Upper Middle Petrol Head:

We're back!  After an IT-related hiatus, the UMPH engine room - that's to say the office MacBook Pro - has had its screen replaced and the slow, aged iPad has been put out to YouTube-viewing and social media-checking pasture.  That means that we'll hopefully be able to put a bit of content out again, on an at least semi-regular basis. Kicking off our renewed coverage is this classic Pininfarina-designed Fiat 124 Spider , which is timely considering how popular recent Fiat- and Alfa-related posts have been.  It's not a local car, though, coming to us courtesy of the SEQ correspondent and having been captured at a cars 'n' coffee in Brisbane, Queensland, several months ago.   It’s a recurrent UMPH theme but the less-fancied Fiat Spider  really, really is a more than adequate alternative to Alfa Romeo’s equivalent rag top sports car.  B oth manufacturers’ roadsters - based on their respective sporty coupes (please see:  https://uppermiddlepetrol...

  Fun fact:   The inspiration for the rear side window of fabled Aussie muscle car the A9X Torana  came from the equivalent chunk of glass on this, Italy’s beautiful Fiat 850 Sport Coupe!   But don’t take my word as gospel, tempting as it undoubtedly is to believe every keystroke that I - an only moderately credible ‘blogger from the arse end of our magnificent nation - make; there’s this corroborative article from no lesser an authority than Shannons (please see:  https://www.shannons.com.au/club/news/classic-garage/lx-torana-and-a9x-from-mediocre-to-meteoric-in-18-months/ ).   Today’s 850 - interestingly, the second in a matter of weeks (the other one’s available here:  https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/08/readers-photos-125-fiat-850-sport-coupe.html ) - was brought to you by Philip H.  It appears to be in very good nick with nice duco, straight panels and no obvious rust.   They’re pretty rare these days, the vast majority ha...

  Alfa Romeo - the first part of this fabled name being an acronym for  Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili and not, as I originally thought, an Italianised* spelling of the first letter of the Greek alpha bet - has produced some of the most beautiful cars ever made - think the  Montreal  and  33 Stradale for a start.  It's also made some stinkers, prominent amongst them being the grotesque chunk of plastic that is the 75-based SZ or Sprint Zagato**  (inset, below).  I'm not much of a 75 fan, either, but I'll cease further commentary for fear of further alienating any more of my already modest readership! The Tipo 105 Giulia of 1962 to 1978 probably isn't beautiful but, thankfully, it's not pig dog ugly, either.  It might politely be described as "handsome," "classic" or "of its era" and - for a berlinetta (a sedan for us Aussies) - it certainly has its appeal.  However - and again I risk the permanent aprobrium of a num...