Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This clean, tidy and apparently recently re-sprayed Mini van was a beauty!  There were a few tiny bits of trim - badges, mainly - that were absent, suggesting that the car may be in the final stages of reassembly.  Lovely! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

UMPH was struck by the simple combination of white and black on this very understated, yet totally cool, late 80s / early 90s Volvo 240 estate wagon.  It was ostensibly standard with only a set of black-accented five-spoke Performance alloy wheels, specially sourced from the mainland, and heavily tinted  - almost black - windows setting it apart from other Volvos of a similar era. The car was in great nick, with straight, rust-free panels, blemish-free duco and first-rate bumpers and trim.  If it weren't for the wheels, one might mistake it for a more garden-variety Volvo.   However, its owner has plans to extract 300 bhp from it without resorting to the insertion of a Chev V8 or any of the more popular - crude, one might say - big engine replacements.  He will instead be sourcing and fitting various components from other Volvo power-plants - including Volvo's Penta marine range - that share the common block featured in the automotive 24...

En route:  the Galant at a coffee break in Tarraleah It's easy to forget - ignore, even - the beauty of your own home state when its very proximity and ease of access renders it almost invisible.  That's how it was for the UMPHs, who had spent so much time travelling to places other than their island home they were missing out on the excellent touring options within Tasmania. For international readers who may not know, Tasmania is the small, triangle-shaped island that sits below (south of) the better-known, and significantly bigger, east coast mainland Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.  Tasmania may be small but it makes up for its lack of size in so many ways. Here we are! Tasmania is an extremely popular destination for outdoors types, keen on wilderness pursuits like bush-walking, mountain-biking and kayaking in the midst of stunning natural scenery, and those who enjoy seriously high-end food, wines,...

What's not to love about the mighty MG Midget and its twin, the Austin Healey Sprite?  Both cars are virtually identical, as is the case with so many British cars that share bodies and mechanical packages - with slight variations within the ranges - such as the Morris and Austin Minis, their Riley and Wolseley variants ( Elfs and Hornets , respectively); Morris, Austin, Wolseley, and MG sedans; and some of the Jaguar Daimler models - to name a few. In the case of "Spridgets," as some people like to call them, variations are very minor, with only a bit of chrome here and there and sometimes the provision of wire wheels over steel rims separating the two variants   (usually on the slightly fancier MG models) .  However, it should be noted that there was never a "Frog Eye" (or "Bug Eye" if you're an American) Midget, meaning that model - officially known as the Mk I - was a stand-alone Austin Healey-only product.  This also explains why the ye...

Readers overwhelmingly chose this gorgeous Alfa 105 - photographed during Longley, the final competitive stage of Targa Tasmania - as the car they thought should be the lead image for this year's Targa edition of UMPH.   The Alfa really did capture the true essence of the event, exhibiting all the essentials that make Targa Australia's, if not the world's, best tarmac rally: classic styling, a spine tingle-inducing induction / exhaust note and magnificent performance, all in a car that was brilliantly driven on roads that demand skill and reward drivers who possess it with exhilaration and spectacular scenery in equal measure. Please enjoy the following photographs.           Above and below:  Steve of Fogarty Automotive doing co-driving duties The Austin shown in the photos above is deservedly wearing ...