Upper Middle Petrol Head:

I'm not sure if the owners of these two Lotuses - an Exige that had only the day before completed the 2019 Targa Tasmania tarmac rally, and an  Elan - parked together on purpose, but their proximity to each other did make for a rather good photo.  To my mind, Lotus epitomises the purest form of the sports car and always has; from the original clubman through to today's Elises, Exiges and Evoras, they have stayed true to founder Colin Chapman's maxim "simplify, then add lightness."  It's a lesson that some of Lotus' more corpulent competitors would do well to heed as they get weighed down with more and more superfluous features!  Robin's stately Daimler 104 - named for its top speed of 104 miles per hour - is an entirely different beast.  However, it's also a vehicle that demonstrates a continuity of purpose throughout the lifespan of the marque, exhibiting as it does all of the hallmark luxury and refinement expected of vehi...

I'm moderately confident that this lovely late 1950s' Holden is an FE, not that GM Australia's logical-as-a-madman's-rant model designation convention really helps!  If it is an FE, it was followed by the FC, then the FB and the EK!  Next were the EJ, EH, HD, HR, HK, HG and HT lineups, before we hit the HQ, HJ, HX and HZ!!  (I think that's right?)  At least the last two more more or less alphabetically sequential, even if the HY - and a few others - went missing in action.  All over the place like a lunatic's poop, I tell you!  Madness!! I'm so glad I got that off my chest!  The car's magnificence speaks for itself, so please enjoy the following photos.   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

These photos - taken on a drizzly, coolish day on the final stage of the last day of Targa Tasmania, 2019 - certainly added some excitement to what hadn't been the most enthralling motor racing I've ever seen.  To be fair, nobody wants to bend their cars when the finishing line is, quite literally, only a matter of a few kilometres away.  And, for many competitors, the risk of an "off" wasn't really worth it when it was unlikely to make much difference to their final results, anyway. So, my mates and I would like to salute the ballsy pilot of the XR5 seen here having a red hot go and overtaking a magnificent TR8.  It was a great bit of wheelsmanship on both drivers' behalf, having to contend with a slimy, rough road surface and compromised lines whilst punting along at a fair clip.  Kudos! And the winner is ... we, the spectators! We, the spectators The spectator platform   I'm not sure what's happened to the order o...