Upper Middle Petrol Head:

I reckon this elegant Rover P6, spotted in Canberra during a recent flying visit, would be just the thing for a bit of comfortable touring.  It may even be that's what the owners were doing, given the NSW rego plates.  However, it's equally possible that they're Queanbeyan residents, which effectively makes them Canberrans and, as far as tours go, it'd be about as exciting a trip as Hobart to Bellerive! I'm a bit of a Rover fan, especially of the P5 coupe that shares its 3.5 litre, Buick derived alloy V8 engine with our P6, Range Rovers, V8 Land Rovers (Defenders and Discos), MGB GT V8s, Triumph TR8s, several TVRs, Morgans and even the great Aussie Leyland P76 (I've probably still missed quite a few more examples!).  They're a great looking car with a style all of their own and an upright elegance, a sort of dignity, perhaps, that puts me in mind of country doctors, leather elbow patches and pipe-smoking. Adding to the touring feel is this car&#

It's alive!  I had wondered once or twice how the Italian Correspondente's Alfa GTV was going and now I know.  Signore Correspondente tells me that it was hibernating, waiting for some weather that was more conducive to late nights in a big unheated tin shed and that would assist with curing the undercoat and spray-putty. The engine bay's now been cleaned-up and repainted, adding to the beauty of the whole project.  Apparently, next on the to-do list is some exterior colour.  The photos above and below show the car, heading out for some paint, being towed by a very impressive 1984 LHD F250. We may not be petrolicious.  However, that doesn't mean we can't do moving pictures.  Please enjoy the following cinematic masterpiece!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Image & video supplied.

I do genuinely try not to resort to hyperbole when describing the cars on my 'blog.  However, it's just not possible to convey the pristine excellence of this lovely Honda Civic without resorting to the tiniest bit of over-blown language! To call it "show-room" would actually undersell it, such is its glossy perfection!  It truly does look brand new. It isn't just its lustrous duco, super-straight panels and immaculate interior that's excited me, either.  It still features its original Miles & Hickey sticker (later Terry Hickey Autos - probably Hobart's very first Honda dealership) and, if that isn't cool enough, its back seat was elegantly draped in a classic multi-coloured crochet blanket!  Priceless!! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

You could barely hope to see a better early- to mid-1970s Celica than this outstanding example snapped recently in Australia's national capital, Canberra.  It seems probable that it's an imported JDM model, as it features the forward-mounted rear-view mirrors favoured in Japan during the '70s, a grille that appears to differ from those fitted to cars sold in Australia, plus some very distinctive rear tail-light clusters with five individual lenses per side rather than the usual three. The headlights were protected by an impressive one-piece perspex cowl, there was an aggressive front spoiler and the front wheels were 15 inch Wattanabe-style alloys with black steel rims of similar size on the rear (for the track / competition, possibly?).  The panels and paint were nigh on perfect, as was the interior. If the example shown here is fitted with a 2.0 litre twin-cam, it's all but certain that the car is a genuine imported GT, as Australia only ever rece

Uppermiddlepetrolhead does feature some pretty special cars, even if I do have to say so myself!  There are some true classics featured, including all the "big" names like E-Type Jags, Porsches, Ferraris, a "Gull-wing" Merc, plus plenty of Aussie muscle - even a trio of Galant hardtops! I strongly suspect that this superb classic Italian racer - reportedly an Alfa, but in my mind probably a Lancia - is as special, if not more so, than any other car featured on the whole 'blog.  I'd love to tell you more about it but I can't, other than it was recently snapped in Rye, Victoria, by UMPH's special correspondent for Green Acres.  The Green Acres special correspondent also photographed this lovely Alfa 1300 GT Junior at the same time and place as the Lancia.  Again, I'm less than full-bottle when it comes to this car, as I thought all the single headlight per side 105s were "step-noses," but this one doesn't appear to

The new seal being fitted as a continuous length. Work has continued tidying up my "new" Series 1, with one of the easier and more satisfying tasks being the replacement of the cracked and crumbly rubbers that once upon a time sealed the side windows, doors and and top.  They've certainly improved the look, the doors don't bang shut like they did and the car's a bit less breezy, too!   Having searched the 'net for some suitable seals, I chose Midwest-Bayless' three piece set that were on special for a fairly reasonable U$69 (AU$100 +/-).  Well, they were reasonably priced until U$92 (AU$134!) was added for freight!! A pleasing finish. Members of the Australian X1/9s Facebook site soon had me sorted, putting me onto Aussie company Clark Rubber, a crowd that I ignorantly associated with pool noodles, lilo patches and not much else.  Silly me!   Not only did my local Clark Rubber store stock way more that swimming pool accessories, its ma

Ne vinci un po ', ne perdi un po'! Questo è solo come è a volte. Prima il lato del debito del registro: il precedente stato "totalmente privo di ruggine" ha messo un grosso asterisco contro di esso, in attesa di ulteriori indagini sul sistema di raffreddamento. In sua difesa, la macchina non si surriscalda, né c'è alcuna prova di pianto dal radiatore o dai tubi di raffreddamento, il che è motivo di ottimismo. Il fluido - o "arancia metallica liquida" - è arrivato sul cemento attraverso il serbatoio di troppopieno, suggerendo che il sistema è abbastanza robusto per far fronte a un po 'di pressione interna senza scoppiare nulla. Un buon flush-out è saltato in cima alla lista delle priorità e si unisce a una messa a punto e servizio urgenti come un must. Qualche cosa allo yang (o è yang a ying?): Sotto le fodere dei sedili c'erano questi sedili un po 'ruvidi ma relativamente nuovi e mai indossati. Si