Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Too sexy?  Too sexy by far?  Taking a little turn on the Upper Middle Petrol Head catwalk today is this absolutely stunning Datsun 240Z, resplendent in hyper-green duco and what look like 15" Wattanabes. It isn't possible to say how modded the car is but I do believe that I spy a set of Willwood calipers up-front and it looks to have been nicely stanced.  The fattish tail pipe suggests that the donk may have been upgraded, while the front spoiler looks - and very likely is - entirely purposeful!   Stock or worked, it simply doesn't matter!  The seminal 240Z is rightfully considered to be one of the very most beautiful cars ever built and has a timelessness that's just seen its latest reincarnation - the Z (no numerical identifier required!) - taking more styling cues from the original than almost any iteration of the line since the S130 280ZX of 1982/3. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by the Canberra Correspondent.  

A quick bit of Wiki-action pretty much confirms that this venerable beast is an early 1960s Fairlane 500, quite likely an FB model.  If so, it's probably running a 221 cu Windsor V8 - assuming it's not had an upgrade - and not the 289 I thought it'd be fitted with.  FB Fairlanes were built at Ford Australia's Homebush plant in Sydney, New South Wales.   It might not be in absolutely perfect nick but, given that it's going to celebrate its 60th birthday about the same time I will, it's actually pretty damned amazing.  They sure don't make 'em like that anymore! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

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.