Upper Middle Petrol Head:

  This immaculate circa 1970 Valiant Pacer is so stunning that it speaks for itself!  It really, really is perfect, with amazing duco, super-straight panels, glittering chrome and a spotless all original interior.  As best as I can tell, the only non-factory items are its Aunger Hustler wheels and they're bang-on for period, anyway.   Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything else about the car that you can't see for yourself.  The Wikipedia page for the Pacer is confusing, stating in one breath that there were "three different versions of the new 245 Hemi-6 engine," before seeming to list four: a standard donk rated at 185 BHP, the 195 BHP Option 31, Option 34 with 235 BHP and Option 35, for which no output is stated.  It might be that the engine  fitted to the Option 34 and Option 35 were the same but this isn't clear; the way the entry's written describes some of the go-faster mods listed differently.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Valiant ).

First, there was the late 1960s / early 1970s Super Roo range of Australian performance-orientated Ford Falcons, Capris and Escorts.  Then there was the Super Rhino, which, as far as we can tell, was an option available on Aussie-built, South African-delivered XY GT Fairmonts.  Super Rhinos were, in effect, Super Roos rebadged for the South African market.  Now some clever bugger has made made a Super Barra - barra being short for barramundi, a tropical Aussie game fish - as well as being the codename for the six cylinder petrol engine range powering the Falcon and Ford Territory from 2006 to 2016*.  The result is a stunning lime green Barra turbo-powered XW Falcon wagon featuring XW GT side stripes and bespoke Super Barra decals, in lieu of and clearly based on the original kangaroo and rhinoceros versions.  As you can see, the car is a riot of '70s-inspired colour and pays a very tidy tribute to the GTs of the era.  Mind you, it might be that the original also needs to give its

I'm quite taken with this late '80s Nissan EXA N13 on two counts.  Firstly, it's in really, really good nick, appearing to be in almost showroom condition and, secondly, as a concept, its design was very clever. Reference to Wikipedia reveals that today's example, a second gen EXA - aka the NX in the USA - was penned by Nissan Design International in San Diego, California, incorporating styling cues from the contemporary Pathfinder / Terrano 4WD ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_EXA , accessed 08 JAN 23) .  These design elements are most obvious when the triangular rear side windows of both vehicles are compared but aren't quite noteworthy enough for me to bother finding a photo to illustrate the similarities. However, it’s not the car’s looks that impress me, although I do quite like the EXA's aesthetics.  To my mind, it is its super-convertibility - achieved by swapping lightweight roof and other panels - that is so admirable, being configurable as a full

  The only reason that that I, personally, wouldn't spend all my time poncing about wineries if this were my 300 SL is that I prefer craft beer.   It is possible that the car's actual owner doesn't spend  all  his or her time so engaged, of course ...  but other than that, I reckon it's just the car for such activities, be the  Getränk des Tages grape- or hop-based! And just for the record, these photos were taken at a winery on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos courtesy of The Director.

  Hobart-based correspondent GlamRock recently brought us a Wolseley 24/80 (please see  https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/12/from-glamrock-wolseley-sedan.html ) .  Then the CCC reminded me that he, too, had submitted this Wolseley, also pointing out that I'd failed to publish it.      It's also a 24/80, powered by the six cylinder Blue Streak engine developed in, and for, Australia, based on the BMC B-Series lump. If you want to learn more about the 24/80 - that's 24(00) cc / 80 BHP, by the way - I recommend this HubNut video:  https://youtu.be/z_q6QdvVXtw .    Adding to the interest - for me, anyway - is that HubNut filmed his feature car in Burnie, Tasmania, during a series he created called Aussie Oddballs , in which he showcases British Leyland products developed in, and modified for, Australian conditions. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by the CCC.  

  Happy new year, petrol-heads!  We begin 2023's Classics by the Beach with this immaculate V6 Ford Capri GT, follow it up with an unusual - also quite rare - SAAB, an excellent VW Beetle, a pristine Austin Healey, and an interesting selection of Minis, before capping it all off with an elegant Riley coupe.  Please enjoy! I've loved Capri GTs ever since Ms Paterson first drove her then quite new blue one into the Howrah Primary School teachers' car park in the early 1970s.  Other than the main colour, hers was had the exact same livery as today's example and featured what were then considered to be high-end performance Dunlop Aquajet bias-ply radial tyres, possibly on alloy wheels from the same manufacturer and that looked like this: Ms Paterson was a formidable woman and a member of the Australian Institute of Advanced Motorists.  I thought she was really, really cool!  It's unlikely, being a primary-schooler when this quirky SAAB was built, that I'd have found