BRENDAN Cherry’s turbo LS-powered HQ Monaro is a very versatile unit. Not only is it a frequent participant in the Melbourne cruise scene, but it’s equally at home doing massive powerskids at events like Performance Car Mania, and has even had a go on the Street Machine Summernats burnout pad.

Best of all, last year the car completed the inaugural Street Machine Drag Challenge and came runner-up in both the Blown Outlaw class and our Street Outlaws-style shootout in Albury. And all without pulling a trailer; everything Brendan needed had to be packed into the coupe.

Brendan is keen to have another crack at Drag Challenge this year, and he now has the Monaro running in the eight-second zone. The HQ is still using a single-turbo LS combination, but is now based on a cast-iron LQ9 block, with LS3 heads. The turbo remains the same – a chunky Garrett GTX45R, with an air-to-air intercooler and E85 fuel.

The car ran a new PB of 8.93@158mph at Heathcote Park on the weekend, in full street trim and driven to and from the track. Brendan is confident that with more tuning and some tweaks to the suspension he can get the Monaro into the 8.50s in time for Drag Challenge.

Check out his form in the video, and click through the gallery to see his journey through the first Drag Challenge last year.