Random # 306: Probably a 1957 or Thereabouts Buick Coupe

Thanks to the awesomeness of Google's image search facility, I believe this car to be a Buick of some description. Google's other suggestion - antique car - wasn't as helpful and I'm not settled on its precise identity yet, as I know that a lot of GM's platforms were shared around their sub-brands. Take, for example, the Chevy Camaro and its cousin, the Pontiac Firebird. Same but different but, in the end, probably much the same. And no, there weren't any (obvious) badges to help me identify the car!

It may be fair to suggest that its styling's not quite PC these days, given its rifle-like side profile, gun-site bonnet emblem and the canon-esque adornments that flank its low, wide grille. The word gangster comes to mind - gangsta if you're sub-30 (my MacBook's spell-check didn't baulk at that latter spelling!). It makes Chrysler's 300 look decidedly pretty by comparison!

Anyway, I'll leave the allusions to weaponry - and thus phallic symbolism - alone and risk significant opprobrium from the find-offence-in-everything-brigade and simply say that I love the car! I'm not a huge fan of American vehicles but, seriously, who wouldn't celebrate and love such an exuberant statement of 1950s' style and optimism?

A final note: The July edition of Classics by The Beach has been temporarily derailed by Nikon subtly changing the micro-USB on their D7500, leaving me no option but to download my shots via a card reader (the one sitting on my desk at work!). Said USB port looks much like the one on my regular dSLR - a venerable D200 - but isn't, so maybe a bit like a Camaro or a Firebird. Or not?

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

All iPhone images.

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Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

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