Upper Middle Petrol Head:

My two Fiats:  Rosso the 128 3P project car (left) and Arancio the soon to be completed ex-UK Serie Speciale X1/9. Old cable (top left), newbie (right) and rear of instrument cluster showing the speedo drive (protuberance on the left) and three multi-pin wiring blocks. Rumour had it that replacing an X1/9's speedo cable is a bugger of a job, second only to brake and clutch master cylinder removal and reinstallation for its pain in the botty rating.  The fact that my trusty Haynes manual doesn't even mention the procedure didn't inspire confidence, either! It was, however, a job that I couldn't put off any longer, having bought a replacement from Vick Autosports, Texas, USA, nearly twenty months' ago (US$60, delivered).  Time to stop being a mechanical girlie man! To be honest, I really don't know what the fuss was about!  It's actually very simple, as I'll explain: First of all, I removed the instrument cluster (five Allen screws), disconnected the three...

The final 2021 installment of Hobart's finest and longest running free car show was a wonderful culmination of what was, at best, a marginal year all-round.  Fortunately, Australia's island state, Tasmania, has been almost entirely Covid-19 free but still the dreaded pandemic has cast a pall over many aspects of our usually idyllic lifestyle.  Car lovers - especially those who consider a drive to Sandy Bay on the first Sunday of each month a staple of their calendars - have no doubt found some respite from the year's travails in their automotive passion.  I know that I have! December's event may have been a bit smaller than it has been over the last few months but that didn't detract from the quality of the assembled vehicles, as I hope these photos will demonstrate.  The three Italians - three and a half, depending on your definition of a car - that lead today's coverage were all beautiful, as were the remainder of the otherwise predominantly British fleet....