IF YOU’RE looking for something to keep you enthralled over these trying times, The April issue of Street Machine is just the medicine.

Gracing the cover is Charlie Harley’s stunningly finished ’57 Bel Air, fresh from a Street Machine Summernats 33 appearance.

Steven Alldrick’s no stranger to building elite-level cars, so the quality of his new work hack shouldn’t be a surprise. This immaculate 347ci Windsor-powered XR Falcon ute has been screwed together with loving attention to detail both inside and out.

Though Dan Szabolics is probably best known for his Drag Challenge-competing HQ Monaro, he also managed to knock off this spicy small-block LX Torana in the meantime. It’s no slouch, either, with 440 cubes of Bowtie power sipping E85 juice.

When Reece Christensen started working on his ’59 Chevy Apache fleetside, he had one goal in mind: to make it the best example in Australia. A fat-block Chev up front paired with faultless bodywork and paint make us think he’s pulled it off.

If you’re into wild radial cars (and who isn’t?), check out all the action from Lights Out 11 over in Cecil, Georgia. It’s a tiny town where some of the world’s quickest cars go head-to-head without slicks.

It’s no secret that real-deal XA GT Falcons are thin on the ground, and even thinner in modified form. Bill Kaglatzis has the best of both worlds with his sedan, powered by the original Cleveland block brought out to 406 cubes!

Mick Cox chose to pay tribute to the family-friendly heritage of his AP6 Valiant Safari wagon by slotting in a modern 5.7-litre Hemi donk and five-cog manual gearbox, with room for a swag and Esky in the back between the 10in-wide wheels.

The multi-talented Ash Wilson hit the Carralbyn eighth-mile drags to soak up the abundance of old-school charm. Held at the Kooralbyn airstrip in Queensland, the event saw a veritable feast of classic metal being put through its paces.

Commodore nut George Josevski insisted on all-Aussie power for his ultra-tidy, 10-second VN SS. He enlisted the help of Dandy Engines in screwing together a tough Holden 383, with an unusual Ford touch. Confused? Check out the feature!

Reminisce about the days when car shows actually still happened with a round-up of the summer’s best automotive events, including Geelong’s massive All Ford Day, the Victorian Hot Rod & Cool Rides Show and the chaos of Kandos.

Our tech features this month include Dr Tim delving into the importance of torsional rigidity in holding your street machine together, and Chad Atkinson giving us the low-down on putting together a custom engine bay.

There’s all this and plenty more in the April issue of Street Machine, so grab a copy on your next ‘essential supplies’ run!