Classics by the Beach: December, 2024

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What had been forecast to be a very, very wet Sunday turned out to be a rather pleasant day at Sandy Bay’s Classics by the Beach monthly cars and coffee.  Not only did the predicted heavy rain not eventuate, the sun came out and provided a bit of warmth, just in time for the first calendar day of summer.  


Photo by Gor. 


Leon’s “Mimosa” yellow, Michelotti-designed Triumph Dolomite Sprint was just one of many, many wonderful cars in attendance but its colourful hue really did add to the event’s summer vibe.   Being a Sprint, it came standard with a nippy 2.0 litre, 16 valve, single overhead cam head (yes, a single OHC engine with 16 valves), and overdrive on third and fourth gears.  Upgraded front disc pads and larger rear drums were also part of the package, while a limited slip differential was an option.


All this was put to good use several years ago when Leon and his son put the Dolomite through its paces as an entrant in the Touring section of the iconic Targa Tasmania tarmac rally.   As Leon said, “Touring might be restricted to the posted speed limit but there’s lots of fun to be had 100 km/h, especially on winding roads that have been closed to all other traffic!”   The roads between Queenstown and Derwent Bridge were particularly memorable, he added.  


The car’s paint is in great nick but the interior did need a bit of work, with Leon having sanded and re-varnished the wooden door trims.   Its seats were re-trimmed in close to original fabric and the carpets have been replaced, too.  The only obvious feature that’s not factory is the wooden sports steering wheel but it matches the other wooden features perfectly.  



There were actually three of these wonderful Jensen-Healeys in attendance: the one shown above; a red, Rover V8-powered version featured later in this piece; and Classics regular John Regis’ well known local car.   John told me that this was no accident; the J-H club were conducting a Christmas drive through the Derwent Valley and some participants had chosen the Bay as their first staging point.  I hope they had a great day!












Japan’s fabled side-draft Mikuni.  








Apologies if this beautiful British 1964 Alvis TE21 has graced the pages of UMPH before, which it quite likely has.  It’s just so damned stylish that I had to feature it again!  Everything - from its light-filled glasshouse trimmed in tan leather and golden wood, through to the wire wheels with four-wheel disc brakes - exudes elegance, class and performance.  I know very little about the marque but a quick squiz at Wikipedia tells me that it’s powered by an Alvis 3.0 litre straight six and the body is by Mullinar Park Ward.  For me, it’s everything that a Jag of the same era is but more. 










This is the second J-H mentioned before.   It’s clearly a purposeful machine but, other than the vented bonnet shown below, it hides its lamp - aka V8 engine - under a bushel, looking deceptively stock.  Very tasteful indeed!  


And just in case you missed it, here's a piece that I wrote earlier on the other Jensen-Healey in attendance:  John's early Series 2: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2023/05/upper-middle-petrol-head-drives-john.html.  Please enjoy!
















Did you enjoy this post?  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.)


 

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