Skip to main content

Classics by the Beach: September, 2021


It's a well known fact that Fathers' Day* marks the official opening of the classic car season in Tasmania, in the same way that yachties launch their social and competition sailing calendars.  However, it has been noted that the salty set have somewhat crashed the recreational motorists' party of late, the former having moved their traditional October season opener to September.  

One trusts that Her Excellency the Governor's diary is able to accommodate both events next year, as the sail- and drive-bys are highlights of each group's respective seasons!  It would be a shame if HE were again unavailable, the tooting of the klaxons and the appearance of the Vice-Regal Daimler having become quite the ocassion!


The opening of the Hobart-based CCS festivities traditionally culminates in a car show at Sandy Bay beach, approximately ten minutes' drive from the capital city's central business district.  This year, the car park adjacent to the beach was quite the locus of Lotuses, with several examples of the marque present.  As lovely as they were, though, it was decided to open coverage of the event with this magnificent, and relatively rare, TVR Griffith 500.


For the uninitiated, TVR - a clumsy contraction of Trevcar Motors - is a British manufacturer of upmarket sports cars featuring powerful engines in lightweight bodies, at one time being the world's third largest company specialising in that particular market segment.  They've been at since 1946 and, according to Wikipedia, were founded in the delightful seaside amusement park - aka the vomit-in-a-hat-style stag and hens' party capital of the UK - that is Blackpool.  


Further reference to Wikipedia reveals this example - a Griffith 500 - to be of tubular steel and fibreglass construction, fitted with a 5.0 litre Rover V8 mated to either a Rover or Tremec five speed manual 'box.  That same source indicates that there were only 2,351 Griffiths made during a production run spanning 1991 to 2002 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVR_Griffith).  There are, however, no data to indicate how many of the total were 500s, nor which of the two transmissions was fitted to that variant (the Tremec, quite likely, seeing the 500 had the largest capacity, highest output engine of all the Griffiths).



Please enjoy the rest of this article.  The aforementioned Lotuses are sprinkled througout the remainder of the coverage, there's a pair of early model super-charged MGs, a lovely Lamborghini Espada, a very cool Volvo wagon, Ces' BSA scrambler, Tristan's Fiat 850, a big ol' T-Bird, plus the usual assortment of random car and people photos. 

A RWD Elan +2


























Nameplate revived:  a later FWD Elan




































Are you a fan of classic, sports and performance vehicles?  Do you enjoy car shows and motorsports, especially when there's a bit of Tasmanian scenery thrown in for good measure?  Then how about looking about the rest of the Upper Middle Petrol Head site, sharing or subscribing?  I'd really, really like to build the readership and promote Tasmania's classic car culture to the rest of the world!  




U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

*Despite what the traditional and social media believe, Fathers' day = a day for fathers, plural.  Father's day, if it existed, would be a day for a father, singular.  









 

Comments

  1. Unknown7 September 2021 at 11:26

    I remember seeing an Espada getting around Sandy Bay in my teens. Wouldn't be surprised if that's the one. Would be worth a fortune!

    Concur re Fathers' Day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alastair Watson7 September 2021 at 13:39

    Thanks, unknown! I have the slighest recollection of a silver Espada, too. Or I'm imagining it! Great car, either way.

    Cheers,

    Alastair

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
9 comments
Read more

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
Post a Comment
Read more

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.
Post a Comment
Read more