Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Where - or maybe the question is how - was there a clue alluding to camel dung contained in November's CMI Lufra cryptic drive?  We contestants obviously missed it but it was no doubt there.  You may have set the bar a bit too high this time, Graham! Camel poop aside, the drive - held on Sunday the 8th of November - was  a great day out, combining glorious weather, some delightfully twisty country roads, lovely scenery and a couple of dozen or so competitors in a mainly Italian fleet pitting their wits against the devious mind of crypto-meister Graham Mitchell.  The only certainties of the day were its starting and finishing points, Salamanca's Retro Cafe and the beloved Lufra Hotel at Eaglehawk Neck. In true cryptic style, Graham set some observational, botanical and biological tasks, requiring participants to describe certain features en route and to collect specimens of eucalypts, hawthorn blossoms, feathers and sea shells, with extra points awarded for the quality and / or

It's a toss-up whether this or the previous UMPH post - featuring a gorgeous deep purple XA GT hardtop - will be more popular with readers.  And while we're tossing, I wouldn't bet the fluff from my socks that correspondent Ziff comes close to knowing the answer himself. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by Ziff.  

The UMPH Special Correspondent for Pricilla-Buses and Pimp-Mobiles has excelled himself with today's offering, an amazing XA GT in his favourite colour of Deep Purple, proving what a total Machine Head he is!  1972 was a good year, eh?!   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by Ziff.

  The Canberra Correspondent photographed this rather restrained looking Chevy.  And when I say restrained, I mean tasteful - elegant, possibly - designed before America started making big, bloated, boastful behemoths just because they could.  From before Number 45 was born.  Nicer times, I suspect.      U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone images.

When many people think of the JDM scene, their minds immediately go to kick-arse Skylines, early Z s, Supras and RX Mazdas, and possibly - but less commonly - anything Mitsubishi that wears  GTO badges.  Maybe it's a Fast 'n' Furious thing.   That's just one aspect of the scene and a very popular one, too.  Only focusing on machinery of that ilk does, however, ignore an equally interesting and easily more approachable segment of the Japanese car market: the bread and butter, run of the mill, daily-driver - call them what you will - lineup that helped cement Japan as a world leader in building quality, reliable cars that were often surprisingly good fun to drive. Take, for example, the humble Corolla:  your mum's, sister's or girlfriend's car; the car you learned to drive in; the car you borrowed and took to the drive-in!  Whack a set of 13" Jellybeans , Hotwires or Dragways on it and it it could've been your mate's car or, quite probably, your

Am I imagining this or are there more and more early F-trucks and equivalent Chevvies and Dodges getting around Tasmania than ever before?  It's not uncommon to see the odd left-hooker these days, suggesting that they've been imported from State-side (the style-side Chev in the background being a case in point).  However, today's example - a fabulously patinated and rather imposing early Ford - is a right-hand drive version, so it's likely been an Aussie car all its life.   Marvin the Martian bonnet emblem.   New to Upper Middle Petrol Head?  Why not take a tour of the rest of the site?  There are cars, trucks and bikes from all over Tasmania and Australia's east coast, as well as car shows and motor sports events.  There's a search facility on the home page allowing you find whatever it might be you're looking for.  You might be surprised what you'll find! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone images.

  I'm not embarrassed that I thought that today's offering - an ultra-stylish Devaux coupe, photographed by fellow lensman Matt at the National Automobile museum in Launceston, Tasmania - was an exotic 1930s Bugatti or perhaps a pre-World War Two Alfa.  As the handy plaque below reveals, it's actually an all-Aussie creation, built of fibreglass and using contemporary running gear.  Irrespective of its origins, it's a superb looking design that's sure to turn heads!       U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by Matt.