First published in the August 2026 issue of Street Machine

“This is my 1984 Ford XE Falcon S-Pack. Seven years ago, while at the wake of a funeral, a good friend of mine told me about an XE sedan for sale.

“He showed me some photos of the car, and it ended up being really local to me. So, I went to check it out that afternoon with my dad. The car had done over 500,000km, but the shell was faultless rust-wise, and everything worked including the air con, so I brought it home the next day.

“Over the next four years, Dad and I, with the help of a few mates, turned it from a faded grandpa car into the XE you see today, all on a budget. It now sports a mild 351 built by Mario ‘TRIKHQ’ Vassallo (SM, Dec ’85), with a solid flat-tappet cam, Edelbrock manifold, and 2V heads with a couple of tricks up its sleeve.

“The original single-rail ’box has been replaced by a Hurst Indy-shifted Top Loader, with a Centerforce clutch to supply the bite. Out back is a 9in with 3.9:1 gears and a Truetrac centre. The whole car was then paint-stripped panel by panel in the garage at home, before being taken to David Grima’s place, who did all the paint and panel.

“It’s been repainted in its factory Hermitage Red, and sits on a set of Simmons FR20s. Now I have the car I’ve always wanted, with all the work done by backyarders, which I’m really proud of. Every time I jump in it now, you can’t wipe the smile off my face.

“Special thanks to Gerald Ciantar, Mario Vassallo, David Grima, Frank Brincat, and Dazz the Detailer.” Photos: Pro Street Media

Want your pride and joy featured in the mag? Just send some photos of your car (minimum file size 2MB each) and a few details of what went into the build to readerscars@streetmachine.com.au.