Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This very tidy Beetle, photographed in West Hobart, appears to be a daily driver.  However, that's not to say that it isn't a cherished car, given the condition it was in. Once upon a time, people drove older cars like this because they were cheap.  That's less of a consideration now, though ; if cost were the only issue, Hyundais and other bargain marques would fit the bill as knock-about family hacks, as they do for many uni students and first-car owners.  The very fact that someone has looked after this particular car and chooses to drive it when there are so many cheaper, yet better equipped, (possibly) more reliable and arguably safer options available speaks volumes for the allure of classic cars. UMPH knows what he'd rather drive if given the option of a Beetle or some horrid, soulless Korean appliance of a vehicle.  Long live classic cars and all who drive in them! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blospot.com.au .) ...

Waves of 1970s nostalgia washed over UMPH at the sight of this absolutely lovely Mazda 1300 sedan, photographed in Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, on a late summer's day. UMPH has fond memories of his grandmother's 1300, in exactly the same colour and featuring identical interior trim, and the time the poor old dear did a burn-out entering an intersection in some particularly heavy traffic. UMPH would like to point out that Grandma was not a hoon ; the road was wet and slippery, the car was running cheese cutter cross-plies and she was mortified (what if one of the other bowling ladies had seen her?!). However, UMPH, his brother and cousins were delighted - street-cred to Grandma!! The particular car seen here couldn't have been in much better nick ; the paint, chrome and interior were very nearly flawless, and even the hubcaps were original and unmarked. So here's to the 1970s, burn-outs and bowling ladies, and to whoever it is that's ke...

Uppermiddlepetrolhead is not a classic motorcycle 'blog.  However, the sheer beauty of this 1961 Puch (pronounced  Puck , UMPH is reliably informed), spotted in North Hobart's cafe precinct, was impossible to resist. According to the bike's owner, Puch is the small vehicle division of the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch, who manufacture everything from firearms to trucks.  Steyr have made weapons for the Australian military and everyone knows about the Daimler group.  Puch are, however, less well known in Australia, although off-road enthusiasts may well remember the amazingly capable Steyr-Puch Haflinger four wheel drive.  They also made the Fiat-based Puch 500 but that vehicle was never imported into this country. A Haflinger 4WD (internet image - Wikipedia) A Puch 500 (internet image - Wikipedia) Even less well known, - in Australia, at least - is that in addition to small cars, o...

Late-model MGBs, often called Rubber-Noses , tend to cop a bit of stick from some elements of the classic car set. According to their detractors, Rubber-Noses are unattractive and they handle poorly, too. First things first:  beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, in UMPH's opinion, the one-piece front bumper and grille, and the matching rear bumper are actually quite a pleasant looking evolution of the MGB's style. A similar treatment was given to the MG Midget, supposedly to help both vehicles meet US collision regulations stipulating that automobiles' bumpers need to be at a standard height and provide greater impact resistance (the result of which can be seen on other vehicles of the era, such as the Series II Fiat X1/9). A Rubber-Nose Midget (internet image). However, those regs are said to have had two deleterious effects on rubber-nosed editions of both cars' handling:  first, to achieve the extra height needed to match their bumpe...

This Alfa Spider , photographed in North Hobart, Tasmania, was in great nick. As these photos show, its panels, paint, roof and interior all looked to be in very good original condition. The basic Spider shape persisted from 1967's Series 1, or 'Boat Tail,' through to the car featured here, a Series 4, the production of which ceased in 1993. In precis, the main visual markers that identify the four series are: Series 1 (1966 - 1969) -  'Boat Tail,' featuring a tapered rear-end treatment ; Series 2 (1970 - 1982/83) - more truncated 'Kamm Tail,' with chrome bumpers ; Series 3 (1982/83 - 1989/90) - same rear end treatment but with black rubber bumpers and a black boot-lip spoiler ; and Series 4 (1990/91 - 1993) - ditto on the rear end styling but, in this instance, featuring full colour-coded plastic bumpers, Alfa 164 style taillights and the deletion of the spoiler. (Wikipedia -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_S...

As UMPH reader Humpty points out in his reply to Random # 95  ( http://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/random-95-ford-escort-13-litre-coupe.html ) , Ford Escorts are culturally significant to several early 1980s alumni of a particular Tasmanian residential college. Back then, four students at that august institution owned Escorts: three had panel vans - one of them belonging to UMPH himself - plus there was a single sedan. Humpty suggests that the diminishing stocks of Escorts mentioned in Random # 95 can, in part, be attributed to the demise of alumnus DHR's white van, which was rolled by its owner in suburban Launceston in 1983. He also writes that, in consideration of the close association of Escort vans with the group, UMPH ".. will have to come up with a van" for publication. Challenge met:  this classic 2.0 litre van was recently photographed at the Coal Valley Vineyard and Restaurant, Cambridge. It appeared to be...

Thanks to Tasmanian architect Mark Drury, FSB, for the photos of this Western Australian registered Triumph Spitfire , photographed in Bathurst Street, Hobart, one summer's evening. It's a later version - a Mk IV - taking some styling cues from the  Michelotti   designed Stag , which is especially evident in profile and around the car's rear. A Stag in semi-profile, above, and from the rear, below (UMPH images). UMPH has information from a credible source that the owner drove it to Tasmania  a couple of years ago from Perth, Western Australia, a trip of just over 4,000 kilometres that included crossing the Nullabor Desert and spanned four Australian states. If you have photos of a car you'd like to share with others readers, please email them and a short description of that vehicle, plus its history, to alastair.watson1463@gmail.com. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images. ...