Dubbo MotorFest was back for its third year in August, and the brief was simple: roll in, look sharp, and soak up one of regional Australia’s best one-day hits of horsepower culture. The Dubbo Showground again played host, with a layout that funnelled punters between breezy show ’n’ shine lawns and the big pavilions stuffed with elite builds.

If you missed it this year, the numbers tell the story: more than 1000 cars and bikes across the venue, 8500 people through the gate, and a trophy list that name-checked everything from a rolling-art Cadillac to a completely engraved custom Harley. It was a proper coming of age moment for the show and the region, despite the cold and moist weather. The event isn’t just petrol and polish, either. The crowds and entrants helped tip $50,000 to 10 local charities, which is the kind of quiet, community-first outcome that makes this show stick.

The big guns were on display in the main pavilion, with the Elite and Street Elite cars and a massive BMX display front and centre. Some of the best in the country made the trip, including this year’s MotorFest Grand Champion Frank Zammit from Sydney with his ENDLESS XW ute (SM, Apr ’25), Queensland’s Charlie Harley with his highly modified ’57 Chevy (SM, Apr ’20), and Alex Karan with the iconic Mario Colalillo-built WILD CAD (SM, Oct ’10), which travelled from Melbourne and was awarded the MotorRhino award.

Next door, the Elite Bike Pavilion put two-wheel jewellery under lights, from restored Brit iron to Japanese café racers and custom Harleys with mile-deep paint and engraved chrome. Both precincts ran hot, with standing room only for crowds, who packed in to admire the motorcycles old and new.

Volunteer organisers such as Matt Rendell are stalwarts of the Dubbo Motorcyclist & Drivers Club. They built MotorFest from cars-and-coffee roots into a genuine regional drawcard, and they’ve got more than 150 volunteers on the team to keep scaling it up. “For me, the highlight of the show was seeing our community leap into action to make sure our entrants felt welcome,” Matt said. “For example, one of the iconic vehicles of the show, WILD CAD, arrived dirty and dishevelled to the Elite Hall. Young local detailer Rick Anderson donated his time to get the Cadillac cleaned up ready for the show.”

The 13 members of the organising committee have worked tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the year to freshen up the program with new features.

One such newcomer was the dyno demonstration, featuring 11 cars making all the noise. “We tried to keep it fun and low-key for the first time at this event,” said Sean Fardell of Mr HDT Race Cars & Engines, who was on hand to give tuning advice and feedback for the entrants. Four of the cars punched above 600hp, with Jason Kosij topping the ranks with 688.5hp from his BA XR6 Turbo.

Another new addition to the show this year was the 4WD section. Organised by the Dubbo 4WD Club, this included a show ’n’ shine and an activity initiative with an interactive terrain track and a suspension angle competition onsite. Chris and Nicki Seton from ARB Dubbo were major sponsors of the action, continuing their legacy of more than 25 years supporting the local community. “We love this community and this show,” Chris said. “We display our own cars, provide a bed for many of the entrants and judges coming from out of town, and volunteer throughout the year to make sure it’s a success.”

The heartbeat of MotorFest is the middle of the showgrounds, where the show ’n’ shine cars ranged from concours originals to street-driven machines. The FMX motocross show launched on the infield, with riders flinging themselves into Dubbo’s sky, a neat counterpoint to all the mirror-finish metal. Add in a trade expo of builders and suppliers, helicopter rides, market stalls, a bar and live music, and you’ve got the vibe: big-city spectacle with that Central West friendliness.

The show doesn’t stop after the Saturday. Building on tradition, entrants from near and far come back to the Showgrounds on Sunday morning for a cars-and-coffee meet. Dubbo Cars & Coffee is one of the largest in regional New South Wales, with 1500 to 2000 people and nearly 200 cars and bikes rocking up every month. Fuelled up on cool cars, hot coffee and fresh pastries, the crew headed out to the Bodangora airstrip near Wellington for some drag racing action on the eighth-mile.

