Sydney’s Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo has consistently been one of the country’s top car shows, and the 2025 edition was another cracker. Rosehill Racecourse once again played host to the two-day event, offering up a veritable melting pot of the city’s car culture, from elite street machines, hot rods and bikes to the Andy Colalillo-curated collection of vintage rods, customs and gassers in Nostalgia Lane. Picking just 15 faves from the plethora of incredible rides on display at this year’s show was no easy feat, but we’ve given it a damn good crack, along with a couple of honourable mentions.

1. Ted and Carol Wrigg’s ’34 Ford

Ted and Carol Wrigg’s sleek ‘Salt Flyer’ ’34 Ford five-window is dripping with traditional salt-racer styling cues. The Henry Ford steel body has copped a hefty 6½in haircut, a lengthened bonnet and an abundance of louvres and speed holes, while power comes from a coveted 401ci Buick ‘nailhead’ with Hilborn injection.

2. Craig Goodshaw’s ‘Reverence’ ’69 Camaro

“My wife Kaye-Anne has a ’67, and I wanted my own,” said Craig Goodshaw of his ‘Reverence’ ’69 Camaro. A planned two-year build ended up spanning 13 years, with Craig giving the mostly home-spannered ride plenty of pro touring embellishments, a full late-model Mercedes-Benz interior, and a Whipple-blown 502 fatty up front. The Camaro scored a second-place gong in the Full Modified Street Machine Coupe category, and Craig is looking forward to plenty of seat time in the beast once its show days are done.

3. Richy Old Dog’s ’39 Ford pick-up

Built by Image Vehicle Manufacturing, Richy Old Dog’s hard-hitting ’39 Ford pick-up was one of the unveiled cars at the Expo, and sports a 6in chop, ’39 sedan front, ’68 Camaro bumper and a bespoke tray swallowing stonker 20x12in rear wheels. Power comes from a 1000hp, Harrop-blown LS built by Westend Performance, while sinister PPG Graphite Grey satin paint rounds out the drag-spec set-up. The immaculate truck took home Top Hot Rod, Top Paint, Top Bodywork and Top Hot Rod Pick-up.

4. Greg Douglas’s Coyote-powered ’55 F100

Greg Douglas’s once paddock-dwelling ’55 F100 is now a 460hp, Gen 3 Coyote-powered beast. The hot-ticket pick-up was built by Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo promoters Andy and Donna Minas at their shop, Andy’s Restorations. Airbagged and rolling on big billets, the heavily modified F100 is finished in Charley Hutton’s Checkered Red.

5. Phil Stelling’s ’35 Ford coupe

Deluxe Rod Shop unveiled yet out another cracking ride in salt racer Phil Stelling’s ’35 Ford three-window coupe. The traditional-style 60s rod features a 350ci Chev with a 3×2 manifold, all topped with an understated cast finish to tie in with those delicious Daisy rims tucked under the fenders.

6. John Bennett’s 1928 Ford tudor

When it comes to radical hot rods, John Bennett’s 1928 Ford tudor takes the cake. The Maskell Customs & Classics-built Ford features copper appointments throughout, most prominently around the huge V12 donk. The heavily chopped and channelled A-model also boasts a tonne of factory-style customisations, including V12 badges and hubcaps.

7. Paul Johnston’s VKBOSS

Paul Johnston (pictured with son Rusty) has pumped out a stout Blue Meanie tribute, rocking an EFI-fed, 355ci Holden stroker and backed by a built TH400. HSV GTS disc brakes pull the VK up, while cabin comfort is sorted thanks to tan-trimmed Scheels.

8. Warhorse Motorsport’s ’57 Buick

Highlighted by satin Graphite Grey-painted brightwork and a lime-green, Harrop-blown LS3 in the engine bay, this Warhorse Motorsport-built ’57 Buick is one distinctive beast indeed. The finishing touch on this airbagged stunner is the massive 22in Budnik E85 rims.

9. Rob Downing’s ’63 Beetle

Rob Downing’s radical ’63 Volkswagen Beetle, ‘Bugin,’ is the creation of Custom Dream Industries on the Sunshine Coast. From the built 2276cc stroker donk to the flush-mounted windscreen, rollcage, Boyd Coddington hoops and crazy space-age seats, nothing has escaped modification, and the airbagged V-dub took home the Elegance award.

10. Darren & Deb Cahill’s 1949 Chev panel truck

“Talk about a shakedown run!” laughed Darren Cahill of the 2000km Queensland-to-Sydney round trip he and wife Deb undertook in their crispy-fresh 1949 Chev panel truck to get to the Auto Expo. And the twin-turbo LS/4L80E/9in combo didn’t skip a beat! “We had small adjustments and checks along the way, getting around 18L/100km,” Darren said.

11. Misled Youth’s jalopies

The hot-rod mad youngsters in the Misled Youth car club are an inspirational bunch. Having enjoyed the salty goodness of The Rattle Trap beach sprints a couple of weeks prior, the crew stored their early-Ford jalopies on the NSW Mid-North Coast before braving the floods to head south for the Nostalgia Lane park-up.

12. Jason and Sharon Xuerub’s Ford Galaxie and replica Thunderbolt Fairlane

This pair of sizzling 60s racers are owned by Jason and Sharon Xuerub – lucky buggers! Jason built the 390ci FE-powered Galaxie while pining for the well-executed Thunderbolt replica, having seen it advertised in the States. When he came across a pic of the Thunderbolt on Aussie soil, he made damn sure he closed the deal on the lightened ’64 Fairlane.

13. Simon Adrichem’s ‘Mr Shifter’ FX

What’s not to love about a race-proven, alcohol-swilling humpy gasser? Simon Adrichem’s wheelstanding ‘Mr Shifter’ FX (People Like Us, SM, Jul ’20) is powered by a 468ci big-block Chev and has pumped out a PB of 9.77@142mph down the quarter.

14. Jeremy Guljas’s HG Premier

Boasting stunning bespoke fab work by Automotive Creations Custom & Restoration, this HG Prem’s subtle mix of silver paint and tan trim offers a neat contrast to the race-ready Billet Specialties Comp 7 rims and Harrop-blown, Dandy-built 540ci big-block Chev in the engine bay.

15. Jed Coinu’s ’67 Chevy camper-back

“I found it sitting in the California desert,” said Jed Coinu of his very cool, small-block Chev-powered ’67 Chevy camper-back. In the week leading up to the show, Jed fitted the TH700R trans, fixed the stuck diff and sorted rego. “On Thursday, I drove the 12 hours from Victoria to Sydney,” he said. “I’ll sleep in it on the way home and hopefully make the whole trip!”

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

1. Peterbilt truck

Show trucks are a fresh addition to the show, and the level of detail on this ’67 Peterbilt rig is remarkable, from the polished and chromed 18L 3408 Cat engine to the 60s-spec metalflaked vinyl interior trim and quilted guard covers.

2. Rod and Carol Hadfield’s Model T

Swarms of punters gawked at Rod and Carol Hadfield’s twin-blown 429ci Model T throughout the weekend. First featured in the June ’98 issue of Street Machine, Rod’s beautiful yet crazy creation continues to blow minds, as evidenced by the fact that it won the Ed Roth Family Choice award.