The third and final instalment of our Meguiar’s MotorEx 2024 unveilings!

Cam Waters, XB Falcon Coupe

It ain’t often that a professional race car driver the likes of Supercars superstar Cam Waters decides to build a street machine, and with heavy involvement from the team at Rides By Kam, this Falcon hardtop does not disappoint.

Fittingly, the car is powered by a ridgey didge ex-Supercars Windsor V8, built by race engineer Jon Grove. Some liberties were taken with the engine over and above the class rules, however, with cubes stretched to 369ci for an impressive 745hp at 6800rpm peak. We can only imagine that it sounds insane sucking down air through the carbon fibre trumpets on the genuine FPR/Tickford Racing cross-ram intake.

The car is very much built to drive, as you would expect for someone of Cam’s vocation. NASCAR steering duties Stateside kept Cam from being at MotorEx in person, however he was watching the car be unveiled via video link.

“It’s been a really cool project,” said Rob Zahabi from Rides By Kam. “Cam is going to drive the wheels off this thing.”

And check out the rendering by Render Garage:

Adam Bickerstaff, 1956 F100

Adam Bicketstaff’s F100 was found in Queensland, and bought sight-unseen for Greg at Viking Hotrods to RHD-convert and make into a stunner. Starting with a clean, rust-free body, they jammed a blown Coyote mill up front and heavily reworked pretty much everything else!

The front axle has been pushed forward, with custom engine bay metal and lots of chassis work, and the Coyote turns a 10-speed auto.

“The curves of this car really showcase the paint and colour,” Greg said of the PPG Envy Green/Tonic Brown finish. “In the sun it’s totally different.” Adam spent the six weeks leading up to MotorEx helping put it all together. “Greg and the team have just been fantastic,” he enthused. “Their workmanship is spectacular.”

Ross Gangemi, ’65 Mustang Fastback

Early Mustangs are probably the most widely modified car on planet earth, so building one that stands out is no mean feat. Ross Gangemi’s ’65 Fastback pro tourer is an absolute stunner, and while the world-first Harrop 2650-blown 360ci Windsor and myriad of carbon fibre goodies are definitely a highlight, the quality of the paint and bodywork steal the show. “Automotive Creations did the body and paint and turned it around from a rusty bogged out shell in just six months,” said Ross. They did so to an exceptional standard, with loads of custom touches everywhere you look. “It’s built to be a Shelby clone, but with a modern look,” said Ross.

Dragos Bjelogrlic, Ford Falcon XE ESP

Taking a monumentally powerful engine from a six-second race car and bolting it into a street car is just the kind of tomfoolery that we can get behind. Dragos Bjelogrlic bought this genuine XE ESP off his brother a few years back, and got stuck in. “I had this vision of a Pro Radial-style look, but keeping it looking like an ESP; trim and everything, explained Dragos.

The 380ci twin-turbo small-block Ford is the very same mill that powered Joe Gauci’s Cortina to 6.8sec quarters. “We’ll see how we go with it, but it has to have rego for us,” said Dragos. “Dandy Engines did the motor and MPW did a lot of the fab work. It’s been in and out of a few fab shops, and they’re the ones who came through with the goods. I can’t wait; I’m going to drive the wheels off it!”

Robert Rampton, XY Falcon GT

Robert Rampton found his ‘Old Gold’ XY GT in a shipping container, where it’d lived for 20 years! It’s one of three cars originally painted in Royal Umber, though it’d been resprayed in Vermillion Fire at some point in its life. “There was one GT-HO in the colour too, but I’ve never seen another one,” Robert said during the unveil. “I love the colour, the Hawaiian cloth inserts and the gold stripe – it just sets it off beautifully!” Most parts were sourced locally, and it runs the matching-numbers 4V 351, toploader manual and nine-inch with 3.25 gears. 

Chris Retzos, 1969 Dodge Coronet

The bulk of this gorgeous Southern Rod & Custom R/T was built 10 years ago. “This was a basket-case I bought 10 years ago, and [Chris Retzos] wanted to build it,” Shane Rowe said. “We had other priorities and this car sort of faded into the background, but we’ve put in an effort over the last six months to get it finished. We showed the car in bare metal way back in the Feb ‘13 mag, and it sat mostly finished since 2014. It’s three inches wider than new, with a wheelbase extended by two inches, with a NRE twin-turbo 572 Hemi under the scoops! The wheels are one-off billet pieces and while it first wore a vinyl roof, they turfed it some time ago.

Serg Derose, XY Falcon

SR&C’s second unveil car was this low-hanging XY, dubbed ‘The Grinch.’ Owned by Serg Derose, it runs a Pavtek-built 393 Cleveland, worked C10 and Strange 35-spline nine-inch by Competition Diffs. Chassisworks supplied custom rails, paired with a United Speed Shop front end and four-link rear. Rolling on 20×8 and 20×12 Simmons, it’s a cool, static stance. “People think it’s ‘bagged, but it’s not,” Shane Rowe laughed. “It’s been purposely built as a driver.” While he admits the colour is a bit out-there, he’s had good feedback thus far. “You need to walk around it several times to take it all in,” he said. It was trimmed in-house with GT styling, though all in leather.