When it comes to car builds, there are two age-old debates: what’s the definition of a sleeper, and what classifies as a budget build. Well, at the risk of further fanning those flames, we’d argue that both terms apply to Nathan Camilleri’s XE Falcon GL. It looks as fresh as the one your nan used to drive, but it uses a stock-bottom-end SOHC six, BTR gearbox and Borgy diff to run low 10s!

Many readers will recognise Nathan as one half of the Hackshop Garage YouTube channel, alongside good mate Michael Ludviksen. The duo documented their 14-week thrash to get the XE ready for Drag Challenge 2024 on their channel, which saw them transform the car from a stock crossflow-powered machine to the 10-second sleeper it is now. But Nathan’s history with this XE began long before that.

“I love my early Falcons, and we found this one when I was 16 years old at a skip bin place for $350,” Nathan says. “My dad said to just buy it and keep it forever, so I did.”

The XE stayed as a stocker, complete with working air con, while Nathan built his first fast car – an NF Fairlane that has successfully completed two Drag Challenges. But when it came time to take the ’Lane to the next level, Nathan decided to repurpose its turbo SOHC running gear. “Originally, we were going to do a Windsor in the XE, but I just love the turbo SOHC sound, and I still wanted a fast street car while we build the Fairlane, so we put the driveline from it into the XE,” he says.

While swapping over Falcon sixes might seem like a simple job on paper, Nathan also took the opportunity to give the rust-free XE a mini-resto, fully stripping and repainting the underbody and engine bay. The intercooler piping also needed reigging to suit the XE, and Michael had to rewire the car to suit the Haltech Elite 750 ECU they’d also nicked from the Fairlane.

The lads then prepared the turbocharged, EF-spec 4.0-litre six from the Fairlane for its new home, rebuilding it with gapped rings but otherwise keeping the bottom end standard. A Crow Cams bumpstick was the only internal change to the factory head, which wears a 6boost exhaust manifold for the Pulsar turbo on the hot side and a The Skid Factory top-section intake on on the other. 

The combo made 415rwhp on 16psi and E85 through the BTR transmission just a week out from Drag Challenge, so Nathan had high hopes for the XE being a much quicker car than his NF luxo-barge: “The Fairlane made less power than that, and we’ve lost 300 kilos.”

Our first quarter-mile track for DC 2024 was South Australia’s Dragway at The Bend, where the XE romped to a 10.58@126mph on its first quarter-mile pass. It was a significant jump on the Fairlane’s best of 10.86, but Nathan knew there was more in it.

Come the second-last day of DC ’24 at Heathcote Park Raceway, the Falcon’s PB improved dramatically to 10.34@129mph, with Nathan still just launching off the footbrake. “That was great to get the 10.3, but now I just want to run quicker!” he laughs. “I’m looking at a bigger turbo now and maybe an intake manifold, but I want to get it to a 10.00 or 9.99 with the stock bottom end and BTR – that’s the goal.”

Low 10s is an awesome achievement on a budget, especially as the XE wasn’t really built for racing. “I don’t want to lose the response of the turbo for the street, because that’s what I do with it most,” Nathan says. “I just love driving it.”

But first, Nathan will be testing out the car’s overall performance this weekend at Optima Ultimate Street Car 2025 at Calder Park. And you can join in! Either bring your ride to the VIP Park Up, take on the roll racing or come and check out the action as a spectator. Info and tickets here.

NATHAN CAMILLERI
1984 FORD XE FALCON GL

THANKS
Michael Ludviksen; Raceworks; TI Performance; Kincrome; Tinman Fabrications; Jake Shuffell at Tunetec; Outragius Detailing.