Classics by the Beach: May, 2024

-

Expectations weren’t high for May, 2024’s, Classics by the Beach, given that it coincided with one of Tasmania’s biggest automotive events - the very, very popular Picnic at Ross.  Turns out there was no need for such pessimism; Sandy Bay’s first-Sunday of the month cars and coffee was extremely well attended, with numerous fabulous vehicles on display.   

The weather might’ve had something to do with the strong attendance at the southern show, with sunshine aplenty and only a light prevailing breeze.  It could’ve also been that Ross was just too far away - or potentially too cold - for many attendees, or that some simply couldn’t be bothered negotiating the underwhelming goat track that remains the Midlands Highway after nearly ten years’ worth of “upgrades.”

This 1932 Alvis was a study in elegance, looking absolutely superb with its deep green paint, glittering bright work - including the radiator emblem featured at the beginning of this piece - huge headlights, long, sweeping mudguards and wire wheels.  The interior was similarly grand; the wooden dashboard complemented the car’s sumptuous cream leather upholstery to perfection.




Not one of the more conveniently situated gear levers I’ve ever seen.  



The mid-engine brigade. 







This Mach 1 Mustang might be new to Sandy Bay (?).  Either way, this particular era of Ford’s famous pony car is a lot rarer in Tasmania than the earlier versions, with quite a lot of ‘60s examples gracing our streets.  

It’s not hard to see where the GT and GS editions of  the XA, XB & XC Falcons’ front end treatment was derived from.


Two icons of 1990s Japanese motoring:  a Z32 Nissan 300 ZX and a third generation Mazda FD RX7.






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.)





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

-
Image
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
Read more

An Electric Fiat X1/9

-
Image
For several years, there have been whispers that an electric X had been constructed in Tasmania's south.  However, no one seemed to know much about the car and how it had been built. That's not to say that it was some kind of skunkworks project; it seems to have simply been an under-the-radar affair, quietly put together by a bloke in his shed.  It was actually so U-T-R that I'd seen it at least twice without me realising that it'd been electrified. The car's since been sold but this is what I could glean from its current owner:  - It's a 1980 model and, as such, was delivered to Australia as a "Series 1.5," meaning that it originally had the Series 1's 1300 cc / four-speed in a Series 2 body with impact-absorbing bumpers and the higher engine compartment lid, as well as the latter's interior; - The motor is a 120 volt DC unit from US company Advanced Motors and Drives, rated at 10 HP / 7.355 kW ( http://evalbum.com/advdc , accessed 03 JUN 24);
Read more

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

-
Image
  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. Hello, reader! I've noticed that this seems to be a particularly popular post.  Something to do with Google's algorithms, I guess ... .  But it's not my best piece!  Sure, it's ok, but there are so, so many more interesting classic, sports and performance cars on this site - as well as car shows and motorsports events - for you t
Read more