Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Splendid is a fitting adjective for this truly magnificent Mark I - or, as they're also affectionately known,  Frog- or Bug-eye -  Austin Healey Sprite.  Actually, truly magnificent is also an adjective (and an apt one, at that!) but with a car this lovely (yet another one), it would be hard to over-use complimentary adjectives!!  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images

This 2.0 litre Alfa GTV, photographed in North Hobart, looked fabulous in gun metal grey and was nicely set off by a set of very stylish Momo alloy wheels.  The interior was very tidy, too ; the standard-fit Recaros, with their classic mesh headrests, were in really good nick without rips or major fading.  Very nice indeed! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.co.au.) All iPhone images.

This is my 1975 GC  Galant hardtop, photographed on Rosny Hill, overlooking the River Derwent in Tasmania's capital city of Hobart.   It's finally finished after a five year incremental rebuild that culminated in an excellent respray at Kerryn and Bruce Payne's Talon Bodyworks at 110 Charles Street, Moonah (Ph: 6273 0959). I have owned The Galant since October, 1981, when I bought it in Hobart for $3,800.  This was a reasonable amount, considering that the average salary back then was in the vicinity of $6,000 per year.   It was originally equipped with a 1.6 litre motor and a four speed manual transmission, as were all Galants available in Australia at that time.   However, I fairly quickly converted it to full Japanese hardtop spec, swapping the 1.6 for a twin-carb 2 litre 4G52 and fitting an original (not ex-Sigma Borg Warner) JDM five-speed 'box. Mitsubishi badges are proudly displayed because, like all Galant hardtops, this car was manufactured in Japan

Like the fabulous RX3 of a few posts ago, this Mustang was spotted in Launceston by correspondent Mr Beard. If you've got any classic car images you'd like to share, please feel free to do a Beard and send them to UMPH via alastair.watson1463@gmail.com. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Minor mishap:  driver's side mirror went west!  The friendly owners of this lovely Stag are living the life, touring Tasmania and taking in its fabulous sights, eating our amazing food and driving our very, very driveable roads, having just arrived in Hobart from the west coast. And what a great car to be doing it in:  a four-speed manual with an electric overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears, coupled to an original Triumph 3.0 litre V8! Stags' reputations were initially sullied by shoddy British Leyland assembly that saw them suffer from over-heating, amongst other quality control issues, resulting in many owners fitting 3.5 litre Rover V8s to their cars. However, this particular example's cooling system was carefully rebuilt and now runs without problems, easily coping with 30 degrees-plus temperatures encountered near Canberra at the commencement of the trip. These days, Stag owners have a wealth of accumulated knowledge on overcoming the BL-rel

The subject of today's post - an early 1980s Mercedes 500 SL - hails from the ancestral home of the UMPH mother-in-law.  Despite this unfortunate association, UMPH really loves the big, bold Teutonic style of this magnificent beast with its 5 litre V8 motor and imposing road presence. As an example of the marque, this particular car could hardly be faulted.  If it hasn't recently undergone a fairly comprehensive restoration, it has clearly been kept in first-rate condition ;  everything from its mohair roof through to its paint, chrome and interior were in near perfect condition. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.