From Our Man in Buderim: The 2023 Noosa Hillclimb (Slightly Amended Version)

This car was NOT at the Noosa Hillclimb!

An SMS exchange between Our Man in Buderim and the UMPH editor in chief:

OMiB: “I have no idea what sort of cars interest you. Here’s a selection,” he wrote, simultaneously forwarding a couple of images of Clubmans, what Google Lens suggests is a Radical SR3, a 911 Carrera, a chopped MX5, a Datsun 510, a Toyota 86 and a couple of late (last) model Celicas.

EiC: “All those kind of cars, actually … .”

OMiB: “How about this one?” he asked, sending the photos above and below.

EiC: “Absolutely this one! A Lancia Beta coupe, powered by a Lampredi-designed twin cam, as shared with the Lancia Integrale and Fiat 124 coupe and Spider! What’s not to go nuts over?”

The EiC decides, then and there, that this is the lead car - the click bait, if you like - that would headline today’s piece. However, it later came to light that the photos were actually taken earlier and at a different event. He didn't know this at the time of writing, mind you; the mix-up was only discovered after publishing. Oops. Sorry. No subterfuge intended.

The EiC also decided that having missed the opportunity to attend two Noosa hillclimbs over the past decade, each by less than a week, he’s going to plan his winter Sunshine Coast sojourns a little better and make a proper effort to attend the event in person, hopefully in 2024!

For those not in the know, the Noosa Hillclimb is a biannual event now entering its 26th year with both a summer (October) and a winter (June) instalment. Billed as "one of the most exciting hill climbs in Australia," it's run on 1.5 k " ... of cambered bitumen with a blend of 14 tight and moderately sweeping corners through the [Tewantin] National Park" (https://www.noosahillclimb.com.au/, accessed 23 OCT 23).

Map also from the event website.

According to the the Noosa Hillclimb website, the event is "sanctioned by RACERS WORLD [sic] and conducted in accordance with the RACERS WORLD [sic] Event Operating Manual" (ibid.). From what the EiC can gather, Racers World (https://racers.world/) is some sort of insurance brokership and motorsports event management / oversight organisation but, TBH, he's never heard of them before. It appears that there may be some input from the Noosa Beach Classic Car Club and the Sunshine Coast Motor Sport Club, too.

With that said, there's only one thing left to do: check out OMiB's photos and, if you're so inclined, maybe watch these event videos, too: https://www.noosahillclimb.com.au/video/.

And here's another tranche of Noosa Hillclimb pics from OMiB, this time incorporating some more MX5s in hard- and soft-top guises, a couple of modern Minis, a few more Clubmans, a pair of Lotus Elises, a Porsche 944, an Alpine, a Cobra, a Ferrari and a V8-powered MGB roadster. All in all, a really nice selection of eye candy!

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos by OMiB.

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

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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.

Upper Middle Petrol Head:

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