Tabla de contenidos para June 2024 en Street Machine

GEELONG-based legend Matt Watts has built plenty of tough cars in his time, including his BLO202 Torana, BLO UP Corolla, sweet HQ ute, and very tough LX hatch. Even so, his new BLOEM KE55 Corolla build, which debuted at MotorEx 2024, may be the most special of the lot. You see, the Corolla used to be called MELTEM and was owned by burnout nut Nik Rigby, who passed away in 2019. “He was a really good mate of mine,” Matt says. “He was there at my first Summernats, and we spent a lot of time together at events in the early days.” Matt had actually tried to buy the Corolla off Nik before his passing, but missed out. “I’d been offered the opportunity to buy it a few more times…

LETTER OF THE MONTH SUPPORT CREW I WANTED to take the opportunity to thank the Optima team, event staff, safety crews and more for a fantastic 2024 Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge (see p.68 for full feature). Unfortunately, I wrecked my Barra-powered Lincoln – my pride and joy and labour of love – at the event (pictured, top right), but I was heartened by the positivity and support from the other entrants and Street Machine staffers checking in on me after the crash, particularly Simon Telford, Scott Taylor, Andy Lopez, and the driver of the XYYNOT drifting XY [James Mackie] for the “bring it in buddy, are you okay?” hug. What an outstanding car community we’re involved in! Thank you all, legends. My Linc will be back soon, with overnight…

THE TEAM at John Zelukovic Smash Repairs in Orange, NSW have turned out plenty of elite-level stunners over the past few decades, and their latest trick – a WB-fronted HQ One Tonner for Garry Rosser – ranks among the finest. For Garry, the journey began over 10 years ago. “He came to us with the car after a long time of not much happening at another shop, and he wanted us to finish it off,” Ben Zelukovic says. “The work was not great to say the least, and it turns out the Tonner he had was badly bent; nothing would line up in the front.” Ben discovered the issue while measuring it up against a straight Tonner at a local wrecker’s, which he says led to a lightbulb moment. “I…

IF YOU’VE been drag racing on the east coast in recent years, you likely would’ve run into Aaron Gregory’s no-prep H3LLRZR HR panel van, which packs an 1800rwhp punch. Aaron drew inspiration for his van from another well-known drag-racing HR – none other than the late Craig ‘Shonky’ Brewer’s iconic ‘Frog Stomp’ van. “I thought it was so cool the first time I saw it running in APSA as a young fella,” Aaron says of Craig’s HR. “Most people thought vans had to be down the beach with surfboards on them, but seeing Frog Stomp, I thought how cool it was to take a van racing.” Aaron is the founder and owner of ASG Motorsports in Coomera, Queensland. He’d always wanted a race van of his own, so during COVID…

ONE of the all-time greatest Aussie automotive designs, the HK Monaro remains a fabled chariot for street machiners and classic car enthusiasts alike. While they’ve been built into crazy race cars or restored to better-than-new condition, the appeal of a clean and tidy HK GTS street car is too hard to ignore for many Aussies – including Bruno Cavallo, the owner of the killer’K you see here. “They’re an iconic Aussie muscle car, and I chose an HK because I love the shape of the car,” Bruno says. After decades of race cars, including six-second, stick-shift Pro Stockers (see sidebar, below), Bruno wanted a ride he could enjoy on the street with his family. But while a factory HK’s looks might be timeless, the driving manners of Holden’s first coupe…

WE ARE gathered here today to worship one third of South Australia’s Holy Trinity of street machines: Neville Philips’s EH Holden sedan, LEGAL8. Nev’s EH is the Father, Colin Townsend’s fat FJ Holden, 308-053, is the Son, and Mark Sanders’s P76-powered RPM Torana is the Holy Spirit. Think about what ruled the streets in the 1980s; it was either drag-inspired big-and-littles or Bathurst-bashing tributes, in equal measure. That’s because, unlike the States, Australia’s motorsport history is as much about corners as it is about quarters, and some guys just love to drive. Hard. Turning your Torana, HK-WB Holden, VH-CM Valiant or XR-XE Falcon into a tarmac-tearing terror wasn’t too difficult back then; if the options sheet had a box marked ‘V8’, then you could drop one in. But if you…

