The 2026 running of Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse Young Street Machine of the Year is well and truly underway. This is the competition we run to showcase the young guys and girls in our car scene, open to any car owners 24 years old or younger.

We’re taking entries from every automotive genre – Fords, Holdens, muscle, JDM, 4×4, Mopars – it’s all good! If you’re 24 or under, enter your car before we shut the gates in August 10, and you could be in the running to share in $9000 in cash and prizes. Below is a selection of Holdens who’ve already thrown their hat in the ring, so if you’re a young’n, make sure you get your entry in now!

Jonah Farfalla – 1987 Holden Commodore VL

“This car was purchased in 2017 by my Dad. He bought it as a surprise, a bone stock VL V8 matching number sedan vacationer from Adelaide. I drove it on my Ls and Ps, but due to living arrangements, we had to sell just after my 18th. Not even two years later we purchased the car back. The car has major sentimental value within my family. Due to us always changing cars, this has been the longest car owned within the family. Since then I have had it go from a bone stock VL to a clean example of goodies while keeping it a factory car. Modifications throughout my ownership include a VL group A air cleaner, venetians, a custom exhaust, the HDT Aero wheels, lowered ride height.  My goal is to keep it as a nice, clean example.” Insta: @jonahfarf

Jordan Fawell – 1980 Holden Gemini TE

“This is my 1980 Holden TE Gemini wagon. It’s taken us around two years to get the car to this stage, as it was in a very rough state. It was full of rust, bog and dodgy repairs. We decided to give it a crack and completed all the rust repairs, bodywork and paint ourselves, with help from a good painter I know – my Dad! The colour is BMW Marrakesh Brown Metallic. Exterior mods include a CDT-style front spoiler, ZZ/R Gemini bonnet vents, shaved rear end, tidied up engine bay, and a set of 15×7 Rota wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Every steering and suspension component has been rebuilt or upgraded to bring it up to current standards, including an adjustable pan hard rod, lowered springs and shocks, polyurethane bushes all ‘round and upgraded front and rear sway bars – it handles like a go kart! The engine and driveline are all standard refreshed or rebuilt items, except for electronic ignition, a Weber carby, and custom extractors/exhaust that I made myself. The interior boasts standard caramel colour seats to keep that period look, with custom black and flannel door cards, boot area carpet and roof lining done by me and my old man. My fiancé and I have been cruising the hell out of the little Gemini anywhere we can point it and have been loving every minute of it!” Insta: @jordanfawell

Dylan Grech – 1971 Holden HG Kingswood

“I bought the car last year as a 186 six cylinder with a manual three on the tree behind it. I drove the car for a couple months, then realised it was boring, tore it apart and started to clean the bay up by painting the bay for a rebuilt 308 Holden. It has flat top pistons, roller rockers, ported heads, valves, 286 cam, 3500rpm high stall converter, fully manualised Trimatic, a V8 Salisbury diff, B&M shifter, gauge setup, all well keep it looking like Nunnols cruiser, a proper sleeper!” Insta: @dylan_grech_

Ben Camilleri – 1986 Holden Piazza turbo

“I’ve owned this car for two years now, and done a full engine rebuild, manual conversion and full exterior overhaul including respray, spoiler and JDM front bumper. This is one of very few Piazzas left in the country, and an absolute joy to drive around. People have no idea what it is, mainly because I’ve changed it all back to Isuzu badging. I purchased it from my Dad who bought it from a past customer of his, I just couldn’t let it go. Being so rare and unknown, it’s a real conversation starter. Only 379 came to the country, and less than 20 are still running and registered.  It’s running a factory 2.0-litre Isuzu 4ZC1 with forged pistons, a bigger T28 turbo, XR6 Falcon intercooler and Rodeo intake manifold for better airflow. The gearbox is a factory Piazza five speed manual, and a factory turbo diff and lowered suspension all round. Recent upgrades include a new three inch exhaust, factory gold pinstripes and turbo stickers, and 17 inch Gold BBS wheels to top it all off. Future plans include a bit more low, and a new Haltech ECU to get the car running 100 per cent.” Insta: @pizza_boy1986

Abby Bruce – Holden Commodore VK

“Here is my 1985 VK Commodore Group A replica. My Dad built one with the same custom number plates when I was around 12 years old, and I fell in love. He unfortunately sold it a couple years later. That’s probably where my love for cars came from, and how I knew I wanted to be a mechanic. I bought it when I was a first year mechanic off Facebook Marketplace as a Berlina in Queensland for $1500, and made my Dad drive 15 hours straight to get it. I started collecting parts from all over NSW, and saved up all the coin I could. I started building it from a bare shell at the start of 2025, and I decided to enter it into Street Machine Summernats 38, when there was only about seven months to go to the event. I built a 304, converted it to carby with a T5 ‘box behind it and a VL turbo diff with 4.11:1 gears. I made sure I had the Scheel Herringbone interior, and painted the dash in Cerulean Blue. For my eighteenth birthday, my Dad found the plates again and bought them back. It was a GMHGPA 2.0, with the same running gear and interior . A 12 year old dream come true!” Insta: abbybbruce

