First published in the February 2026 issue of Street Machine

“This 1972 XA is my first build. It was a rusted-out shell we found in a shed five years ago; it was absolutely rooted, and had no parts to go with it, but me being me, I decided we should bring it back to life.

“It was built in our shed with my father Daffy, with the dream of being able to take it to Summernats and cut laps.

“It had the works done on the body; the roof and quarters came off, the boot was de-skinned, and so on.

“Almost every rust section you can buy new was used, and now the car is finished in its factory Lime Glaze colour.

“It’s running an original cast-iron, four-bolt main block and cast 4V heads, and pushes close to 500rwhp at 5500rpm. Behind it is a C10 trans.

“The car is a pleasure to drive, and we aim to put a heap of miles on the clock over the next chapter of its life.

“I need to thank Rods ’N Restos Ballarat; Frank Armeni; Matt Despirt; Garage on Martin; XA XB Concours Restorations; Rimblow Restorations; Starpoint Auto Electrical; and our neighbour Sam.”