Auto Italia, 2021, Part 5: Italian Cars that Aren't Fiats, Lancias or Alfas

Regular readers might remember that the UMPH team were a tad ticked off when vast majority of the Ferrar-o-Lambo brigade racked off just as soon as 2021's Auto Italia organisers had handed out the trophies, all air horns bleeping, engines revving and look at me (while you can!), a good ninety minutes before the event was due to end. Thanks for nothing, ya up yourselves w⚓s!

A bit harsh? Not so! One generous soul suggested that a lot of the "supercar" owners had travelled a long way just to exhibit their flashy toys and needed to leave in plenty of time to get home. So the Fiat, Lancia and Alfa people somehow time-travelled back to their abodes? It doesn't wash as an excuse.

Fortunately, the owners of these two classics - a stunning Lamborghini Miura and a 1960s Maserati saloon of such elegance that it made your equivalent Jag of the era look decidedly frumpish - had the courtesy to stay to the end of the show! Event patrons certainly appreciated it, even if the cars did look a little forlorn parked all on their lonesome.

Photo by Angus

Rant over! But if you did want to feast your eyes on some true enthusiasts' Italian machinery - cars whose owners didn't just breeze in, snatch their gongs and bugger off, may I recommend visiting:

Fiat & Bertone X1/9s: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2021/04/auto-italia-2021-part-1-x-factor.html ;

Other Fiats: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2021/04/auto-italia-2021-part-2-fiats-that.html ;

Lancias: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2021/05/auto-italia-2021-part-3-lancias.html ; and

Alfa Romeos: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2021/05/auto-italia-2021-part-4-alfas.html .

(So maybe the rant wasn't completely over ... 😏.)

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Comments

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

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.

Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Search This Blog