01 REST ASSURED RARE Spares has just released armrests to suit VB-VK Berlina and Calais, and to celebrate, the company has put together a range of kits for early-Commodore enthusiasts to replace their worn and loose armrests. Scan the QR code to find your preferred option, or visit rarespares.net.au. 02 GENERATION NEXT PRECISION Turbos has just upped the ante in the 86mm hairdryer game with its new, 1800hp-capable 8685 Next Gen turbo. It features a new 7x7 CEA (Competition Engineered Aerodynamics) compressor wheel, machined from aluminium. The new tech allows 15 per cent more air flow and is more efficient than the previous Gen 2 8685. The unit is now available through Speed Pro, either in T4 or V-band flange configurations and with a variety of in and out housing…

MICHAEL Haimandos’s Mustang is the quickest small-block Ford-powered car in the country, with a PB of 6.33@227mph. That was on his old engine, so you can imagine this new one will be something special! “We were previously running Brodix heads, and that was the limiting factor,” explains Bill Kaglatzis of BK Race Engines, the man who heads up the engine program for Michael’s Mustang. “The old engine had 2.125in inlet valves, and now we have 2.275in, so there’s been considerable enlargement in terms of valves, ports and manifold.” The move was deemed necessary because the old combo, while willing and able to rev to the stratosphere, would nose over up the pointy end of the rev range. “The sweet spot was always between 8800 and 9000rpm, no matter how much…

ROBI Fekete of Fekete Fabrications is forever pushing his own limits – and those of what’s legally possible – with his car builds, and this 1970 F100 pre-runner is right at the forefront of that ethos. You see, Robi fully intends to have this thing 100 per cent certified, engineered and VASS-legal with full registration in Victoria. You might think that this goal can only be achieved under the Individually Constructed Vehicle (ICV) rules, which normally apply to replicas (think Shelby Cobra clones and the like). However, thanks to the new chassis replacement laws in Victoria, Robi intends to engineer and register the pre-runner as a 1970 Ford F100. “The new laws allow you to replace the chassis as long as it replicates the original rail design, which we do…

WHEN this stunning XB coupe was unveiled at this year’s Meguiar’s MotorEx, it was Rob Zahabi pulling back the covers, the man behind Gold Coast workshop Rides By Kam, which had brought the car to life. But the massive Tickford Racing transporter sitting immediately behind it gave a pretty good clue as to who had commissioned the build in the first place: Supercars driver Cam Waters. And don’t go thinking that Cam was just signing the cheques – he was heavily involved with the fabrication at various points in the build. CAM WANTED THE ENGINE BAY TO STILL HAVE A RACE CAR LOOK, TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE WIGGINS CLAMPS AND NOT HIDE STUFF Unfortunately, Cam was racing NASCAR trucks in the US the weekend of MotorEx and couldn’t…

SINCE it first hit Australia in 2019, the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge (OUSCC) has steadily grown into a must-do event for anybody keen to put their proper street-driven car through its paces. While the 2024 OUSCC was only the event’s third running, it’s seen entry numbers increase threefold since its debut, as returning entrants throw down the gauntlet to mates, regardless of their automotive persuasion. PROVEN DRAG CHALLENGE COMPETITORS LINED UP AGAINST MAGAZINE COVER HEROES AND BIG-DOLLAR SUPERCARS The basic OUSCC format originated in the US, where the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational is hosted right after the SEMA Show in Vegas. In that world, where Bluetooth tailshafts rule and bench-racing abounds, it’s pretty cathartic and refreshing to see big-dollar cars get a proper spanking. As co-founder Jimi Day…

IN JANUARY 1979, a small group of panel van enthusiasts from Brisbane’s now long-defunct Holden Vans Ltd club decided to run the state’s first ever Queensland Van-In, choosing the beautiful Southern Downs spot of Stanthorpe as the host town. Famous for its apples, wineries and crisp (by Queensland standards) winters, Stanthorpe has really come of age in the decades since, much like the van scene itself. “That 1979 meet has long been spoken of in hallowed tones by local vanners. So, we felt that a 45-year celebration of that first Stanthorpe show was the perfect theme and location for this year’s 49th Australian Van Nationals,” said event co-organiser and long-time van tragic Christine Dowton. Christine, co-organiser Andrew Farrell and their team worked long and hard in the lead-up to the…

