Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Under normal circumstances - by which UMPH means a Sunday in September that's  not Fathers' day - this post would be devoted to Sandy Bay's monthly Classics by The Beach get-together of historic, sports and classic vehicles.  However, Sunday the 2nd of September, 2018,  was Fathers' Day and consequently family-related obligations have stymied all attempts at collating photos from, and writing about, Hobart's best and most regular car show.  (A Classics post will be published by this Wednesday or Friday, though.) Fortunately, a trip home via North Hobart's cafe strip saw UMPH come across this masterpiece of late 60s' / early 70s' Teutonic styling, an immaculate Mercedes 300 SEL.  It was a 3.5 litre six cylinder version, replete with all the chrome and leather you could hope to see in a car of its era, right down to the 'fly-screens' fitted either side of the iconic Merc grille.   So, if you are feeling a little cheated tha...

A plaque erected above this Austin car, photographed in Hue, Vietnam, says all that needs to be said: In this car the Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc went from An Quang Pagoda to the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung Street and Le Van Duyet Street on June 11, 1963, in Saigon. As soon as he got out of the car, The Most Venerable sat down in the lotus position and burnt himself to death to protest against the Ngo Dinh Diem regime's policies of discriminating against Buddhists and violating religious freedom. Rest in peace, The Most Venerable. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

This rather odd-looking contraption, photographed in the UNESCO-listed Vietnamese city of Hoi An, is a classic French-built Mobylette moped ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobylette ).   It is a moped in the true sense of the term,  being, as it is, powered by a combination of a mo tor and ped als ( mo - ped ).  No matter what you're told, the word  moped  is  not  a synonym for motor scooter (unless the scooter also has pedals, that is!).   And, while we're at it, there's no such thing as a quad-bike, either, unless said conveyance has eight wheels.   (Think about it:   Bi ke =  bi cycle, meaning two wheeled;  quad = four of.  Therefore, a quad-bike = 4 x 2 = 8!) * .  But we digress ... The sad absence of classic cars in Vietnam was mitigated to a degree by the presence of quite a few classic motorcycles and scooters, the main marque represented being the Italian Vespa.   T...

What traveller hasn't been given a "when you're in (insert pretty much any destination you've ever thought of going to), you must do / see / go to / eat at ..." recommendation, only to find the experience not nearly as great as the enthusiastic advice-giver made it out to be?  I have.  My lovely wife has, too.  As a result, we're often wary of the hot-tip, must-do experiences that we're not infrequently told we really, really should try. So what was it about night-touring through bustling Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam's south, on the back of a vintage Vespa motor scooter that piqued our interest?  Dear Wife wasn't keen (ten days already spent in the country was enough to convince us that Vietnam's chaotic traffic was well beyond our understanding, let alone our ability to participate in and survive its apparent madness and sheer volume).  She's not a big fan of two-wheeled conveyances, either!     Photo supplied:  Vespa Adve...

Yes, unbelievers, the vehicle you see before you  is a genuine Jeep and it's also a Mitsubishi.  Still sceptical?  Check out the following link:   https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/innovation/history/year/1950/50_5.html .         It's a tough-as-nails beast, fully equipped with some very aggressive rubber, a winch and heaps of ground clearance, which, coupled with its very short wheel-base, suggests it'd go just about anywhere.  Just like a real Jeep.  Which it is!   Unfortunately, UMPH hasn't just bought a Jeep.  He'd like to, though.  This one, if he could!   If you’re interested, here’s an informative YouTube clip with more details of the marque:  https://youtu.be/FMoLy1RECCo .   U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

Il Lufra Hotel, che si affaccia sul pavimento a mosaico sulle rive di Pirates Bay a Eaglehawk Neck, in Tasmania, è normalmente un ambiente sereno dove il suono più forte è il sordo boom del surf in arrivo. Non così una volta all'anno, però; ogni agosto, il club automobilistico italiano del sud dello stato, Club Motori Italia (CMI), gestisce l'annuale salita di collina di Lufra e l'aria fredda, ancora fredda, riverbera al suono delle classiche auto sportive e di prestazioni mentre gareggiano per gli onori. sulla strada ripida e tortuosa dall'hotel alla vista panoramica che offre ampie vedute della maestosa Penisola di Tasman, a circa un'ora di auto a sud-est di Hobart.    L'evento di quest'anno ha avuto un inizio pungente con una brezza netta e un sole mattutino che non è riuscito a mantenere il calore promesso, e ha fatto poco - se non altro - per asciugare la superficie del corso rugiadoso, anche se ha gettato una bellissima luce dorata sopra la...