Regional shows rise or fall on two things: quality and welcome. Dubbo now has both. The elite pavilions scratch the high-end itch for the trophy chasers and detail nerds, while the oval invites the daily-driver faithful, the in-progress builds and the I-just-love-cars crowd. That mix is why 2025’s third running ballooned, and why 2026 is primed to top it. If you’ve got paint to debut, panels to show off or just a hunger for properly presented metal, Dubbo’s well worth a look.

TRIPLE THREAT

Dubbo local John Armour had three cars on display in the main oval, and each had a great story to tell. First up, the 1937 Chevrolet Master is the tow vehicle for his front-engined dragster, and runs the original 216ci mill. The grand old lady has always been registered, and John bought her 15 years ago and uses it as a regular driver around town.

Behind the Chev is the aforementioned dragster, built by John’s dad Warren, who raced it from 1967 to 1969 and ran a 10.78@130mph best over the quarter. Warren sold it in ’69, and it was thought to be lost to the family until John’s wife bought it back as a gift for his 40th birthday in 2009.

John’s favourite car, though, is the big blue dragster, which hadn’t been out of the shed for 17 years until it braved the cold at Dubbo MotorFest this year. He has a history with the car, having raced it in Supercharged Outlaws at Sydney Dragway when the track first opened, and he last raced the beast in 2008, when he ran a 6.79@202mph quarter-mile time. John intends to once again send the big bopper down the strip in retirement.

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Rodney Neindorf’s nitrous-huffing, 611ci Hemi-powered Barracuda (SM, Jul ’25) stood out as a clear crowd favourite, and picked up a trophy for Top Custom Paint – just reward for hauling it all the way from Melbourne. “It was a great show, except for the cold,” Rodney laughed.

2. Scott Mill’s mum Ruth bought this 1976 HX Holden 50th-anniversary sedan back in 1984. It now sports a 408 stroker LS, Air Ride airbags, a 9in diff, Wilwood brakes, air con, electric power steering and a Powerglide, and is affectionately known as ‘Nanscar’. At Dubbo MotorFest, the big sedan punched out a respectable 407 ponies on the dyno.

3. Making the trip from Newcastle with his wife Veronica, Troy Payne’s sweet 1966 HR ute sports full Commodore running gear, including the steering, brakes and Alloytec V6 engine. The only parts of the build Troy outsourced were the trim and exterior paint.

4. Queenslander Elton Walker bought this Chev wagon in 2007 as a sedan delivery before Colin Marshall from Marshall Performance chopped it and installed rear windows from a 150 Chevy Handyman wagon. These days it runs a 600hp LSA under the bonnet and elite-level upholstery thanks to Shane Webb at Image Trimming.

5. Shows like the Dubbo MotorFest do not work without passionate and hard-working volunteers behind the scenes, including Nicki Seton and her husband Chris of ARB Dubbo, with Megan Adler stepping in to help on the day. Nicki also put her beautiful matching 1956 Volkswagens on display at the DeBeers Automotive Refinish stand. Immaculately finished inside and out, the split-screen, 11-window Kombi runs a 2.0L Porsche 914 donk, while the Beetle boasts a full leather interior.

6. A year ago, Nick Peninton purchased his 1976 Chevy Vega GT from Shepparton and brought it home to Dubbo. It runs a blown LS2 backed by a Powerglide, and has run a 10.2 over the quarter-mile. The Vega is currently being prepped to pass ANDRA tech before Nick takes it back to the track for more racing with his son Sonny.

7. Winner of the MotorRhino award and crowd stopper in the Elite Hall was the legendary Mario Colalillo-built WILD CAD, now owned by Alex Karan. Alex bought the Cadillac at auction from Seven82Motors accident. “I was bidding on two other cars and missed out on both of them, but somehow managed to buy a Caddy,” he explained. “We’ve had some maintenance issues, but otherwise the original build was solid, and I just look after it.”