Tait Schneider – 1972 HQ Holden One Tonner

“At 13 years old, the journey of HQ1TN began. I drove past a rusty old HQ One Tonner sitting in the middle of a paddock with a spray-painted FOR SALE sign. The next day I convinced my parents to let me buy it. I sold my childhood dirt bike to afford it, only to discover it needed far more work than I expected. The cab was completely rusted out, sitting on a bare-bones chassis with almost everything missing but I saw potential. It was the best $800 I ever spent. Over the past six years, I’ve completed a full bare-metal rotisserie restoration in a small two-car garage. Along the way I learnt rust repairs, welding, fabrication, bodywork, painting and mechanical work, discovering a real passion for metal shaping and saving old Aussie cars. I documented the entire build on YouTube and social media so I could look back on the journey once it was finished. I’m so glad I did, because now everyone can follow the restoration from start to finish. This project taught me that you don’t need a huge workshop or expensive equipment to build a tough street car—you just need to give it a go! I live by the saying, “Bite off more than you can chew and chew like hell. The best part of this journey hasn’t been the finished car, it’s been the memories made with my dad and my little brother, Jack. I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my family, friends and everyone who helped along the way. The friendships and opportunities this car has created have genuinely changed my life. Having HQ1TN featured in Street Machine has been a dream of mine, and it’s proof that with determination, dreams really do come true.” Insta: @tait_hq1tin

Tyler Chambers – 1964 EH Holden

“I understand it’s no road car but it’s mine. It was originally a 1964 EH Holden, turned into a speedway car. It has taught how to weld, make new parts to fix rust and how to paint. I chopped up the original car, as it was beyond saving and bought another shell and put everything into it. It’s powered by a methanol-fed 179.” Insta: @Tyler_4j

Daniel Grech – Holden VK Commodore

“I bought my ‘84 VK Commodore in February 2021, when I was 15. It was the Brandy colour with pinstripes, and the little six cylinder with the sloppiest four speed manual. The car was originally meant for me to learn to drive in. Although it was advertised with no rust, as we started having a better look, we kept finding more and more. Then, one day, one of Dad’s friends came over who is  a spray painter, and said “let’s blow a bit of paint on the rust.” Four years later, we ended up bare metal rotisserie style respray in Alaskan White, a shaved engine bay, custom interior and wiring all done by me and my Dad. It now is running a VN 304 Holden V8 with a T5 ‘box. It had a VL diff in it, which is currently out of the car being shortened to give it the tubbed look. The whole point of the car is to have a nice cruiser to be able to take it out with my Dad’s Calais.” Insta: @danielg_2005

Sebastien Mirenda – 1987 Holden VL Calais

I’ve got a 1987 Holden VL Calais with a 355 stroker.  What makes the car mine is that it’s one of the few Calais that is now painted in yellow with a tough V8 set up, rather than the cookie cutter RB turbo. The confusing part that I get questioned about is whether it’s a factory Calais or not. The car itself started life as an Alpine White over Asteroid Silver Calais with the rare Sandalwood leather interior and a non-turbo RB30. Since then, it’s come a long way now, painted in the Canary Yellow with a carby-fed 355 V8 stroker motor. The car is a thrill to drive with its high power, making around 350rwkW. It’s also running a Turbo 350, and makes all the good noises through a three inch exhaust. The car is sitting on 20×8.5 Simmons all ‘round, lowered on Monroe shocks and Lovells springs.” Insta: @vlcalais_355

Riley Clatworthy – 1979 Holden Commodore VB

“I bought the car in 2023 as a bare shell, and being around the old boy with cars, I wanted to build my own tough car. This VB came up for sale, and the unique factory fitted steel sunroof was the selling point. I saved every penny I could while doing an apprenticeship to build it, and from the start I never wanted to short cut it. I did a VH front end conversion, got the car painted, the holes welded up and the engine bay smoothed. I then bought the 308 engine and made it a very healthy cranky 308 with all the fruit. It also has a fully manualised Trimatic, and then I bought a set of Enemies Racing wheels to finish it off. The entire car was built by my Dad and I in a shed at home, the only thing that was not done by us was the paint and panel due to not having the resources to do so. Originally, the car was built to be a tough sounding cruiser, and got out of hand quickly and turned into a bit of a stand out car. I’m proud to have a car to this standard at only 21.” Insta:@clatworthy332

Ethan Dance – 1974 HQ Holden Kingswood wagon

“I bought the car midway through 2025, and it was originally a 253, Aussie four speed car. The paint was falling off, it and had some rust. Over the last year or so, it’s had some paint, the 10 bolt diff built, lowered suspension with Pedders springs and shocks, white walls and I drove it around like that for a while. The 253 was getting tired, so got a solid roller rectangle port headed 454 big-block Chevy freshened it up and put it in, behind it is a 850hp-rated Powerglide and 4000rpm converter. While it was off the road, I also put in a Bang Shifter and made it suit the Monaro centre console. It has turned out to be a much bigger build than originally thought but turned out to be a dream car of mine.” Insta: @ethandanceee

Jaidyn McIntosh – Holden Commodore VT

“My VT Commodore has been more than just a car to me. It’s been a project that has evolved over the years, and after building it twice, it has finally become the car I always pictured in my head. The bay was completely shaved and wire-tucked to give it the clean look I wanted. Sitting inside is a cammed LS1 with supporting modifications and an LSXR intake manifold making 410hp at the wheels. The engine is controlled by a Haltech Rebel LS ECU, with an iC-7 digital dash inside the car. The front and rear cradles were removed, cleaned and painted, every bush in the car was replaced, and the entire underbody was Raptor coated. The exterior received a brand-new paint job, with a two-inch cowl bonnet. It also features a sunroof, VX Calais boot garnish and 20-inch chrome Walkinshaw wheels. The rear is bagged, allowing the car to sit exactly how I want it when parked. Inside, I wanted something completely different from a standard VT. The interior was completely transformed with a custom red and black suede theme, including red Coulson seats and a custom carbon-fibre steering wheel. What makes this car special to me isn’t just the list of modifications. It’s the amount of work that has gone into the parts most people will never see. From pulling the cradles out and sorting out all the small problems that come with a complete rebuild, almost every part of the car has been touched.” Insta: @evill.vt