Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i Street Machine

PART 2 LAST month, I presented several of the awesome cars I had the privilege of seeing on my recent trip to LA, a city that’s long been a mecca for car enthusiasts from all over the world. Here are eight more amazing rides from my trip. Some are from the Petersen Automotive Museum’s mind-blowing ‘Best in Low’ lowrider exhibition, while others were on display at the Lions Drag Strip Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the latter when it was hosting a carpark show, where the variety was outstanding! 1: IT’S pretty rare for a car to stop me in my tracks nowadays, but this eye-popping 1957 Chevrolet convertible called ‘Double Trouble’ left me speechless. Owned by Bobby Garza, it features the most unbelievable attention to detail and…

LIKE A BOSS? WE LOVE prowling Grays’ classic car auctions each week to check out the many and varied hotties on offer, and one that really piqued our interest was this EB Falcon GL. Aside from the non-standard wheels, it presented as a relatively clean stocker externally, but it had been given a rather unusual heart transplant in the form of a 5.4L Boss 260 V8, backed by a six-speed manual, both of which were sourced from a BF XR8 Falcon. What do you reckon – a worthwhile driveline swap, or a waste of time and money? We asked that very question when we shared the Falcon on our Facebook page, and it drew plenty of spirited opinions on both sides of the argument. Here’s what you had to say.…

HE DIDN’T buy it to use as a track car, but Tommy Stockdale and his hi-po BMW wagon rocked up to Calder Park anyway to win the 2025 Optima Ultimate Street Car, presented by R&J Batteries, on his first attempt. It doesn’t seem fair to call the OUSC-winning machine a mere ‘station wagon’. This is no National Lampoon’s woody wagon; it’s a state-of-the-art 2022 BMW M3 Touring, and a modest Tommy reckoned it was the car, rather than the bloke behind the wheel, making all the difference. “I’m a total novice,” he said after collecting his prize, which includes a trip to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. “That’s the beauty of this challenge – it’s a test for the cars. I’ve done a bit of track stuff,…

THE year was 1979 when cinema-goers first heard those immortal words: “She’s the last of the V8s.” Over the ensuing 46 years, that now-iconic line from Mad Max – and the legendary machine to which it referred – has been responsible for an insatiable desire among countless gearheads worldwide to own a nasty black Falcon coupe just like Max’s. Melburnian Nicholas Cini was one of them. “Ever since I saw the movie, Falcon coupes have been my favourite car,” he says. In 2018, Nick finally got to own his dream car when he bought a tatty XB hardtop out of Queensland. Having been out of the panel beating game for some 15 years at the time, Nick knew he had a job on his hands to revive his new prize,…

WHEN it comes to hotted-up Valiants, the VC has always been under-represented. While a few of them have graced these pages over the years, they’ve generally either been mild cruisers or completely over-the-top race cars such as Danny Makdessi’s insane ‘Devil’s Taxi’. The stunning example you see here, though, sits right in the middle. Built by Victorian Andrew Katrakazas, this VC is equal parts concours-restored original and tough street machine. The striking colour combination of Spanish Red paint, black vinyl roof and Imperial Mauve interior is not only classy, it’s super-rare as well, as it’s how the car was optioned from new. THE HOME-RESTORED VC SCORED A TOP FIVE PLACING AT CHRYSLERS ON THE MURRAY IN 2020 – AND DID SO AGAIN IN BOTH 2023 AND 2024! The VC came…

BE A YOUNG GUN! Aged around 21 or younger and have a neat ride? Email high-resolution images (2MB+ each) and details of your car to gday@streetmachine.com.au. WHILE photographing Nathan Marshall’s gorgeous ’57 Chevy for this issue (see full feature, p. 34), we discovered that his 16-year-old stepson, Kale Carter, has a super-cool VS Commodore as his first car, with a V8 and manual to boot! We had a chat to him about the car and his plans to build some wild early Commodores. It’s a nice VS mate! How did you come to own it? Well, Nathan and I were looking for cars, and because he’s a Holden man, I don’t think I’d be allowed to get anything else! We were about to go and buy a VL, but the…

OUR sport has many fathers. Some burned fast and brightly; many never received the lasting recognition they deserved. Others, like Gene Winfield, had much longer careers and were able to influence and inspire countless car folks over multiple generations. Gene passed away in March, aged 97. While his last few years were difficult, Gene remained active and positive, even attending the Grand National Roadster Show only a few weeks before his passing. Gene was a living and working link to the most exciting and influential period of our sport, when hot rods, customs and various forms of blue-collar racing spread across the United States like wildfire, before expanding overseas to places like Australia, laying the foundations for what we enjoy doing with modified cars today. He became a hot rodder…

LETTER OF THE MONTH UTE CAN DO IT! I MUST say, what Scotty has been able to do with the eight-second, twin-turbo LS-powered VS ute (pictured right) on Carnage over the past 12 months is impressive to say the least. It’s done over 3000km, taken on Drag Challenge and Kenda 660, and been driven from Melbourne to Summernats and back (almost), yet the thing is still running! This build should be used as an example for anyone wanting to do a drag-and-drive event, as it shows what can be achieved when you have the right hardware and the knowledge of others gone before you. Here’s to the next step in its evolution – and hopefully a seven-second timeslip! James Baylis, email DEBUT PERFORMANCE JUST writing to say I had my…

