There’s no better early morning wake-me-up than heading to a killer car event. Coffee and croissants will only get us so waked, with the excitement of metal and machines filling the rest of our enthusiast-shaped cups. The guys and girls at the Magic Metal Motoring Club know that all too well; they have around 400 cars split between only 50 members, after all.

Hell, MMMC could put a show together just by themselves, but thankfully, they’re a community-minded bunch. Instead, they put the word out that it was high time for something new, checked in with some car clubs, threw some flyers around and socially-media-ed hard. Sponsors came on board, and they even got some custom car royalty to join in, all to celebrate National Motoring Heritage Day while raising dough for charity.

Organisers elected for a simple premise – rock up to Panthers League’s Club in Penrith from 8:00am and fill the carpark with anything and everything awesome, just like any other C&C event. Check out the cars, grab a coffee, or even hit Panthers for 20% off breakfast, then at 9:00am bugger off, but instead of heading home, make a major morning of it. The 25km cruise route took the drivers into the heart of the Hawkesbury region, where they’d be greeted with stalls, face painting for the kiddies, food trucks and for those wanting a sit-down feed, a discounted lunch at the Richmond Club across the road.

John McCoy-Lancaster, spokes legend for the MMMC, is familiar to a lot of Aussie enthusiasts; he’s a former Summernats and Motorex MC, has hosted over a decade of Sydney Hot Rod Shows, has Murray Walkered trackside at Bathurst and Sydney Motorsport Park, opened the Sydney Dragway on the mic, and been going to car events since he was five years old. We grabbed him behind the wheel of Malibu Magic, the 1965 Chevy Malibu built by street machining god Graham Stubbs, to get his thoughts.

“We wanted to create an event which brings together motoring clubs from all aspects of the lifestyle,” he begins. “We tapped the Australian Street Rod Federation (ASRF), Australian National Street Machine Association (ANSMA) and the Council of Motor Clubs (CMC). The MMMC really works as a team together with a shared passion for all things automotive. It’s a great group of enthusiasts with a real appreciation of all types of cars, hot rods, motorbikes and trucks, in all conditions. We really just enjoy each other’s company and celebrating ownership of something cool!” Looking at the line up of incredibly varied machines behind the cruise-leading Malibu Magic, it’s safe to say they achieved.

The weather was a bit dicey, but that didn’t stop John bringing one of Australia’s first award-winning, non-hot rod and non-van street cars. “I’ll have to do some cleaning, but I’ll enjoy it,” John laughs. “Graham’s catchcry was ‘Divided we lose, together we cruise’, so we’re a spirited bunch carrying that inspiration forward”. On organising the event, “We needed two venues that were easy to get into and out of, so we’re elated with the support given by Penrith Panthers and the Richmond Club. We’ve counted 220 cars this morning, even with the weather. The plan is to build this up in future years; there’s no reason Richmond Club can’t take a thousand cars if we overflow onto the oval.”

Continuing, John says, “We’ve got enthusiasts here from as far away as Port Stephens and Taree three hours up the coast, Ulladulla three hours down the coast, and from all over Sydney. This is about putting smiles on people’s faces as they see us all cruise up the road.” Hearing the odd rev, it’s clear the cars behind John are restless and raring to cruise. We give him a wave and he’s off, followed by a menagerie of metal that would make any motorhead melt.

The lineup includes everything from Nathan Clark’s blown LS3-powered ECTO-01 to WWII-era Willys Jeeps, enormous Cadillacs, Aussie muscle from all eras, rods, Bugs, JDM boosty-bois, classy vintage and veteran masterpieces and, staggeringly, one of only two rare Austin 3-litre sedans in the country, all lighting up the Hawkesbury with a cavalcade of colour. As Malibu Magic turns onto Mulgoa Road, we catch a final glimpse of the iconic sedan and realise that riding shotgun to John is custom car royalty; Trixie Roth, wife of the late Ed Roth; ‘Big Daddy’ himself, all the way from Manti, Utah, with her grand-daughter Mariah in the back seat.

