Rohan McLachlan
1966 Ford Mustang

“Bought from the USA in 2010 and restored over five years, my Shelby GT350 tribute wears Vixen Red with Wimbledon White stripes, with the underbody coated in factory red oxide. The 289 Windsor features an Edelbrock intake manifold with a 650 Holley, with extractors feeding a 2¼in twin system and Flowmasters, which exit through a GT valance. A four-speed Top Loader sends the power back to a Ford 8in with 3.25 gears and Truetrac LSD.

“The front suspension uses Koni adjustable shocks and King springs with a 1in stabiliser bar, and the rear features five-leaf mid-eye springs and Konis. Wheels are American Racing Vintage Ds in 15×7, with 225/60R15 tyres. It’s also fitted with an export brace, Monte Carlo bar and torque boxes. The front discs use Kelsey-Hayes four-pot calipers with a dual master cylinder and booster, with 10in drums on the rear.

“Other additions include a Shelby-style fibreglass hood with hold-down pins; S-code front air duct; Shelby side scoops, steering wheel and tacho; Cobra seatbelts; a 22-gallon fuel tank; and a Shelby filler cap.

“The long and sometimes frustrating build was helped by Nigel Frith at Restoration Rust Repairs, Sam Hawkins at Awesam Paintworks, Bob ‘Doc’ Hunt at Guzzlers Hot Rods, Wayne at America West, Pat Downey at Get Foxed, countless other people who encouraged me to keep going, and my awesome wife Fran.”

Trish Proctor
Holden LJ Torana

“Here is my pride and joy. My LJ Torana was originally sold in Caboolture, Queensland, and it finally found its way back to Caboolture when I bought it two years ago, following a complete restoration in Melbourne by Chris Day.

“She runs a Holden 383 engine, two-speed Powerglide, full-spool nine-inch and 275-wide rear tyres. She’s an absolute pleasure to drive. I’m an advocate for more women to be involved in the car scene; it truly brings a sense of joy into your life.” Photos: Cars Cocktails Culture.

Murphy Archer
Ford XF Falcon ute

“I am 20 years old, and this is a 1989 XF ute I’ve restored. It is painted in two-pack Monza Red with black trim and black rear bumperettes. It still has the stock 250 crossflow, but I would like to drop in a fuel-injected V8 when I’m off my Ps to get rid of all the carburettor issues. It has 15×7 CTM Globes with 225/60R15 Nankang radials on the front, and the rear has 15x8s with 245/60R15 Nankangs.

It has a new dark grey interior; it was originally brown. It’s been lowered all ’round so the tyres fit nice and tight in the guards. I didn’t want to go too crazy with the whole thing – I just wanted a nice, neat XF that would still turn a few heads. I am hoping to take it to a few shows as well in the future.”

Noah Schefe
1970 Chevy Impala

“Hi guys and gals! Here’s my 1970 Impala. She’s a turbo LS-powered car that runs low 10s on the weekend at Springmount, with a road trip to and from Townsville either side of the three-day drags.

“She got a little photo and caption in your recent Northern Nats article by Lara Wilde (SM, Jul ’24), so I thought you might appreciate some more pics!” Photos: Ashleigh Wilson

Jared Wolfe
Holden LX Torana

“My 1977 LX SL/R 5000 Torana runs an L98 LS engine, backed by a TH400 and 4200rpm stall. Behind that is a nine-inch diff with 3.9 gears and a full spool. The Weld wheels are 15×4 and 15×8, with a 235 rear tyre, and the brakes are Wilwoods all ’round.

“I’ve had the car for about six years and did everything myself, as I’m a spray painter by trade. I spent four years building it in my shed at home, with every nut and bolt replaced. The LS conversion uses all Rod Shop components.”

Tim Barnett
Holden VN Commodore

“This 1990 VN SS came into my life when it was traded in at a Holden dealership I worked at in 2007. My original plan was to pull the driveline to put into my ute, but the more I looked over it, the more I realised it was actually a pretty solid car.

“The paint was knackered, as was every bush under the thing, so I fixed all that up and got it on the road. Since then, I’ve pulled the auto in favour of a T5 manual, thrown in some 3.45:1 diff gears, and built up a little 355 for it as well. Big thanks to The Goon for all his help along the way.”

Shaun Andrews
Holden HQ Holden

“My ’72 HQ GTS tribute is powered by a 406ci SBC engine with 11:1 comp, a healthy 242/248 flat-tappet cam and custom Pro Systems 750 carby. It runs a TH350 and shortened nine-inch with 3.55 gears and a Truetrac. The wheels are Aussie-made Enemies Racing pieces in 15×8.75 and 17×4.5 sizes.

“The car is also fully sound-deadened, and has a custom Hertz audio system. I bought the Quey mostly complete and have spent the past year tidying it up and adding my personal touches.”

Brooke Marquis
Holden VS Commodore Equipe

“This is my 1996 VS Equipe. I bought it from a mate for $500, as it had a bit less rust than my VH wagon. That said, it also had all six rods out the block! We put together an LS1 with a heads-and-cam package, 4000rpm stall and built TH350 auto. It’s got coil-overs, a mini-spooled 3.08 diff and a set of VE Calais wheels.

We slapped together twin 2.5in pipes with a set of Gonzo mufflers, dumped in front of the diff, and it rolled off the dyno with a fairly safe 405hp at the wheels. We kept it stock-looking and ratty to keep it under the radar, and since getting it finished a week ago, it’s done over 2000km between street duties and the Frydays event.

The aim is to button up the small stuff and get it out to as many events as possible before the VH is ready to receive the drivetrain. A big thanks to Brad, my dad and my partner Moshie for all the help, and Ash at AK Performance for the killer tune.”

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].