We recently introduced you to a stack of killer Holdens entered in our Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse Young Street Machine of the Year 2025 competition, so now it’s time for the Ford crowd to get some love!

If you’ve entered a Mopar, Japanese, European or some other kind of car in YSMOTY ’25, don’t sweat it! We’ll have stories coming on those shortly, and all types of vehicles are welcome. If you’re 24 years old or younger with a cool car, get your entry in for a shot at $9000 in cash and prizes. Good luck!

Harvey Simpson – F100

“This is my 1984 Ford F100. I got it out of Melbourne a couple of years ago, running and driving on gas, but full of rust. I started working on it as soon as I got it home, and the 2V 351 Cleveland became a 393 stroker, with a little towing cam, Weiand manifold, electronic ignition and a 650 Holley. It goes awesome now for a 40-year-old truck!

“I completed the redneck look by adding a four-inch lift kit and some BFG 35s on 15-inch chromies. This truck means the absolute world to me, and I’ll never sell it. People have tried to buy it before, but I just tell them a ridiculous number so they go away!”

Ethan Agius – EL Falcon

“As a lover of cars, my dad thought this would be a nice investment for me as my first car. It sat in the garage for years, but I started working on it after I had turned 17 and just started a spray painting apprenticeship, while still attending school.

“Initially, it was just supposed to be a closed-door respray and a clean-up of the motor so I could drive it on my Ps, but one thing led to another, and I ended up gutting the whole car, paint-stripping the outside, and even adding a sunroof. The motor got rebuilt with a Stage 3 cam for extra enjoyment. As for the paint, I didn’t want anything crazy or too far removed from the factory specs, so the base is still C2 Regency Red but top-coated with a Vivid Red Pearl, which looks stunning in the sun while still keeping that burgundy colour at night. The rims are EL GT-style Global Trim items, blown up to 19in, which in my opinion makes the car.

“The build took me three years in total, working on it most nights after school and using the spray booth at work after hours. It was a mad, stress-filled rush to finish it in time for All Ford Day 2024, but it was all worth it with all the positive comments it got. I was even lucky enough to take home awards for Best EL-EF, Shannons’ Choice, and Best Overall Ford, which was a massive bucket-list achievement. I am very grateful to everyone who helped with the build, and my dad for guiding me in the right direction and for putting up with me. I am over the moon with the end result and am going to enjoy driving it.”

Jakob Ormsby – Ford F150

“Here is my 1988 Ford F150, powered by a 302 Windsor stroked to 347ci, pushing around 400hp. Mechanically, it has had a fair bit of money spent on it, with upgrades including a Scat stroker kit, Edelbrock Victor Jr manifold, alloy heads, and a Holley 750 carb. It also has a dual exhaust system and a Truetrac diff.

“The paint and stickers are done up to look like the ‘General Lee’ Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard, but with an Aussie flag on the roof. It has real street presence, and a tough mongrel attitude. Quite simply, it’s the bastard that shouldn’t exist but just does, and I love it for that.”

Lucas Yuill – BA Falcon

“This is MONEYPIT, my home-built burnout car. It was given to me by a mate; he’d saved it from under a tree. I’ve had it just over a year now and have built it myself, with help from a few mates. It started out as a stock-standard BA, with the typical strawberry-milked BTR four-speed auto. It then copped a welded diff and a new gearbox thanks to my dad, and a 20-litre fuel cell and Proflow fuel pump.

“A bit of pad time revealed we needed a tune, so we decided to buy the PCMTec program to do both my ECU and the one in Dad’s Barra-swapped XB ute. With the tune and 4.11:1 diff gears, and rolling on 15s, it stays in the top of fourth gear! It also has some custom-made twin throttlebodies on it. I’ve got some pad time under my belt, but there’s still a lot of events to come and plenty more work to be done!”

Ryan Farrugia – XF Falcon

“My XF was very rough when I first got it at age 15, with lots of paint chips. But since then, my dad and I have repainted it and slightly hotted it up to build my dream XF Falcon. There are still many things I want to do to it; it’s like they say: they’re never finished!”

Jack Spark – XF Falcon wagon

“After a previous panel van build took a wrong turn, I needed to find another car before I got my P-plates. I always loved the XFs; Dad had three of them when he was young, and being a musician, a wagon is the perfect fit for me. It’s a 1986 Series I S-Pack with a five-speed manual.

“I’ve lowered it on all fours to a nice height – not too low. The running gear is all stock for now, but I plan to do some cam work to the crossflow once I’ve finished high school, and potentially look at a turbo SOHC once I’m off my Ps.”

Cody Leahy – Ford F350

“I’ve been around cars my whole life, as my family imports classic American vehicles. So, building and selling cool cars and trucks has always been part of what I do. But I’ve never owned anything quite like this. This is my 2019 Ford F350 King Ranch dually, which came in from the US as a stock work truck. I gave it a full transformation, fitting a four-inch BDS lift kit and a Fox Performance Elite Series 2.5 coil-over conversion, with remote reservoirs. It sits on polished 22×9 wheels wrapped in 37×12.5 R/T tyres.

“It’s powered by the 6.7-litre PowerStroke diesel V8, which now has a cold-air intake and a few different tunes for towing, street and race. I wanted to build something that stood out but looks simple and clean. It’s my daily hauler, and one of my favourite builds yet.”

Jesse Ferguson – EB Falcon

“My EB Fairmont Ghia has been fitted with a genuine Falcon Sprint lip kit and a full respray in the original dark green colour. Inside, it has EB Falcon Recaro trim, which is rare and in great shape. Under the bonnet is a 347ci Windsor, which is now carby-fed for a strong street-and-strip combo, sending power through a C4 transmission that also has a cheeky transbrake.”

Anthony Zammit – XH Falcon panel van

“My 1998 XH panel van has an XR6 motor and front end swap, and is painted in Apollo Blue. Being a panel van, I made sure it was well kitted out inside, adding an overhead head unit and stereo system. I’ve done all the work at home myself, with help from my dad. We recently got a T5 manual to put in it, which should make it a bit more fun to drive!”