Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This Sunbeam  Alpine  was spotted outside one of Hobart's better Italian eateries, Maldini, in Hobart's historic Salamanca Place.  It appears to be an earlier version - possibly a Series I, II or III - although UMPH isn't sure.   The main clue would seem to be around the car's rear which, in this case, is a lot more angular than the later Series IV - the version on which Sunbeam's V8-powered Tiger appears to have been based (IIIs and IVs were both produced during 1964, which is when the Tiger was introduced).  The stylistic treatment seen with this vehicle's rear and around the tail lights is more reminiscent of tail fins, whereas the later Alpines and  Tigers featured a squarer look.   The late cricket legend and Channel 9 commentator Richie Benaud owned and drove a 1963 Alpine but unfortunately crashed and seriously damaged it in 2013 .   Secret agent James Bond, played by Sean Connery in the 1962 movie Dr No , also dro...

This AH 3000 Mk II exhibits all the hallmarks of classic sports car design. Some things are almost givens in sports car design ;   long bonnets, rakish windscreens, flowing lines and low-slung two-door bodies with bobbed tails have defined the look from the time manufacturers first recognised there was a market for such vehicles.  Extra vents and scoops and over-sized wheels and exhausts aid performance whilst adding extra appeal. It's all there:  a long bonnet, rakish windscreen, low-slung body and big wheels.  What's evolved is a 'classic' sports car style.  Whether it's a Sprite or a Midget, an MGB, a  Spitfire or  TR series Triumph, a Fiat or Alfa Spider, a Mazda MX5, or a BMW Z3 - to name but a few - the basic formula has remained the same. One only has to consider  the 'Big Healeys' of the early 1950s and 1960s and compare them to some current designs to see how that classic look has endured.  Take the...