Upper Middle Petrol Head:

This rather handsome Mazda 929, hailing from sometime between 1976 to 1978, is a refreshing Series 2 update of the earlier, somewhat dowdy LA2 Series 1, produced from 1973.  Unlike the Series 1 sedan and station wagon - both of which featured a semi-snub nose when compared to the coupe version's longer, pointier bonnet and front end - all three styles of this second iteration had an elongated frontal area.   Today's example, captured recently by the Canberra Correspondent, looks to be in amazing nick.  The paint, panels and chrome are all first rate, while the reflectorised windscreen shade suggests that there’s a nice dash-pad being protected from the sun.  The pressed steel wheels look great, too; I believe they’re the same as those fitted to the RX4.   Mazda fans and lovers of 1970s' cars will know that the 929 was the piston-powered twin of the aforementioned rotary RX4.  What many people don't know, however, is that Mazda produced rotary...

  Weird or wonderful?  Wonderfully weird, perhaps?  I can't seem to be able to make up my mind whether I like Saabs of this era or not. They're undoubtedly well designed - aesthetics aside, which we'll get to soon - solidly-built and innovative.  They have a cult-like following, too, which speaks to their inherent qualities. I can't disagree with the Canberra Correspondent that they made turbo-charging regular daily-drive, family-type cars mainstream (even if they were almost exclusively daily-driven by the families of architects and gallery owners).  They were definitely quite capable vehicles in their time.  But I'm not sure that the looks department of subsequent iterations of the original version held up so well, especially when it came to turning the two-door into a four door.  The more recent plastic bumpers didn't translate well, either. And the cabriolet?  Tact dictates that ... . What I really, really do like, however, are this parti...

You need to be here! Looking for one of the best road trips in Tasmania, combining fast, sweeping bends on well maintained roads, with spectacular scenery and a tasty lunch?  How about Hobart to Strathgordon, in the renowned World Heritage Wilderness Area, and back, in one comfortable day?   Coast to coast perspective:  Hobart to Strathgordon compared to the width of the state. The route in detail  Click to enlarge . At roughly 315 kilometres and a conservatively estimated four and a half hours for the return journey by car, it makes for a proper day out, especially if you pull over to drink in the views of Lake Pedder and the surrounding mountain peaks, visit the Gordon Dam ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Dam )  or treat yourself to lunch at the Strathgordon Lodge.  All three options are highly recommended! The Gordon Dam (Wikipedia image). Also recommended is a stop at Maydena's Fika Time Cafe and General Store ( https://www.faceboo...

Holden model designations screw with my head!  How 1970 to 1971's  HG - of which today's car is an example - follows from the HK (1968 to 1969) and HT (1969 to 1970) is beyond me, given that there's zero regard given to alphabetical order or any other discernible system.     But it does!  The HG station wagon, utility, van and two-door Monaro variant were the last of the series produced between 1968 to 1971 that shared the same basic bodies - albeit with different grilles, indicators and other minor trim - before the introduction of the HQ - HZ / WB line-up.   I'm not so sure about the HK sedan, though; it seems to me that the rear window, rear quarters and the boot may differ from those fitted to the HT and HG sedans.  Please feel free to leave a comment if this is or isn't correct.  Of course, my inability to see logic in Holden's naming conventions does not detract from the excellence of the example shown here today!  It really, ...

Hey, P-Plater!  The team at Upper Middle Petrol Head salute you!  We love and admire your elegant and oh-so-Seventies' ride.  Long live classic Japanese cars and those who drive them!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) iPhone images  

This stunning 1972 Alfa GTV comes to us via our South East Queensland correspondent, who photographed it at a cars and coffee event in Brisbane, Australia, in early autumn, 2022.  It certainly is a magnificent example of the marque! The car belongs to a Peter who is not our SEQLD correspondent and was bought from Melbourne, Victoria, a few years ago.  Since purchasing it, owner Peter has been attending to a few faults, although, thankfully, rust has not been a significant issue.  The wheels are copies of the classic Alfa design, made in Germany and certified for racing.  Also new is the instrument cluster, from Slovakia, and the door cards, which came via UK firm Classic Alfa ( https://classicalfa.com/ ).  A new paint job is on the do-do list, although it's not too shabby as it is!     Both SEQLD correspondent Peter and owner of today's feature car Peter have previously owned 147s, with the latter having also had a 159 in his stable.  Sadly, ...

Chris' 128 sedan for attention.  (You're probably tired of seeing P3P by now!) Followers of P3P's progress may remember that brake pedal adjustment was on the agenda.  The pedal was way too tall at about 20 mm above the height of the clutch and significantly further for the throttle, making heel-toe downshift blipping impossible.  This was dangerous, too; the possibility of not being able to hit the anchors quickly enough in an emergency was significant. This shows how high the brake pedal was when compared to the clutch.  The brake / throttle disparity was far greater! Why this was so is anyone's guess!   Mine is that there's a non-original part in the system - maybe a close-enough-is-good-enough brake booster from another car - for instance.  Either way, something didn't quite measure up. An inspection of the set-up that transfers the right-hand-drive pedal action to the left-side-mounted brake booster failed to find the splined shaft that I was...