In November last year, we announced that Street Machine had been acquired by the Out There Group, the folks who put on the Street Machine Summernats, run the National Drag Racing Championship, and much more.

It has been a wild 11 months getting to know the always-busy OTG team, and let me tell you, it is awesome to be working with people who are just as passionate about cars and events as we are. And today, it has been announced that Adrian Portelli has bought a stake in the Out There Group across all its products, including Street Machine. You can check out the live announcement video here.

Adrian not only has massive chops as a marketer, but also brings a lot of expertise on the tech side of things, which can only be a great thing for securing Street Machine’s long-term future. When asked what the news means for the wider business, OTG’s co-owner Andy Lopez had this to say:

“The first part is looking at the things we’re already doing, helping amplify that message, futureproof them and make them better. The real opportunities are the things we’re not already doing. The blue sky is what really excites us – to create new stuff, including some international opportunities, like taking Summernats to the USA.” To that end, Andy will be visiting the US later this year to scope out locations, with the aim of having the first event in 2026.

And, as we saw at the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge earlier this year, Adrian can certainly steer! He’s also in the throes of organising to build his own racetrack in Victoria and has plans for more elsewhere in Oz. We had a quick chat with him today to get an idea of his background in the car scene:

We’ve seen you lifting wheels at Optima and driving pretty hard. What’s your background in racing?

It’s not anything serious! When I was nine or 10, Dad bought me a go-kart. Every weekend we’d go racing, and we got pretty heavily into that scene, but Dad always had to work to support us, so that kind of dwindled away. Once I got my licence, I started doing all the track days. It’s always good fun, and hopefully once we build a race track, we can get more into it!

Your first car was a WRX. What else have you had in your garage over the years?

I’ve had a bit of everything, mate! I started with the JDMs, and then dabbled a lot with HSVs. I had a VE when I was about 22. Turbos, superchargers, V8s, four-cylinders – I just love anything with an engine.

Any cars you’ve owned that you’ve found disappointing?

You know what, I think supercars in general. I really amped it up in my head when I was younger that I always wanted a Lamborghini or Ferrari, but when you get one, you quickly realise, “Oh, it’s just a car.”

Any dream cars you’d still like to own?

I think I’m at the point where I’m over quantity and really looking for quality. Cars are headaches! Even people with just one car are always working on something, and I got to the stage where I had about 50 cars. It was too much, and there was always a problem.

Speaking of quality, here we are standing next to XBOSS!

That is a very special car, but it’s a show car. I wouldn’t use it as a daily, but it’s great to look at, and it’s the perfect addition to the man cave.

Clearly you love the internal combustion side of things, but do you have any love for EVs?

I’ve gotta watch what I say here! I have a couple of electric cars, and I do like them. Unfortunately, it’s the way we’re going, like it or not – whether it’s in a hybrid of full electric, we’ve gotta accept it. But that doesn’t mean internal combustion will be gone for good; they’ll just be our Sunday drivers. We all love a good V8.

Here’s the full press release:

Aussie entrepreneur and loud and proud car lover, Adrian Portelli, today announced he is buying a stake in the automotive festivals, motorsport and media company, the Out There Group. Joined by Out There Group’s co-owner, Andy Lopez, in today’s media conference, the pair outlined the arrangement and their joint plans for the future.

The Out There Group stable includes events like Summernats, Rockynats, MotorEx, Red CentreNATS and Dust Hustle, as well as Australia’s premier drag racing series the National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC), plus Australia’s iconic motoring magazine and digital content house, Street Machine.

“Over the past 15 years, we have built a fantastic suite of motorsport festivals, and recently we have extended our reach within the car community with the NDRC and the acquisition of Street Machine. All of our flagship brands are going amazingly and continue to flourish,” said Andy Lopez, co-owner of Out There Group.

“Today, I’m really proud to announce that Adrian Portelli is investing in our business as a shareholder across everything we do and everything we want to do in the future. Whilst the current owners of Out There Group retain the majority share, Adrian’s holding and role is significant,” a delighted Lopez added.

Lopez and Portelli have been in discussions about the company buy-in for a number of months, and according to Lopez, the final result is about a shared passion and vision: “I say this genuinely, I could not think of a better bloke to work with. With Adrian, we have new creativity and energy from a true entrepreneur, and best of all, he’s a great guy and genuine car nut. There’s no one else out there who loves what we do and the community we serve more than Adrian. There’s been so many things we’ve wanted to do over the years that we haven’t been able to do on our own. With a guy like Adrian and his business smarts, passion and creativity, we’re heading for the next level,” Lopez said.

Portelli, best known for his LMCT+ business, was equally buoyant about his investment: “This is a really exciting chapter for me. Everyone who knows me understands just how much I love the car community, and now I’m joining a crew that are doing awesome things for that community,” said Portelli. “I’m not here to change anything, and that’s a really important statement for me to make. I’m here because I love what these guys do and how they do it. I want to help grow the current business and to futureproof our scene. The thing that also excites me is the chance to create new festival experiences and concepts in the future.”

The Out There Group also has a rich history in the live music industry and today provides the infrastructure for the biggest and smallest artists in the country to perform at its events. With live music festivals suffering nationally from a downturn and multiple closures, it’s time to turn that trend around, according to Portelli.

“I’ve seen music festivals owned by international companies close down when it gets hard – that is never happening with us,” said Portelli. “I’ve told Andy I’m here for the good times and I will be his rock if we ever get to hard times.”

Both Lopez and Portelli are already planning on growth opportunities for their Out There Group, with international expansion on the cards in the near future. “I want to take our scene to the world,” Portelli said. Lopez outlined some of their goals: “Some of our immediate plans are to take Summernats to the US and to keep growing Street Machine into an international digital content and print magazine powerhouse. We also want to take drag racing in this country to a new level.”

Portelli concluded: “I can’t wait to see what happens next. We’re going to do some magic things together.”