8. The brilliant turquoise of Lee Payne’s 540ci split-bumper Camaro (SM, Jun ’20) is the first thing most people notice and comment on. “I’m chuffed about the compliments the car still gets; people love the colour,” said Lee. “I drag raced it this year, and I plan to drive it more.” Travelling from North Haven near Port Macquarie, this year was Lee’s first trip to Dubbo MotorFest.

9. Legendary Aussie rodder Les Lawry wheeled out ‘The Roadstar’, a Southern Rod & Custom-built ’32 roadster with a 347ci Windsor stroker. The car was unveiled at MotorEx in 2007 and has won some tinware in its time. “I built it to drive it,” said Les. “It has always been an open-wheeler, even though NSW roads don’t always appreciate it.” Les is busy in the shed building a 1930 Ford tudor as we speak.

10. Shane and Keeva Risby drove more than four hours from Tamworth to Dubbo, and their 383ci Chev-powered ’51 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe purred like a kitten the whole way. With all the mod cons like air-conditioning, power steering and cup holders, it’s very fit for purpose. “We drive her every chance we get, and we are planning a few more shows this year,” Keeva said.

11. When you own the largest private collection of Camaros in the Southern Hemisphere, it can be hard to choose what to take to your second Dubbo MotorFest, but Nico Matthews decided on his second-gen Z28 – his favourite. “The quality of vehicles has doubled since last year,” he said of this year’s MotorFest. “To get this level of interest and participation in a regional area is an achievement.”

12. “Dubbo is a great little show; there’s a lot more cars than I expected, and it was great to see the mix of standards out in the oval,” said Chris ‘Colt’ Cobaine, owner of this ’39 Lincoln. The car was built in 2000 in the USA, and Colt purchased it in Newcastle from the Lost in the 50s museum in 2018 as part of a 50-car auction, then undertook a laundry list of changes, including the right-hook conversion, 400ci donk, and an interior refresh.

13. As promised in our July 2021 feature on his HQ Monaro, Peter Sharp has been driving the wheels off the car, having racked up over than 30,000km thus far. Peter drove the 600km from his home in Taree to Dubbo via some pretty average roads, proving the wild Quey’s credentials as a top-tier pro tourer.

14. David Maurice is the third owner of his 1968 Isuzu Bellett 1600 GT coupe, having bought it from a mate in Melbourne 21 years ago. Reaching out to Isuzu, David sourced a copy of all the car’s specs to undertake a concours restoration, and the 80-year-old is now a regular at car shows, driving the Isuzu from Mudgee to Dubbo for MotorFest.

15. Frank Zammit’s ENDLESS XW ute (SM, Apr ’25) cleaned house at Dubbo Motorfest, claiming Top Display, Top Undercarriage, Top Engine Bay, Top Street Machine, and the Grand Champion title. Also in tow was Frank’s wild little Datto (pictured), running a blown, dry-sumped 363ci Windsor.

16. The moist weather had Lara McKay opting to trailer her BA Falcon ute from Tamworth to Dubbo rather than of drive it. Pushing 215hp out of the naturally aspirated Barra, the ute does shows and competitions all over NSW and Queensland, and while it’s still a work in progress, Lana’s entered it in Street Machine Summernats 38 to cruise and show it off.

AWARDS:

Grand Champion
Frank Zammit – XW Falcon ute

MotorRhino Award
Alex Karan – custom 1959 Cadillac

ELITE

Top Display, Top Engine Bay, Top Undercarriage, Top Street Machine
Frank Zammit – XW Falcon ute

Top Interior
Ben Fink – 1968 Camaro

Top Custom Paint
Rodney Neindorf – 1967 Plymouth Barracuda

Top Original Paint, 2nd Top Street Machine
Darren Fosberg – 1955 Chevrolet

Top Restomod
Daniel Wickman – XM Falcon

Top Original
Keith Milgate – XY Falcon GT

Top Custom
Dave & Lyn Keen – 1955 FJ Holden

Top Hot Rod
Les Lawry – 1932 Ford roadster