Reaching Richmond Club by mid-morning, we let John do his thing for the morning and catch up with him just after lunch. “We’ve raised $11,500 today just from the $10 entry fees, raffles and the good hearts of sponsors like ANSMA, Enthusiast Motor Insurance, Shannons, Hawkesbury City Council and Repco McGraths Hill,” he says, elated, but exhausted. “This will go to the Hawkesbury Community Kitchen, and cancer support charity Pink Finns, DV charity The Women’s Cottage and Riverstone Museum. Additionally, we will show our support for the Country Women’s Association (CWA) and a few other local charities yet to be picked.”

“We’ll do this bigger and better next year, and we’ll be able to help other groups doing everything from medical research to our local Men’s Shed,” he continues. “There’s a great number of people doing amazing things for those doing it tough, so the MMMC Inc is here to create benefits and spread them around to those who need it.”

Just as soon as we grab John, he’s got to slip away again – MC duties call. Handing out tinware to the favourites of the show, he hands the mic to Trixie Roth, who bestows the Roth Family Award to Bluey Boxsell and his incredible V8-powered VW Beetle (SM Dec ‘83/Jan ’84) and teardrop camper combo, before thanking the gathered masses with a few, heartfelt words to sign off a successful day, her American accent fitting with the broad American cars. “Thanks for bringing all your amazing vehicles out, it’s been beautiful. Let’s do it again!”

HIGHLIGHTS:

1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ECTO-1
Nathan Clark

Nathan Clark’s ‘Afterlife’ ECTO-1 replica was built in just four months, debuting at Summernats 36. It’s not only cool AF, but a testbed for Haltech’s latest wizardry, with the Rebel LS ECU the first example to be calibrated for an auto trans, in this case a Hughes Performance 4L80. The UC10 dash shows the cruise control, reversing camera, tyre pressures and even runs the lights and sirens on the roof rack. Bill McCabe swung many of the spanners and drove it on the Cruise, quipping, “At least the bodywork’s done.”

1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Carol & Chris

Carol and Chris went to Atlanta, Georgia to find their 455-powered ’73 Pontiac Trans Am. “We went so deep into the backblocks, we wondered if someone might pop out with a shotgun,” Carol laughs. Chris adds, “Deep in the property, there was a showroom and even a private race track out the back to test the car. I should have tested a few more while I was there.” Carol & Chris’s Poncho runs the optional 7.5 litre V8, Polycast wheels and is all-original, right down to the carpets and trim.

1958 Chevrolet Biscayne
James & Nathan Phillips

It’s rare to find a one owner car this old, but for James Phillips’ ’58 Biscayne, it applies to the driveline, too. “My great-great-great grandfather special-ordered this factory black ’58 Biscayne back in 1958 and while it spent 30 years sitting in a shed in Mudgee, it never left the family,” he says. James and his dad Nathan repowered the Biscayne with a Holden 5.0-litre from his grandma’s VN. “She stopped driving it after she bought a Statesman, so the V8, trans and LSD rear end are all up under the Chev.”

1975 Ford XB Falcon John Goss Special
Martin Goff

The John Goss Special copped plenty of cool options like a chin spoiler, vented bonnet with locking pins, side vents, tacho, sports wheel and colour-coded 12-slotters, but was only available with a 302ci V8. Hardtop enthusiast Martin Goff has fixed that, popping in a 351, FMX auto and nine-inch. “I bought it off a guy who’d owned it for 20 years and done nothing to it. Once it was all cleaned up, he saw it again and just about cried. He was happy he’d sold it to the right person,” Martin says.

1972 Holden HQ Monaro LS
Phill Cooper

Purchased by Phill Cooper’s brother for about $1000 bucks in 1988, he passed away not long after, leaving the Monaro to sit in the backyard. About 20 years back, Phill got it on the road with a 327 Chev backed by a Turbo 350 trans and has been cruising it ever since. Although it’s a Premier-style Monaro LS, the front’s been changed to a single-headlight GTS-style affair, and it rolls on GTS wheels looking great in rare Amethyst Metallic, available only for ’71 and ’72 on the HQs.

