Street Machine September 2023 out now!

Check your mailboxes, newsagents and supermarket shelves! If you haven’t already got it, the September issue of Street Machine is on sale now.

Before we get stuck into the meat and potatoes of the mag, we’re stoked to offer our 16 finalists for Milwaukee Street Machine of the Year 2023! It’s an eclectic mix and anybody’s game, so check out the contenders within.

We reckon Heath van der Waerden’s 383 Holden-powered, LPG-sipping Torana hatch is one of the most exciting new builds out there. The self-built masterpiece combines all of the 33-year-old’s favourite things: think three pedals, Japanese and European styling cues, sweet handling, radical weight reduction and heaps loud 80s steeze. Check that sunroof!

Heath’s ran down almost 10,000 kays in the car since finishing it, cementing its status as a full-blown streeter.

Like Heath’s hatch, Bernie Roeschmann’s XR Falcon features individual throttle goodness, this time on a rare Gurney Eagle-headed Windsor. The rest of the car is a pro street toughie that melds plenty of factory cool and subtle tweaks, all topped off with a beautifully executed finish and tough stance.

Third out of the gates is Taner Dede’s gorgeous VH-fronted VB. It’s a bitsa in the best sense of the word, wearing all the coolest early Commodore parts and hiding a beefy Harrop-blown 355 iron lion combo. Finished in Baslac custom Root Beer, it simply exudes class.

Darren Bonnici flipped the dark theme on its head for his stunning white and blue XP hardtop, which he’s owned since 1986. Several rebuilds later, he plonked a stout 347 Windsor driveline underneath and gave the panels all the love they deserve – enough to earn Best Falcon Hardtop at Geelong All Ford Day three years running. Darren plans to drive the hell out of it, too!

It takes a special kind of character to build a really pretty burnout car, and Reece Regan epitomises the breed with his LS Next-powered, custom-chassis HR ute. Subtlety ain’t exactly it’s thing, but who needs it when you’ve got 322 screaming cubes of Dart LS Next power and a towering Littlefield 14/71 blower.

A Chevy Monza is a pretty rare sight south of the equator, let alone one packing 1200hp, a fistful of eight-second timeslips and number plates. Sam Stornello’s street-driven hatch is a lesson in smart packaging and DIY ethos, from a fella who taught himself everything about turbos as he went. Next stop, sevens!

Rhonda and John Zelukovic’s Studebaker Hawk was an out-there car when it debuted over 25 years ago, and it’s still just as wild, especially when stacked up against John’s factory-fresh example.

As for events, check out Mopar Sunday, which celebrated its 20th anniversary with lots of quarter-mile fun at Willowbank Raceway.

Further south, Ryan Tanaskovic’s mates put on a massive show in Canberra to support the beloved towie and dad in his battle with cancer. 500 varied rides turned out to EPIC, turning it into a miniature Summernats.

Down on vitamin C? Time Machine showcases a one-of-one XA hardtop after a 40-year SM hiatus, and Matt Murphy’s banger HQ Kingswood is our Drag Challenge star.