Gayle Segafredo
1974 Ford Cortina wagon

“My parents, Don and Charlotte Forster, bought this Cortina wagon brand new in 1974. The Mulberry wagon came with many factory options, including reclining bucket seats, rally pack, push-button radio, lockdown aerial and white protector strips.

“It was never pampered, though; for many years it was used as a camper van as my parents travelled extensively throughout the country, and of course it did all the usual school runs and sports drop-offs when my sister Dawn and I were kids.

“It was daily-driven until 2007, when it was parked up in a garage. It wasn’t until 2012 that it was rolled out and cleaned up so it could attend the 50th Anniversary of the Cortina in Williamstown. She was then put back in the garage for the next four years, but after the death of our parents, Dawn and I could not imagine life without the car, so in 2017, we had her resprayed in the original Mulberry and had all her original striping replaced.

“The interior is still original and in pretty good condition for its age. The current mileage shows the car has been around the clock twice, and the 4.1-litre 250 Falcon Pursuit motor remains completely original and has not had any work done on it!

“Over the past few years, Dawn and I have taken the Cortina to a wide variety of events, and luckily, she still drives like a dream and loves the open road. She will be handed on to my sons when we are gone, as she is our family heirloom.”

Rick Smith
Ford ZA Fairlane

“This is my 1967 ZA Fairlane, which has just been finished after a 10-year build. It’s running a 351 Clevo, backed by a C10 with a 3500rpm stall converter, and a shortened nine-inch with 31-spline billet axles.

“The twin three-inch exhaust is dumped at the diff, while XF brakes and a Wilwood master cylinder make it stop. Drawing inspiration from the American Fairlane, I decided to go for the GT look, with an XY GT fuel cap replacing the fuel door and an XY GT dash with Auto Meter gauges inside.

“The seats and door cards were fully retrimmed in a sporty-looking black and grey, and a B&M Quicksilver shifter selects the gears.

“Big thanks to my friend Wayne, who did all the bodywork and paint, along with all my mates who helped along the way.”

Jay Denman
Nissan Skyline

“Here’s my 1993 R33 Skyline, which I bought in 2014 as a non-turbo GTS model while on my P-plates.

“I drove it like this until 2016, when I was close to getting my open licence, so my dad and I did a turbo conversion. We sourced a complete turbo engine, bolted on some parts, and did some work on the engine to increase its power. I was content with that for a while but inevitably got the itch for even more, so I began to research and collect parts for its current engine build.

“I decided I wanted to build the engine myself, doing everything from bolting on parts and doing the wiring, to custom fabrication and engine assembly. That was a fantastic learning experience. The mill is now a forged RB25/30, but the only Nissan parts left are the crankshaft and engine castings; everything else has been replaced with upgraded aftermarket parts. On pump 98, the car currently makes a lazy 442hp at the hubs on a very conservative run-in tune.

“On top of this mechanical work, I’ve also done a fair bit of cosmetic work over the years, including hunting down rare factory options and aftermarket parts, paint correction, and respraying parts. In a couple of months’ time, it’ll be going under the knife again for some new updates, including supporting parts to open up some untapped potential and allow her to run on E85.”

Leigh Hallett
HSV VZ Maloo

“My VZ Maloo packs a blown 383 stroker LS up front, built by Westend Performance. Behind it is a Powerglide, along with a four-linked nine-inch in the tubbed rear end.

“There’s airbag suspension on all four corners, and it rolls on custom Walky rims. I’m proud to say the Maloo has now won multiple trophies.”

Joshua Howarth
Holden VR Commodore

“I purchased my 1994 VR in 2022 as a V6, with plans to skid it. However, after six months, the little V6 blew up, and I was going to part the car out and scrap it. But one night, my dad and I were joking about how cool it would be to do an LS1 swap and skid the tyres off it, and the idea stuck. So, I got in contact with my mate Phil Kerazy to see what was involved, and three days later, I bought my first LS1 and the overhaul began.

“We used a Rod Shop conversion kit and added a twin-throttlebody Holley Hi-Ram intake to the LS. Behind the mill is a manualised 4L60E, rebuilt two-piece tailshaft and an M78 diff with a full spool and 3.08:1 gears.

“The interior features VS Calais front seats, Statesman door cards and rear seat, and a Galaxy Roof Liners hoodlining.

“There’s also an 80-litre fuel cell, HSV VY front disc brakes, and a custom steering lock kit – the angles I’ve got with it while entering the pad are crazy!”

Mark Woodthorpe
1972 Hillman Hunter

“Our Hillman Hunter runs a tunnel-rammed 355 small-block Chev, Powerglide transmission and HiLux diff. We bought it as a rolling shell and modified it to fit the Chev mill.

“All the fab work was done by CPR Customs in Cust, New Zealand. The Hillman’s body used to be part of a Ministry of Transport police car back in the day, but now it’s a dedicated burnout car!”

Les Parker
1956 Chevrolet

“I’ve owned my 1956 Chev for 46 years. It was a factory right-hand-drive car assembled by Holden, running a six-cylinder mill and a three-speed manual transmission. Early on, I swapped the engine and trans out for a 327 V8 and BorgWarner T10 four-speed, and added Cragar SS wheels.

“I then drove it in that form for many years. Later, I fitted a 350, Muncie four-speed, 31-spline nine-inch LSD, and changed the wheels, and it’s also been repainted and retrimmed.”

Jenny Lorenze
Holden VY Commodore ute

“It all started with a spur-of-the-moment decision: my partner Jason went out to check out a VY ute. Little did I know he would return with a blown beauty that would become the centre of our automotive universe!

“Since that fateful day, our bank account has taken a hit of epic proportions, thanks to motor rebuilds and upgrades – more cash than we ever thought possible have been poured into this high-maintenance diva!

“But despite the challenges and the financial strain, this ute has become a beloved member of our family. Our kids adore it, we adore it, and the shared experiences around it have brought us closer together and made us some pretty awesome friendships.” Burnout photo: Amber Simms Photography

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 [email protected].