First published in the February 2026 issue of Street Machine

“In December 2018, I headed to Facebook Marketplace to do some car shopping and I spotted this 1976 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.

“I organised to go and see the car after commentating at New Year’s Thunder at Willowbank Raceway in January, and after I went for a test drive, I fell in love with it.

“I organised to have it shipped back home to Cairns, but as soon as she rolled off the tilt-tray, she was a drama. First it was the tyres, then the wheels, air con, electrics, gearbox, brakes, water pump – the list never ended!

“In the six years I have owned her, there have only been three trips out of the shed without RACQ helping us to get home! Each time she broke, I doubled down and then tripled down; I abused my bank account, and met new mechanics locally and gurus throughout America.

“I have now repaired or replaced almost every component, with the help of Hank, who is a very knowledgeable and passionate Caddy man in Massachusetts.

“I didn’t want this car to be pretty – just a nice cruiser to pump tunes in. She runs a stock 500-cube donk with a TH400 ’box behind it.

“As I write this, I’m hoping that in a couple of weeks the Caddy will embark on a journey all the way from Cairns to Canberra for Summernats. If it makes the 6000km return trip, I’ll likely enter phase two of the build and turn her into a mildly blown street cruiser I could take to the track. But for now, let’s just see if we can get there and back home!”