Upper Middle Petrol Head:

I think this dopey-eyed old Beetle is rather lovely.  The lady owner told UMPH's Special Correspondent for West Hobart that she's owned it for the last 20 years, it's her only-ever car, and she originally bought it when she lived in New South Wales. Interestingly , it's equipped with a clutchless three speed manual transmission which, until today, I'd never heard of.  A bit of VW forum-foraging soon had me in the know, though ; the gear knob has a switchy-sensor type device that engages a solenoid which, in turn, kicks in an electrically-actuated vacuum clutch.  So it's really clutch-pedal-less, if you wish to be pedantic. I believe that Porsche once had a similar system, although I can't imagine that their version was a three-cogger.  Honda and Mazda have both offered clutchless manuals, too, but not for many years.  And as far as tech goes, we're not talking flappy paddle-shift here! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blo...

Sandy Bay's monthly celebration of classic and sports cars has kicked up another notch, building in size from the first post-covid-19 get together in June.  It's very likely that the weather - an unseasonably pleasant, sunny day in the mid-teens - added incentive for owners and admirers, ensuring that the July edition was quite a spectacle. The first vehicle to take my eye was this lovely Triumph Herald , finished to a very high standard in sky blue.  It's equipped with a Datsun 1200 motor breathing through a 45mm Weber side-draught carbie, and features a Celica five-speed 'box, Triumph TR7 rear end and meaty tyres on widened steel rims.  It does, however, run four-wheel drum brakes but they're of good size and are quite efficient, according to the car's owner.  A half-cage and some racing harnesses add to its safety. It's a recent purchase, having been bought from a bloke whose wife thought he had one too many special interest cars - four or ...