The variety of cars being entered into our 2025 Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse Young Street Machine of the Year competition has been epic, including plenty from Japanese car lovers!

Here’s a snapshot of some of our faves from the Land of the Rising Sun. If you’ve got any kind of cool car and you’re under the age of 24, get your YSMOTY entry in below for a shot at $9000 in cash and prizes.

Benjamin Willis
Subaru Legacy

“I’ve rebuilt my imported Subaru Legacy wagon from a shell that I’ve owned since I was 17. I slowly acquired every rare piece for it, such as the front bumper. The engine set-up consists of a built 3.0-litre EZ30 six-cylinder with a custom turbo kit using a GTX3582R turbo and Turbosmart HyperGate 45, and is good for 450hp. The interior is full of STi goodies from all the different generations.”

Caitlin Baxter
Toyota HiLux

“This is my 1990 Toyota HiLux, which has been chopped in the centre and had 200mm added to make it appear lower. It’s a complete sex-spec build, and is special to me, as I have grown up working on cars and going to car shows with my father. A family friend built and owned this car, and I’ve wanted it ever since I first set eyes on it as a little girl. Finally, the previous owner let Dad buy it as a surprise for my 18th birthday.

“There are so many custom and random elements to the car that make it one of a kind; there are shower drains as speaker covers, a Harley Davidson fuel cap, shaved door handles, a side-opening bonnet, and best of all, a side-mount supercharger!”

Lachlan McGrath
Mazda 929

Photos: Peach Garage

“I built my 1980 Mazda 929L, built by myself and some mates over the last two years. We aimed to create an Australian representation of a style of car in Japan called a Kaido Racer, so we replicated the paint scheme of the iconic Big Boppa MFP Falcon from the first Mad Max film.

“The car has Mazda RX3 Savanna Works wide flares, with 14×10 front and 14×12 rear widened steel wheels. It uses a modified Monaro front lip, a custom moulded rear wing and a bunch of other goodies to emulate the Japanese style of Kaido Racers. Overall, it was a very fun budget build that was completed with a bunch of mates on summer nights in my driveway. It was built to capture the attention of enthusiasts in Japan and Australia.”

Jonny Murgana
Nissan Skyline R33

“I bought my 1993 Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T when I was 19. The car wasn’t running, so I quickly hooked up a FuelTech FT550, thanks to my big cousin Frank Marchese.

“Since then, I have fully built the motor with Dad and Frank at Dandy Engines to handle 1000hp; it currently safely makes around 600hp. While the motor was out, the engine bay got a fresh respray.

“The exterior sports a full Japanese bodykit and a touch of drag racing styling with 17in Pro Drags in the rear with 275/45 PSR radials. I do signage and vehicle wrapping for work, so I’m currently preparing the body for a full wrap in preparation for the car’s big return, including more boost!”

Seth Depiazza
Lexus SC400

“My brother and I have built the only Lexus SC400 with a big-block Chevy. The Dart-blocked, 540-cube engine runs a dry sump and has all the fruit, making 650hp to the wheels.

“The bodywork was done in a weekend and painted by a mate. It’s a riot on the pad!”

Coskun Izlemec
Mazda 929

“This is my Mazda 929, done as an RX-4 mock-up. I brought it when I was 16 as a rust-bucket, and I’ve been doing it up ever since. It runs a 13B turbo with a MicroTech LT-10 ECU and the full bridgeport set-up. It has been mini-tubbed with a nine-inch diff, and the custom interior features HSV Coulson front seats.”

Memphis McGrath
Toyota HiLux

“I bought my 1988 Toyota HiLux a few years ago; it was vinyl wrapped at the time. My mum, dad and I initially put a 186 with triples in it, but we were struggling to get the radiator to fit, so Dad found a nice tunnel-rammed 304, which fits perfectly in the engine bay, including the extractors. Behind it is a Trimatic gearbox, and it sits on Pro Drag 17×8 front and 20×9 the rear wheels. The sticker on the back window is because I like racing on the XBOX, and I’ve named the car ‘Shibby’ (she’ll be right).

“l have plans to do skids in the car, and hopefully some drags. I took it to a car show last year as an unfinished project, and I walked away with two trophies – I was very excited to get them! Maybe one day, I’ll get it registered for the street.”

Bradley Percival
Nissan Silvia S13

“I bought my Silvia S13 as a rolling shell, and my dad and I then did a whole bunch of work to it in our shed. I built the LS1 engine, adding ported heads and a cam. Running on E85, it makes 442rwhp and 516lb-ft.

“I did all the custom wiring and fabrication on the car, and my dad and I did the paintjob. I sorted the entire front end suspension myself, including the steering kit; there’s Shockworks coil-overs and GKTech arms all ’round, and a full GKTech lock kit. We also did a bolt-in rollcage, fitted the Velo seats and harnesses, and added the full bodykit.

“The car only left the shed for a wheel alignment, exhaust and a tune, but everything else was done by us at home.”

Stefan Karajcic
Mitsubishi Lancer GSR

“This is my 1993 Mitsubishi CC Lancer GSR, which I purchased during lockdown when I was 13. It was in need of a full restoration due to it sitting unregistered since 2008, so my dad and I have now completed a full nut-and-bolt resto on the car.

“It’s now powered by a fully built 4G63, backed by a dogbox and using a Haltech Elite 2500 ECU to help it make just over 800hp at the hubs with its previous turbo set-up (without nitrous). I haven’t had the chance to race it yet, and there’s still lots of things I want to do, but I’m very happy with how it is currently.”

Liam Hywood
Subaru Impreza WRX

“My Subaru WRX ‘Blobeye’ is painted in the rare factory colour of Ice Blue. I have owned the car for three years, and over that time I have built it into what it is today.

“There’s been lots of work done on it, including adding a Process West intake manifold on the EJ207 engine, a Link G4X ECU, and making it E85 capable, and now it makes more than enough power for me! On the exterior, I have gone all-out to create the vision I have for it and make it something never seen before from a WRX.”