Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Welcome to this, Upper Middle Petrol Head's first Classics by the Beach post!  He's hoping to step into the shoes - but not on the toes - of Swade, who has been providing excellent commentary on Hobart's classic cars scene for several years now.   UMPH wishes Swade all the best in his new role in Sweden.  If UMPH can be half as well informed, enthusiastic and passionate as Swade has been, he reckons he'll be doing alright.    Those of you that follow Swade ( swadeology.com )   will have almost certainly seen that he's already doing his thing in his adopted home and has posted several car-related articles, the most recent of which relates to the Saab Festival.  Having never really been a fan of the marque, UMPH now has to admit that he can see the appeal - especially with the Sonnets and the 96s in rally guise.                     ____________________________________________________ The first thing that struck UMPH about this month's Classics is just ho

Despite first impressions, not every single vehicle in the Northern Territory is a white Toyota four wheel drive.  Some residents of the Top End have dared to choose Toyota four wheels drives of other hues (gun metal grey seems to be a popular choice).   A brave few, if you can believe it, have even chosen four wheel drives that are not Toyotas (Nissans, Mitsubishis, Ford Rangers and even the odd Land Rover)!  One should never forget the back-packer / hippy trail head full o' zombies flotilla of clapped out wanna-be Kombis, either (usually badly dented ex-delivery vans that waft incense like Upper Middle Petrol Hound emits dog-farts).   There is even a handful of cars - belonging to blow-ins, probably - that aren't actually four wheel drives or mobile bong-hovels (yes, Hyundai's reach is vast).   And then there's the classic car fraternity ...  You can only imagine UMPH's delight when he discovered that his Darwinian excursion coincided with the Top End