The 2025 edition of Young Street Machine of the Year from Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse is in full swing, with plenty of hot rides already putting their hat in the ring for a shot at $9000 in cash and prizes.

If you’re 24 years old or younger with a cool car, then you can get your entry in as well. Here’s a snapshot of some of the Holdens that caught our eye, and we’ll have a story on the Fords and other makes coming soon, there’s plenty of variety rolling in!

Tom Baker – VH Commodore

“I bought this VH to get ready for Drag Challenge 2024!  The body and paintwork was kept pretty original, but everything else got a revamp. The rear end got some suspension work done, while up front is had 355 Holden from when I got it. We added a Haltech dash for all the sensors and data logging, it copped bit of a cam, some extra compression and my own little port job with the assistance of my Dad who is head of BG Engines.

Our tweaks saw it go from 390hp to 520hp and 440ft/lbs. Initial testing had us run a best of 11.7, and then came the fun part of working the car to get what we wanted out of it. At DC ‘24 with a lot of help from Dad and others involved, it got down to its current PB of 10.77@124mph. We’re doing more engine work now, so soon to be improved!”

Michael Micallef – HD Holden

“My build is a shed built, engineered 1965 HD Holden PRO 65 with a ProFlo built 6.0-litre LS engine, TH350 gearbox and a 4500rpm stall convertor. The car is mini tubbed, while up front is an IFS front end with rack and pinion steering. The headers are custom one-off Proflo fabricated ones to a 3in exhaust. The undercarriage is detailed, and was a ground up rotisserie build. The car will be on display at the Killer Rides show in November ast year.

Andy Box – HQ ute

“I bought the ute when I was 15, just before I got my Ls. I drove it around with a 202 and three on the tree, and as soon as I got my Ps I pulled her off the road and gave her a transplant. We went and picked up the new motor three days before Christmas, and from then it was game time.

She now runs a 383 small-block pushing 510hp, built by BG Engines. It also has aTH400, and a shortened Rod Shop nine-inch. We got her finished just in time for Powercruise Sydney, and at the No Prep Racers shootout event at Sydney Dragway I ran a 7.7 on the eighth. Since then, I’ve taken it everywhere. I turn 18 in December, and I am looking forward to my first Summernats a couple weeks later.”

Adam Grima – VL Commodore

“Here is my Everglade Green 1986 VL Commodore that I have owned for the last eight years, and have been building it for the last four years with my Dad and two younger brothers. The car has been mini tubbed with a built BorgWarner diff, and it’s running a set of Weld Racing Prostars for that 90s pro street look. It is running a mild 304 from a VN Statesmen, with a bit of a cam and a built TH350 ‘box.

The interior has been re-done. The engine bay has been smoothed, hiding the wiring and battery has been relocated to the boot. The car has also just had a complete bare metal respray in the original colour. The car has been built at home with the help of my Dad Rodney and my brothers Christian and Jack.”

Nicholas Borg – VX Berlina

“The car started off as a silver 2002 Holden VX Berlina, a factory LS car that I got when I was 19. Not long after it got a cam and all the fruit to make 260rwkW. A couple months after the car got pulled apart again, and over the next 12 months it got a TH400, built diff and a single turbo kit and made around 390rwkW on 12psi. It then got stripped for a complete respray in Candy Apple Cherry Black, and the stock IRS got removed for tubs and a four linked nine-inch.

The wheels are 15×4 and 15×10 Billet Specialties Street Lite on 295/55 in the rear. The turbos now are twin Pulsar 3584 Gen 3, with a Plazmaman intercooler and piping I made myself. It now develops 450rwkW, and has run a best of 10.55@ 136mph with a very slow 60ft. I believe it has the potential to run a nine all with aircon, heater and cruise control.”

Nicholas Grima – EK Holden

“I bought my 1962 Holden EK in 2017 when I was 16. Since then, I slowly built my dream car with my Dad, doing everything ourselves  including body, paint, mini tubs, chassis strengthening and so on. It has a triangulated four link rear end, and a 327 small-block Chev motor.  I recently finished the build at the start of this year, and it is now registered and engineered.”

Tamika Fuhrmeister – VL Commodore

“I got the car five years ago, and it was in desperate need of a full restoration. I pulled it apart and prepped the whole car for paint. I decided to paint it myself in a makeshift spray booth as I was on apprentice wages and couldn’t afford to pay someone. My plans were to get it going and take it too Summernats, which soon snowballed into doing up the interior.

After its first Summernats, I soon found out it didn’t have enough power for me, and we began putting an aftermarket turbo setup on it. With the help of my dad and brother, it took us about a year to put it together. The specs are a 3.0-litre turbo RB30, with a 6Boost manifold, Aeroflow turbo 6862, a Plazmaman intake, a Haltech Elite 750 and an upgraded version of the Jatco four-speed gearbox. The diff is a 28 spline 10 bolt limited slip differential, and a full 3in exhaust and Rod Shop hubs with VY Commodore disc brake upgrade.”

Lacey Sines – HJ Kingswood ute

“It’s a HJ Kingswood ute I built with my Dad. I designed the whole look, and it’ll be a burnout car that when I’m old enough I will start entering competitions in. We built 9 per cent of the whole car, even doing the paintwork. I learnt to weld and do bodywork, as it was a bad wreck that we put 500hrs into it over three years. It got unveiled at Motorvation this year, and it has an LS2 on methanol with a carburetor, Turbo 350 ‘box and nine-inch diff. The motor is temporary, as Dad is building a new motor for it that can rev once we start doing burnouts.”

Angelina Caruso – VN Commodore

“This VN Commodore is really special to me, as it’s the car that properly got me immersed in the car scene. My Dad and I got it at the start of COVID, and it was in a pretty good condition – just covered in dust and spiderwebs!  We didn’t really touch any of the running gear, so it’s still got the original V6 Buick engine and drivetrain. But, we did take out a few restrictors from the manifold. We stripped the interior and the underbody, repainted everything underneath and cleaned every inch of it. I also fitted a 2.5in exhaust system with high-flow cats for a bit more power, and it sounds a bit louder! We also lowered it which took a lot of trial and error to get the right height we wanted!

The Boyd Cottington rims make it look like a nine second car, which draws it a lot of attention –  till they realise it’s a stockie V6. I just recently took it out to Heathcote on my L plates for a test and tune, and raced it solo for the first time. Since I’ve grown up around my Dad drag racing and always being at the drag strip, it was unreal to finally be on the track myself  putting everything I’ve learned into practice. It ran a flat 16 — not the quickest yet  – but it’s a start, and I’ve got big plans for the future! This is only the beginning.”

Jake Kawjewski – WB ute

“I bought the car back in 2019 with my first pay packet as an apprentice at the age of 16.Since then, it’s been a full rotisserie build and resto with help from my father. I wanted to keep the old school cool, with clean body lines and wheels. I wanted all the original features such as the bench seat and column auto. The engine is a 202 Holden six, with a mild cam, straight cut timing gears and extractors. It’s been rebuilt in the shed, I’ve painted the car back to its original Alabaster White and went with a black interior.

We had the body off the chassis to do most of the body work, including changing both quarter panels. All steering and suspension components are brand new, I went with some Kings low springs to keep it practical as I plan to drive it around for a while. It cruises great and it’s just a sweet old car to drive. If it wasn’t for Street Machine for the inspiration and Rare Spares for the parts along the way,  the car wouldn’t be where it’s at today.”