WHEN FRANK DELIVERED THE UTE TO PROFLO’S PAUL SANT, HE HAD ONE SIMPLE INSTRUCTION: “BUILD ME A SHOW CAR” FRANK Zammit’s mantelpiece must be about to give way under the weight of his new collection of trophies from Street Machine Summernats 37. A first-time entrant in the ’Nats Elite Hall, Frank’s fabulous XW ute didn’t just make the Top 60 – an impressive achievement in itself – it also scored gongs in practically every elite category it was eligible for. We’re talking Top Undercarriage & Driveline and Top Pro Commercial; third in Top Engine Bay and Top Bodywork; runner-up in both Top Interior and Top Standard Paint; an invitation to be part of the Meguiar’s Superstars finalists at this year’s MotorEx; a spot in the Top 10; and the big…

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FOR 22 years now, Michael ‘Gup’ Gilbert’s Powercruise events have been offering Aussie revheads of all stripes the opportunity to cut loose in a safe, controlled race-track environment. Powerskids, off-street racing, drifting, burnouts – if it’s not allowed on a public road, chances are it’s welcome at Powercruise. It’s a formula that has seen the event develop a devoted cult following, and the faithful turned out in force when Powercruise 97 took over Queensland Raceway in early February for a weekend of unbridled automotive tomfoolery. As always, the menu included powerskids, drag racing and cruise sessions, giving entrants many and varied opportunities to push their cars to the limits. Burnout battles, drift demonstrations and a show ’n’ shine added icing to an already jam-packed cake. Tyres hit the track at…

IF YOU grab your cherished copy of the December 2018 issue of Street Machine and flick to the Sleepers section, you’ll find our story on Ian Wright’s patina-flecked, white and gold-roofed, LS-powered HT Kingswood. Now, have a look at the HT you see on these pages – yep, we know it’s hard to believe, but this is the same car! The Kinger’s metamorphosis from a stock-appearing, naturally aspirated cruiser to a stroked, twin-turbo LS-powered weapon in eye-searing red is the result of two separate overhauls – the first by choice, the second by necessity. It began with Ian’s simple desire to give the car a bit more oomph. “I wanted more power and wow-factor, as everyone was now running turbos and superchargers,” he explains. NEAR BALLINA, THE HT’S BONNET FLUNG…

Got a car that looks mild but goes wild? Email pics, car details and contact details to gday@streetmachine.com.au. WHEN it comes to car builds, there are two age-old debates: what’s the definition of a sleeper, and what classifies as a budget build. Well, at the risk of further fanning those flames, we’d argue that both terms apply to Nathan Camilleri’s XE Falcon GL. It looks as fresh as the one your nan used to drive, but it uses a stock-bottom-end SOHC six, BTR gearbox and Borgy diff to run low 10s! Many readers will recognise Nathan as one half of the Hackshop Garage YouTube channel, alongside good mate Michael Ludviksen. The duo documented their 14-week thrash to get the XE ready for Drag Challenge 2024 on their channel, which saw…

WE LOVE seeing all the new builds that come out of the woodwork in the lead-up to Street Machine Drag Challenge each year, and a freshie for last year’s event was Dan Oxton’s 680rwhp, turbo LS-powered 2004 Toyota HiLux. “I bought it about four years ago; it’d been slammed by a young fella as a mini-truck,” Dan says. “I already had a plan for what I wanted, and the car was always going to be built for drag-and-drive.” Further inspiration came when Dan crewed for Steve Paech and his HJ Monaro at DC 2023, which sharpened his resolve to take on the event himself in the ’Lux. To get the Toyota into shape for DC, Dan acquired a stuffed VE Commodore SS for $5000 and ripped out the L98. The…

THE Polito name has long been associated with the aspirated, high-rpm world of Aussie Pro Stock racing, so this blown big-block Ford doesn’t seem like the family’s usual fare. We asked Tony Polito to give us the skinny on this mountain of a motor. “We’re building this for a customer who would like to put it into a ’39 Zephyr, like Benny Gatt’s,” Tony says. “He’s not afraid to spend money on good parts, so it has good stuff all through it.” Zephyrs are legendary in the custom and hot rodding world, but it’s relatively rare to see them built into bona fide street machines. This one, however, will be getting all the right hardware to turn it into a nickel-tough example, and it all starts with this engine. “It’s…

SCAN FOR TICKETS MEGUIAR’S MotorEx, presented by LMCT+, is a staple in the Aussie elite car show calendar each year, taking over Melbourne Showgrounds on the first weekend of May for a two-day showcase of Australia’s top-tier show and go machines. In response to the difficult fiscal climate we’ve all been living with of late, ticket prices have copped a major haircut for 2025 and been slashed by over 50 per cent from last year! General admission starts at just $20, or you can grab a weekend adult pass for $45 – kiddies 15 and under go free! That’s not the only big news. This year, organisers have revamped the entire event around a new ‘Worlds’ concept. There’ll be separate worlds for 4x4, drifting, exotics, trader stands and more, including…

