else in your adopted homeland of Italy - that's the big question.   When the Italian Correspondente's not living it up in the boot-shaped country, he practices his Italian, enjoys good Italian food and makes his own limoncello, that's what!  And he drives his classic 1979 Alfa Romeo GTV whenever he can!  The last time I saw the GTV it was in our local Italian car specialist's workshop, sharing space with my X1/9 while gearbox parts for the former and the latter's new head were hunted down and fitted.  I'm pleased to say that since then both cars have acquitted themselves very well and haven't required anything too onerous from our mechanic, Steve. A few minor cosmetic issues aside, the GTV is in very good nick.  The body is straight and almost entirely rust- and bog-free; the duco's not bad for a forty year old car; the chrome is in great conditi

There's a very healthy Morrie scene in Hobart and throughout the rest of Tasmania.  However, the oldest of them all - the 'low-light' - is unsurprisingly one of the lesser seen examples, being, as it is, the first of the line. The one shown here was in really nice condition, with good duco, unmarked chrome and a very tidy interior.  Probably its coolest period feature is its crank-starter aperture, shown below, into which the starter handle was inserted to turn the car over and fire it up.  Try explaining that to a millenial; they think changing gears is too onerous, so imagine their reaction to having to hand crank a car into life!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

This lovely - and quite clearly original - 1980 LT Celica fastback joins two other Toyotas from the same year on the UMPH site.  The first is an immaculate yellow Celica coupe ( https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2018/11/random-251-1980-toyota-celica-lt.html ), the second a Corona sedan ( https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2018/11/random-252-1980-toyota-corona.html?q=corona ). The fact that three 1980 Toyotas are still on the road doing stirling service probably won't surprise anyone, given the manufacturer's reputation for building bullet-proof cars.  However, it is sort of interesting that all three examples mentioned sport BK rego-prefixes and so presumably all rolled out of Co-Op Toyota's show rooms within months, if not weeks, of each other. The liftback featured here was in amazingly good condition, especially considering the near forty years it's been around.  The same's also true of the other two Toyotas I've just mentioned.

The person formerly known as the King Island Correspondent has received a promotion and shall henceforth be known as the King Island Chief  Correspondent!   The KICC's first offering for 2019 comes from the island's Agricultural, Horticultural and Pastoral Society's Show, held annually on the first Tuesday of March in the west coast town of Currie ( http://www.kingisland.net.au/ki-special-events/king-island-show ) . As the society's name suggests, all manner of things rural feature at the show but there are also hotly contested cookery, art and craft - including Lego building and decoupage - competitions that attract entries from many of the island's locals. More importantly, there's also a car show that features a truly amazing array of beautiful classics that defy the salty Bass Strait winds and manage to look outstanding (please also see  https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2017/03/readers-photos-5-fc-holden-king-island.html?q=king+i