MotorEx is back, baby! Today was an absolute cracker, with stunning weather and halls packed with happy punters.

The cream on the top for any Saturday at MotorEx is the unveils, which for this year was moved down to our brand new Street Machine Custom World alongside our also new SM Hall of Fame. 17 cars had the covers pulled off for the very first time, with plenty of talent and variety in the mix.

Here’s the first part of the unveils, with part two to follow soon!

GEORGE JOSEVSKI – VL COMMODORE & NISSAN SKYLINE R32 GT-R

Those big into their RB-powered radial monsters will have paid very close attention to what George Josevki pulled the covers off at MotorEx today, with both a VL Commodore and R32 GT-R looking to be the fastest of their respective types in the world.

First, the VL. Built as a replacement for George’s well known BT1KNG VL, BT1KNG 2.0 is taking the reins and has its sights set on world records. Running a billet, dry RB30-based combo stroked out to 3.2 litres, all the dress work around the engine takes hours to drink in. 

As for his R32 GT-R, it’s been dubbed Jun 3.0. Built by and with Croy Racing Developments, who own the deep six second Jun II R32 GT-R, Jun 3.0 is built to eventually run five-second radial passes whilst still being based on a GT-R.

The car is still a Skyline, using the core Nissan metal body and chassis, and even retaining IRS and AWD – albeit significantly modified. It has the same 3000hp-capable billet RB30 package as the VL, and like the kebab chariot will hit the strip soon in the hopes of becoming arguably the baddest GT-R drag car on the planet.

JACOB FARRUGIA – NISSAN SILVIA S15

An S15 with a real deal Rocket Bunny bodykit, Work Meister L1 wheels and a 500kw SR20DET is just what the younger generations froff over, so it’s great to see lads like Jacob Farrugia building them to a standard worthy of being unveiled with the best at MotorEx.

Jacob in part built the car as a tribute to his late brother, who was supposed to help him with the project before his passing. Jacob intended to improve on an S15 without re-writing the formula, which is why the car is still SR20, still uses a Nissan manual ‘box (albeit from a Skyline) and dressed up the interior. “I wanted it to be when you sit in it and drive it it still feels like an S15, and I think we got that right,” he says.

MITCHEL HAWKINS – 1994 HSV VR CLUBSPORT

One of the most striking unveils was Mitchel Hawkins’s VR Clubby, a two owner car that he’s rebuilt into one fast and eye-catching machine. “I got it off my neighbour who was the original owner, when he got too old the family sold it to me and I told them I was going to restore it,” says Mitchel. “It went a bit beyond that.”

As for the striking colour, it’s a custom mix Mitchel refers to as salmon pink, which his wife chose for the car. Under the bonnet is an LY6 6.0-litre with a 76mm turbo for shove, sending stonk through a TH400 and a four link nine-inch rear, replacing the original IRS. The car sits sacked on a set of Weld V-Series wheels, finished in a dark bronze to offset the pink.

DINO PIETROBON – 1966 FORD FAIRLANE/XY FALCON HARDTOP

Ever wondered what it’d be like if Ford Australia had the stones to build an XY GT hardtop? Well Dino Pietrobon did, and the result is what he calls a phantom XY, a one of none. “We built it in a way as if Ford had done it themselves, and the whole idea is to make the car seem unmodified, like it was meant to be that way,” says Dino.

The basis was a US-spec 1966 Fairlane hardtop, which then had a full XY front and rear grafted onto it, along with plenty of hard work to make the migration to an Aussie Falcon form as sleek and unnoticeable as possible. “Even the front door cards had to have new moulds made for the trims, because they’re 11 inches longer,” he says. Under the bonnet is a FE 427ci dual-quad, another nod to the cars American roots. 

NIGEL CONSTABLE – HG HOLDEN UTE

Nigel’s HG ute originally stopped in at Rise Up Restorations for body and paintwork, and before long Brendan Turnbull and his crew from Rise Up ended up taking on the entire build for Nigel to see it through. “When I dropped it off to them it was woeful, it looked like it belonged in the bottom of a dam,” says Nigel. “So, credit to them to turn it around, I still can’t believe what it is today.”

Under the bonnet is a Warspeed Industries-built 403ci LS, backed by a TH400 and Rod Shop nine-inch. Up the front is the full Rod Shop catalogue with the LS conversion gear and IFS front end, so Nigel is fully ready to sink the right boot after MotorEx.

GARRY MISSO – EK HOLDEN UTE

Garry Misso has put together one hell of an EK ute for a good mate who has owned the car since he was 16! Decked out in Warwick Yellow, the EK is a tasteful pro street build, sitting down hard over Billet Specialities Win Lites, wrapped around 30×12 Mickey Thompsons. Keeping the ute turning and burning is a four link rear, with tubular front suspension arms and rack & pinion steering. Powering the beast is a staunch 202 six, topped by a 4/71 blower, running Haltech EFI and backed by a Powerglide.

Body mods include radiused front guards, set back rear bumperettes and a metalled-out tub. The interior has been kept close to original, with the parcel shelf moved rewards for more legroom, fill dash moulds and speaker grille holes, with Nappa black leather, embossed inserts and aluminium accent strips.

PAUL BAUER – 1970 XY FALCON GT

Restored to a standard well beyond what Ford could’ve even dreamed of producing in the 1970s, Paul Bauer’s genuine item ’70 XW GT is above and beyond anything to make the badge proud. 

Owned by Paul’s father before him, the XY has a lot of sentimental value to justify the intricate undertaking of the rebuild. The restoration was taken care of by Street Elite Restorations, using every factory marking imaginable and a lick of the original H Track Red well above any paint you would’ve seen in the 70s.

We’ll have part two of the unveils live on the website shortly!