ALTHOUGH it was the third film to be inspired by journalist Brock Yates’s real-world cross-country ‘Cannonball Run’ – the previous two being Cannonball and The Gumball Rally, both from 1976 – 1981’s The Cannonball Run is by far the best known (and was written by Yates himself). Director and stuntman Hal Needham and his good buddy Burt Reynolds were responsible for several road-going action/comedy films of the era, but what helped make this particular example a box-office smash was the brace of big-name stars featured alongside Reynolds. The film’s premise is simple: a motley crew of racers embark on an illegal road race from New York to California, attempting to elude both the law and sabotage from other teams along the way. Burt Reynolds plays thrill-seeker JJ McClure, who hatches…

WHEN Alan Robson bought this early-build, Daytona Bronze-optioned 1970 LC Torana GTR in 2019, it had a non-original 186 where the factory 161 should have been, and really not much else going for it. “The body was rough; all the money was spent on the Chris Milton-built six, filled with good bits,” Alan says. “It would have had plenty of stonk, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted.” THE WHOLE BRIEF WAS THAT IT HAD TO BE A V8, IT HAD TO HAVE A SIX-SPEED MANUAL, AND IT COULDN’T HAVE A BONNET SCOOP Alan has already done a couple of authentic Torana restos, so hopefully the rivet-counters out there can forgive him for straying from that blueprint with his latest build. “The whole brief was that it had to…

JUSTIN Walshe didn’t build this insane VX ClubSport R8 to scratch some kind of horsepower itch. He’s got a nitro-burning Funny Car with over 10,000hp on tap for that! He certainly didn’t build it to fill a spot in his garage, either; the Walshe family already has a sizeable collection of awesome vehicles, including an HK Monaro, a ’64 lead sled, a VK Brock Director, a few insane racing boats, and Justin’s first car, an HQ SS. So, with plenty of heavy hitters already at his disposal, why was it that Justin simply could not live without a tubbed, blown Commodore? I HAD BEEN CONTEMPLATING CUTTING UP MY 2004 HSV GRANGE, BUT IT JUST HOLDS TOO MUCH SENTIMENTAL VALUE “Perhaps it’s a mid-life crisis!” Justin chuckles, before revealing that the…

Girls — wanna be famous? Become an Iron Maiden! Email car details, pics (2MB+) and contact deets to gday@streetmachine.com.au. You and your ride could appear in the mag! A HEAVY diesel mechanic and the secretary for the Burnout Association of Darwin, Julia Crane is also a Commodore fanatic. She owns a whopping eight of ’em from the 90s and 2000s, including a dedicated VE ute for burnouts, and this ProCharged LS-powered VE SS, which she uses as an event car and weekend cruiser. What drew you to the mechanic trade? I started playing with motorbikes in my teens, and then I moved onto 4WDs. I took on the heavy diesel mechanic apprenticeship through the army once I finished school. After work, I dabbled with the performance side of things on…

THESE days, it seems as if every second street machine can put out at least 1000rwhp. But a thousand at the tyres in a two-wheel-drive chassis won’t actually seem all that impressive on the street – it’ll mostly be tyre smoke and revs. However, if you up the ante to 1200hp and make it four-wheel drive, that’s a very different story! It’s a story that William Behan, owner of this stonking all-paw Nissan Patrol, was keen to tell. “I wanted to build a car that would scare the shit of me,” he says. “It’s a handful! My mates won’t even get in it with me anymore; they call it a death trap, so I guess I got the car I wanted.” The seed for the build was planted at an…

GOT a sweet ride that’s currently in the build and want to share it with our readers? Email photos of it (2MB+ each) along with some details on the build to inthebuild@streetmachine.com.au. LETTERIO CARUSO VC COMMODORE “I BOUGHT my 1980 VC Commodore at age 16 in March 2020, and over the past five years, it’s been undergoing a nut-and-bolt restoration. It’s been bare-metal resprayed in the factory Firethorn Red, the engine bay has been smoothed, and a brand-new interior in Carmine Red has been added. The custom boot installation includes twin Kicker sub-woofers, a 16in TV monitor screen, and laseren-graved boot mirrors. The factory blue 202ci six has been replaced by a very blingy, built Holden 383 stroker, backed by a built Turbo 400. It’s taken a lot of very…

WANT your pride and joy featured in the mag? Just send some photos of your car (minimum file size 2MB each) and a few details of what went into the build to readerscars@streetmachine.com.au. DAVE FLOHR XB FALCON “I’VE owned my XB since 2002. She was always a rough old girl and was nicknamed ‘The Turd’ before I gave her a nine-year, ground-up rebuild! The catalyst for that was when the crank broke in the old 393 combo it had, which had run 10.60s. I started by stripping the car back to bare metal, and then Scott Schwerin at Excel Panel & Paint took care of the panelwork. Jason Seng at Jase Race & Restoration laid down the Tropicana Green paint with gold GS stripes, and helped me with the final…