Upper Middle Petrol Head:

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...