Upper Middle Petrol Head:

  The Upper Middle Petrol Head team do love an MGB.  However, we tend not to feature them all that often, as they're still quite a common sight on our roads, which, given that around 500,000 of them were made over an 18 year production run, isn't surprising.   It's still possible to buy effectively brand new, highly restomodded MGBs - utilising fresh panels stamped from the original British Motor Heritage pressings and Mazda MX5 running gear - from British firm Frontline Developments ( https://frontlinedevelopments.com/vehicle/mg-le50/  &  https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=6503 ).  Frontline is in many ways what Singer is to the Porsche 911 and an equivalent to Alfaholics who work their magic on Alfa 105 series cars.  Another  British company, RBW, also does an electric version of the MGB roadster ( https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/roadster/first-drive-0 ).    So why the change in editorial policy?  Today's car - resplenden...

Sadly, 2022's Targa Tasmania saw another fatality - the fourth in two years - resulting in the downgrading of the entire event from competition to touring only.  It looks like finishing the Tour was still a bridge too far for some participants, with a number turning up at Classics by the Beach on Sunday morning, well ahead of the scheduled close of Targa-related activities for this year.  Had it not been for the smattering of Targa Tour entrants who showed up at Classics, it would've been one of the more dismal turnouts in recent years.  However, that didn't diminish the quality of cars that did attend; there were still quite a few beautiful vehicles on display, with the Alvis shown below being particularly interesting. Whilst it won't shock anyone that it's an early model car, it might still surprise a few people just how old it actually is, hailing, as it does, from 1928!  It's also likely that one or two will be taken aback by its advanced technology, in...

Was the EH a turning point in the evolution of Holden?  It certainly was a departure from some of their earlier cars, ditching the rounded lines of the "FX" (48-215) and FJ through to the FE and FC, as well as moving beyond the fifties' tail-fins of the FB and EK. And even though it was an evolution of the EJ, its squarer overall look was significantly more modern and, arguably, attractive.  What's more, the EH saw the introduction of the "red" motor which was Holden's first major upgrade over the "grey" donk that powered all their previous cars.   Somehow, the EH's successor, the HD of 1965-66, never had the same following.  It wasn't until the very popular HR - an update of the HD in the same way that the EH followed the EJ - came along that the public really embraced Holden's six-cylinder offering again.  It's arguable that the HR was also a milestone car for Australia's GM arm. Today's example - photographed by Mikey...

  What can I say about this  a m a z i n g  Maserati?  What can anyone say, really??   It's Monaco on a summer's evening.  It's Sophia Loren, big sunglasses, hair in a scarf, filmy dress and heels.  It's Aperol spritzes at a harbourside bar and then off to the Casino de Monte Carlo.  Aah!     U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by the CC at Auto Italia, 2022.

  I realise that, technically, this is a Lancia Fulvia Sport .  However, the Sport variant is almost universally known as the Zagato, in honour of the design house that built and manufactured the car for Lancia, based on the Fulvia coupe platform.   The Sport shown here - photographed by the Canberra Correspondent at Auto Italia, 2022 - is absolutely immaculate.  Its low-slung, rakish lines are also a huge departure from the aforementioned coupe with its quite upright look - and its frankly boxy in-house designed four door - or Berlinetta -  sibling, which is a testament to Zagato's styling genius.    One of the most comprehensive guides to the Sport can be found on UK You Tube channel Harry's Garage ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIB5XXHNAWWzTOw6guIMYCg/videos ) , which charts the trials and tribulations of what started as a light freshen-up but ended up being a total rebuild of the eponymous Harry's own example.  One of the most f...

According to Google Lens, this is an Iso Rivolta Lele.  Further Googling revealed that early versions were powered by a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet V8, which was a very Iso formula shared by the Grifo and the larger Fidia.  Everybody's favourite font of knowledge further explained that the Lele was named in honour of the founder's son's wife - Rachelle - it was produced between 1969 and 1974 and that it was styled by Gandini - he of X1/9 fame - who was working for Bertone at the time. Spot the Fiat 124 AC taillights?  The CC did! The red car below is also a Lele , although I'm not sure if it's an earlier or later version compared to the example above.  If it is a later edition, it's likely to be Ford Windsor V8-powered, as Iso cracked the sads with GM when they started demanding up-front payment for their engines, resulting in a switch to Blue Oval donks.   The GM versus Ford engine thing is also a nice segue to introduce the striking  Pantera parked alo...