“The Monarat is a car I got back in 2011 from a local bloke. It had a two-shiddy-three in it and an Aussie four-speed, but it came from the factory with a 186S, so it is a genuine GTS.

“That 253 didn’t last long. I had a 350 in it for a while, until it started to blister the blue paint it was wearing, so it then spent a bit of time in matte black, which I laid on with a paint roller. Around 2016, we turned it into what it looks like now. I fixed all the rust, so despite how it looks, it’s a solid and safe car underneath.

“It’s now running a home-built 383 Dart block, with second-hand Racer Pro heads, Crane Cams hydraulic-roller stick and FAST EZ-EFI 2.0. The Gumtree gearbox is a built TH700, driving a Truetrac 9in diff with 4.3:1 gears.

“So far, the HG has done an 11.88@115mph down Springmount Raceway, and as always, it’s driven to and from the track via the Kuranda Range, because that’s what I built it for!

“We just put in new Winner Products Houndstooth trim and Knox carpet, so it’s nicer to drive than ever! I love cruising in it to the bottle shop, cars-and-coffee meets, school runs, golf – whatever!

“It does always get a lot of attention wherever I go, and some people do ask why I didn’t restore it in a nice way. I always liked the idea of being able to use my cars, so by keeping it this way, I can use it as much as I like, lean on it, put the kids in it and race it without having to worry.

“I’ve gotta give thanks to my brother Dane for his help here and there over the years!”