Don Mario's: November, 2023

It's taken far too long to finally get one of the Upper Middle Petrol Head team up to George Town, in Tasmania's north, to cover a Don Mario's cars 'n' coffee event. It's not just the distance from UMPH HQ in Hobart that had held us back; the extremely popular northern show is always held on the same day as Sandy Bay's Classics by the Beach - the first Sunday of each month - creating a bit of a dilemma for our staff who are all a bit keen on sleeping in of a weekend.

Until now, that is. Our newest recruit - he prefers the term intern whereas we call him Work Experience Kid - has no life and was, therefore, not too hard to cajole into a very early start and a sortie to the other end of the state. As a sweetener, we paid for his petrol and coughed up extra coin for a pie and Coke along the way!

WEK tells us that, unlike Classics, Don Mario's is almost exclusively Aussie and American muscle and classic chrome bumper territory. None of ya poncey Italian jobs and high-end German machinery at this festival of old school cool!

Mind you, there was a bit of Pommie stuff - a Hillman, a Lotus Cortina replica, a Lotus Elan, a Morgan, a rat-rodded Humber and a Royale Sabre roadster that we'll discuss in a while; one solitary French car, a Renault 12 wagon, which is what out-doorsy people used to drive before Subarus became their kayak carriers of choice; a Datsun 1600 and a Kei truck from Japan; as well as a very tidy Kombi ute. But mainly GT Falcons, early Mustangs, Monaros, Toranas, a Trans Am and Valiants, just like WEK said!

This is the Royale Sabre mentioned earlier. According to a handy plaque provided by the car's owner, it is a "... two-seat roadster built in ... Bamber Bridge ... . [It's] not a replica, but is an original design by John Barlow of Royale Motors Ltd [and is] one of approximately 250 built to date." The plaque goes on to say that the Sabre's construction is based on a " ... 100 mm box section ladder frame ..." with all fibreglass body panels, other than the bonnet, which is made of aluminium. Safety features include side impact anti-intrusion bars, the suspension is fully independent with coil-overs all 'round, there are four-wheel ABS disc brakes and it weighs in at approximately 1300 kg. Mechanicals are courtesy of a 1995 Ford Granada, including a twin cam 2.0 litre EFI engine and five speed 'box from the same source.

WEK took these photos of a Daihatsu kei-truck, not realising that the Editor in Chief had already covered the car when it used to live down south and was a semi-regular at Classics (please see: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/08/classics-by-beach-august-2022.html). The images do, however, serve to showcase the owner's latest project - a stripped back, Deus ex Machina-inspired Yamaha 250 - strapped to the diminutive load-hauler's tray.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not browse the rest of the uppermiddlepetrolhead site? There are loads and loads of classic, sports and performance vehicles featured, as well as stacks of car shows and motorsports events. Even better, you can follow either the 'blog itself or do so via Upper Middle Petrol Head's Facebook page. And please do like and share!

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Words by the Editor-in-Chief.

Photos by the Work Experience Kid.

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.

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