Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This Mini Clubman  S seems to be totally original and stock-standard, yet fully-optioned, if that's not contradictory.  What do I mean by this?  It's very, very well-specced but everything on the car - with the almost certain exception of the rear louvre - appears to be a genuine Leyland accessory; the bumper-overriders, mesh headlight protectors (?), wheel-arch flares, mudflaps, gold pin-striping and sun-visor all are period-correct and were probably fitted by the original dealership.  And the whole thing's also in age-defyingly perfect condition, putting many much newer vehicles to shame!   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone images.

More often than not, the UMPH editorial team prefers a three-quarter frontal or full frontal view as an opener but, in today's case, this combo side and rear image is the money shot!  Just look at the car's length!  How about its about-to-pounce profile?!  Wow!! If you're wondering what it is that I've lost my wheels nuts over, a discreet badge on the boot shows that it's a Mercury.  A quick squiz at Wikipedia reveals the Mercury to be a now deceased Ford line, sitting between the basic Ford name-plated vehicles and the range-topping Lincolns, introduced by Edsel Ford himself ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(automobile)#:~:text=Mercury%20is%20a%20defunct%20division,Ford%20and%20Lincoln%20model%20lines ).   And whilst the Mercury may be no more, it was still a way more successful venture than Ford's eponymously named Edsel sub-brand, a nameplate the Wiki-boffins describe as having become "a symbol of ... commercial failure" ( https://www.google....

I covet this Galant.  How could I not?  It's straight and largely rust-free, and appears to be complete.  The perfect project and a lovely stablemate for the mighty hardtop, too.  Just don't tell Mrs UMPH!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone images.