Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This is my 1975 GC  Galant hardtop, photographed on Rosny Hill, overlooking the River Derwent in Tasmania's capital city of Hobart.   It's finally finished after a five year incremental rebuild that culminated in an excellent respray at Kerryn and Bruce Payne's Talon Bodyworks at 110 Charles Street, Moonah (Ph: 6273 0959). I have owned The Galant since October, 1981, when I bought it in Hobart for $3,800.  This was a reasonable amount, considering that the average salary back then was in the vicinity of $6,000 per year.   It was originally equipped with a 1.6 litre motor and a four speed manual transmission, as were all Galants available in Australia at that time.   However, I fairly quickly converted it to full Japanese hardtop spec, swapping the 1.6 for a twin-carb 2 litre 4G52 and fitting an original (not ex-Sigma Borg Warner) JDM five-speed 'box. Mitsubishi badges are proudly displayed because, like all Galant hardtops, this car was...

Like the fabulous RX3 of a few posts ago, this Mustang was spotted in Launceston by correspondent Mr Beard. If you've got any classic car images you'd like to share, please feel free to do a Beard and send them to UMPH via alastair.watson1463@gmail.com. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Minor mishap:  driver's side mirror went west!  The friendly owners of this lovely Stag are living the life, touring Tasmania and taking in its fabulous sights, eating our amazing food and driving our very, very driveable roads, having just arrived in Hobart from the west coast. And what a great car to be doing it in:  a four-speed manual with an electric overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears, coupled to an original Triumph 3.0 litre V8! Stags' reputations were initially sullied by shoddy British Leyland assembly that saw them suffer from over-heating, amongst other quality control issues, resulting in many owners fitting 3.5 litre Rover V8s to their cars. However, this particular example's cooling system was carefully rebuilt and now runs without problems, easily coping with 30 degrees-plus temperatures encountered near Canberra at the commencement of the trip. These days, Stag owners have a wealth of accumulated knowledge on overcoming the...

The subject of today's post - an early 1980s Mercedes 500 SL - hails from the ancestral home of the UMPH mother-in-law.  Despite this unfortunate association, UMPH really loves the big, bold Teutonic style of this magnificent beast with its 5 litre V8 motor and imposing road presence. As an example of the marque, this particular car could hardly be faulted.  If it hasn't recently undergone a fairly comprehensive restoration, it has clearly been kept in first-rate condition ;  everything from its mohair roof through to its paint, chrome and interior were in near perfect condition. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

UMPH was born in the year of the EH Holden and grew up in the 1970s when, like so many cars of that time, they had become affordable for younger drivers.   The 70s were no different to today  when it comes to youths and their vehicles, in that cars often became the focus for personal expression and identity through modification. This absolutely immaculate EH Special , photographed in North Hobart,   therefore epitomises the late 60s and early 70s' 'hotted-up' look that is, for UMPH and others of his era, exactly what an early Holden of Ford Falcon should look like (only better).   Why better? , you ask.  Not only was the car bang-on for period features (Aunger mags, a wooden three spoke sports steering wheel, a dash-top tacho and a great exhaust note), its emerald green duco, glittering chrome and perfect interior would easily exceed the quality of any young yobbo's ride back in the day! UMPH was able to grab a few quick words wi...

This extremely tidy Mazda RX3 was spotted recently in Launceston in Tasmania's north.  Unfortunately, rotary Mazdas seem to have all but disappeared from the state's roads, popping up only very rarely, whereas RX2s, RX3s and RX4s were once common.  UMPH can't even think when he last saw an R100 or an RX5 and even Series I & II RX7s have dropped off the radar a bit. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au). Image courtesy of Andy Beard.