Upper Middle Petrol Head:

I doubt there's a better example of a 200B than this superb SSS   anywhere , such is its condition and presentation!  It's not an exaggeration to suggest that it looks absolutely brand new with pristine deep maroon duco, a sumptuous and oh-so '80s deep red velour interior, and a bang-on for period set of alloy wheels. The grille identifies it as a second series edition (circa 1980), while the coupe-only taillights hint that its styling may have been more heavily influenced by JDM vehicles than their sedan and wagon siblings.  It might even be that all coupes were imported, even after production of the four door variants began in Australia.  As a two door, it'd be fair to say that the SSS sat at the top of the line-up, arguably classier than the up-market yet sporty Aspen and more performance orientated SX , both of which were sedan-based.        A range of base- and mid-spec sedans and station wagons (estates) rounded out Datsun's 200B offeri...

  Today's offering - a gorgeous XP Falcon ute - comes from the newly expanded UMPH Canberra Bureau.  Welcome to the team, CACTus! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photo by Angus.

This lovely Fairmont  Ghia -  photographed in the Tamar wine region, just west of Launceston, Tasmania - appears to be the rarer and more desirable ESP, as it features the Scheel sports seats that were available as part of that model designation.   ESP stands for European Sports Pack, which, according to Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Falcon_(XE) , accessed 31 MAR 21), carried the internal Ford code "Option 54." Probably the best source of info on the ESPs is Which Car's buyers' guide ( https://www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/buyers-guide/1908/1980-1984-ford-falcon-esp-xd-xe-buyers-guide , accessed 31 MAR 21), as it lists all the engine / transmission combinations and features available on these cars, not the least of them being 5.8 and 4.9 litre V8s or fuel injected 4.1 litre straight six donks, four wheel discs,  a slightly lowered stance,  Bilstein shockies, and heavier-duty coils and anti-sway bars. The same article also suggests that there's...

This Chevrolet Impala is a whole lotta car, with a huge, classically American-style body and a 327 cubic inch V8.  It's probably not enormous by US standards but, compared to, say, a Holden Statesman (one's conveniently parked alongside) or a Ford Fairlane or an LTD, it is big!   Being as it is a real-steel mobile, made in the glory days before fuel economy was a thing, it's unlikely to be exactly light weight, either.  Which brings me to its exotic braking system ... :  four-wheel drums!  Just as well it's a cruiser, 'coz, sizeable as they are, I can't see those brakes being real effective after too many hard and prolonged applications at speed! But as a cruiser, it's got everything going for it:  style, presence and a wonderfully patinated clear-coat-over-metal finish that gives it a slightly rat-rod-ish appeal.  Just the vehicle for a day trip down the Tamar with a few mates!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone ...

  I've said it before and it's very, very likely that I'll say it again:  Holden's model-naming conventions are as illogical A-F!  As best as I can tell, this is an FC (four vertical and three horizontal grille bars and rectangular front indicators, built  into a chrome strip above the bumper).  The FC replaced the FE (five vertical grille bars, five that are horizontal and simple round front indicators, sitting on unadorned sheet metal) in 1958.  I'd have thought that  C , coming before  E , would denote an earlier car but, no, not in Holden's bizarre interpretation of the alphabet. Had logic prevailed, the next car in the series would have surely been an FD (?).  No!  Not on your Nelly; it became the FB!  And, to compound such silliness, the FB was replaced by the EK!  Didn't Holden's Model Naming Department know that  E comes before F !?  I feel sorry for people born before the introduction of Sesame Street!...

  Today's photos come from Galant fanatic Daniel, who braved the poxy, half-arsed excuse for a road that is the Midlands Highway and attended Shannons' Japanese car show at Launceston's National Automobile Museum of Tasmania*.  According to Daniel, it was a great day and so successful that it's going to become an annual event.  And while he was there, he did what any sane petrol head would do and checked out the rest of the NAMT's excellent display!   ______________________________________________________ * 84 Lindsay Street, Invermay, 7248 / https://namt.com.au . U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by Daniel.

  The Upper Middle Petrol Head correspondents have really been earning their big bucks packages of late, especially when it comes to bringing us some truly beautiful Italian cars.  The Canberra office has come through with some rippers, including a Lancia Fulvia Sport , not one but two Alfetta Sportivos , and a magnificent Alfa Montreal !  Not to be outdone, Tasmania's East Coast branch of the UMPH publishing conglomerate has shone, filing copy of four lovely Fiat Dino Spyders captured in the seaside town of Swansea. The Canberra Bureau has hit back with today's submission, a stunning Fulvia HF !  Some quick Wiki-taxonomy suggests that it's probably a circa 1970 Series 2  (Tipo 818.740/741) , as its headlights are evenly sized - meaning it's not a  Fanalone or "big lights" version with the accompanying double entendre mammalian protuberance allusions - and it has slightly flared mudguards, rather than the earlier plastic bolt-ons (which also isn't a re...