YOU would’ve had to have been blindfolded to miss Madelyn McCracken’s awesome Chevy Astro at the 49th Van Nationals in Stanthorpe over the Easter long weekend. But as we discovered, there’s more to this mobile Easter egg than just a lairy paintjob. I feel like I’ve walked into a Fatboy Slim video from the 90s! What exactly am I looking at here, Madelyn? It’s a 1985 Chevy Astro. It still runs the factory 4.3-litre V6 and four-speed auto, but yes, it’s seen some work to the interior and exterior! It looks so period-perfect; how long have you owned it? I bought it two years ago from one of my uncle’s friends in Childers, but it was imported here about 10 years ago. It was originally built in the 1980s as…

DAMIEN WATT LJ TORANA “HERE is my 1972 LJ Torana after its make-over. This final look is exactly how I envisioned it. After being black for so long, it needed a fresh new look, so I had all of the bodywork done and topped it off with candy blood red paint to really make it pop! The car has also had its interior redone, while the engine has had an upgrade with a forged bottom end and a Harrop 2650i supercharger. It is going to be super-competitive in the eighth-mile no-prep stuff! I wouldn’t have the car how it is today without my mechanic, Andrew Murray, who built this rocket from front to back all in the shed at home, and my good mates over at 1320 Motorsports for getting…

THOSE of us who grew up in the 1970s and 80s will likely remember some truly epic TV shows of the time – CHiPs, The Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, The A-Team and Starsky and Hutch, to name a few. Many of those have since been rebooted as films, and The Fall Guy is the latest iconic 80s series to get the big-screen treatment. The basic premise of the flick follows that of the original series. Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a sought-after Hollywood stuntman, putting his body on the line in big-ticket films by day, and in his downtime throwing hoops in an awesome GMC K-series pick-up alongside his much-better-half, camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). However, a back-breaking accident sends Colt into a mental and physical downward spiral,…

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JYE Core has been a Mopar nut from day dot, and if you’re a regular in the Queensland car scene, you’ll likely recognise his name from one or more of his Valiants that have torn up local strips and prowled the streets over the years. But while Valiants are cool and all, for many, the 1968-’69 Dodge Charger is the pinnacle of classic Mopar metal. This particular ’68 Charger made a big impression on Jye at a young age, but he never thought he’d end up owning it. “I first saw it when Lionel Durre owned it; I was in my early 20s,” says Jye. “It had a 720hp, 500-cube big-block in it – it was the toughest car I’d ever seen! The look and sound was next-level.” Fast-forward a…

WITH its perfectly defined lines and sparkling silver paint, you’d almost think Darren Whyte’s super-sharp XT ute was machined from a solid block of steel. Combine the finish with Auto Drags and a Ford big-block, and you’ve got yourself a killer Geelong streeter. “It’s come up all right,” Darren says, immediately winning the Understatement of the Year award. Darren’s been a dyed-in-the-wool Ford fella since day dot – a trait he picked up from his dad. “I did my apprenticeship at Ford, and my first couple of cars were XWs,” he says. “The second one copped a bit of a rebuild; it had a 289 with 302 heads, a Top Loader and a nine-inch. After that, I had a few XEs, an EA, a couple of XR8s and an F6…

PAUL Butler may have got his 1976 TX Gemini from the original,76-year-old owner, but make no mistake – this Gemmi is not Nana’s asthmatic runabout anymore. Using turbo SR20 power, this little beige rocket has nabbed just about every piece of-no-prep drag-racing silverware the northern east coast has to offer. Wins at Rockynats, Roll Racing Queensland, Torque Time-No-Prep Eighth-Mile and the Oz Aid Kooralbyn Shootout are just a few of the honours Paul and the Gemini have gathered over the years. Not bad for a car that was originally intended to be used for parts. IT’S A POTENT PACKAGE, NOW BOASTING OVER 50PSI OF BOOST TO MAKE 1000HP AT THE HUBS “It started as a basic 420hp deal, and it’s evolved over the past 10 years or so to what…

’BAKER STREET HUDSON CAMBRIDGE 1947 STUDEBAKER H5 PICK-UP “THIS is our 1947 Studebaker pick-up, which has been in the family for over 30 years. It has had a full restoration from the ground up, updating the front suspension from a leaf-spring front to a more comfortable ride using a Mitsubishi L300 van front end. It has also had a 100mm roof chop, and all the work has been done in the shed at home. Everything on the car is new, from bushes to all new window rubbers. Power comes from a supercharged 350 Chev backed by a Powerglide and 9in diff. It has disc brakes all ’round from an XC Falcon; there isn’t much left under the car that is original.” LAYING LOW BEN AMOS CHEVY C10 “I AM building…