2005 HSV Z-series Coupe4
Craig Gardiner

The Monaro Car Club of NSW put on an excellent display which included Craig Gardiner’s super-rare HSV Coupe4, number 132 of 132 built. “It’s only got about 30,000ks on it,” he says of his all-wheel-drive LS-powered rarity. “A lot of people don’t really know what they are; if you say you’ve got a Monaro or a GTS, they’re all across it, but if you say ‘Coupe4’, not so much. Even the guy who did the roadworthy hadn’t seen one in the metal, and he’d worked for Holden for 14 years.” John also commented on the car and celebrated it’s rarity – as he and Donna have a matching Black Coupe 4 at home they love to go cruising in.

1978 Ford XC Falcon ‘Barra’
Chris Wood

What do you get if you pull an XC Falcon from a paddock, then get eight blokes together for a montage? You get Chris Wood’s ‘greentop’ Barra-powered quarter-mile cutter. Despite the engine having 180,000ks on it, the turbo six is pumping out around 550hp at 20-pound of boost, the combo having clocked 100 passes with a best of 10.5. Chris and crew have plans for high eights from a fully forged combo in 2026, with help from dad Damian, Uncle Poj, cousin Chops, brothers-in-law Kyle and Reece, and mates Artie, Aaron and Jaye.

1957 VW Beetle V8
Bluey Boxsell

With over 500,000 miles under the wheels since Bluey shoved a 289ci Ford V8 into his VW Beetle, few street machines are as legendary. Trixie Roth agreed, and the retro camper combo had her welling with nostalgia. “Ed had a little teardrop made and we got to spend two nights away in it only, then he passes,” she said at the event. “We slept on Route 66 listening to freight trains and semis all night long. It was beautiful.” Emotion is a powerful thing, which is why Trixie awarded Bluey the Roth Family Award.

1965 Chevrolet Malibu ‘Malibu Magic’
John and Donna McCoy-Lancaster

John McCoy-Lancaster was 5 years old when he first came across Graham Stubbs and 11 when ‘Malibu Magic’ first hit the scene, but he never dreamed that, following Graham’s passing, he and his wife would become custodians of the seminal show car. Malibu Magic appeared in the third issue of Street Machine (Dec ‘81/Jan ’82) as well as the 300 th issue (Aug ’13), and has changed little since, then standing as a showcase of the scene as it transitioned from rods, customs and vans to include a wider variety of wheels. It’s a rolling time capsule of an entire movement.

Trixie Roth & Enthusiast Crew

The crew from Enthusiast Insurance got to hang out with custom car royalty; Trixie Roth, wife of the late Ed Roth who, along with their sons Cody and Wyatt, Cody’s wife Amber and their kids Caleb and Mariah, plus Wyatt’s wife Jess, came along to celebrate the following Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth has in Australia. “I just want you to know how much I totally love you Australians’ support of my husband’s work,” Trixie says.

1963 Holden EJ Special
Mark Cortese

Mark Cortese’s 1963 EJ Special still features original trim and paint, including a wild, dealer-fit side stripe.

1968 Isuzu Bellett
Alan Cherry

Enthusiast staffer/SM writer Dave Carey’s car of the show was Alan Cherry’s 1968 Isuzu Bellett, but owning several himself, he’s as biased as he is bearded.

Blue HK Monaro with spats

Richmond Classic Cruise-In Top Cruiser Award sponsored by Enthusiast Insurance went to this blue HK Monaro optioned with a 5.0 litre, side flash and spats. Spats!

Red ’34 Ford rod ‘55’

The kids loved the 1934 Ford 3-window coupe with the ‘55’ on the side, so much so, they gave it the ‘Children’s Choice Award’.