THE Meguiar’s Pavilion is the place to be at Summernats if high end custom cars are your thing. In recent years we’ve noticed a shift away from dedicated showcars built for the sole purpose of winning trophies, in favour of cars that are engineered to be driven once their show days are done, and that trend looks set to continue for 2026.

“You can see that in something like Martin Pecotich’s Monaro,” said Summernats Chief Steward, Owen Webb. “That car won a lot [on the show circuit] in the first year of its life, and this year it’s sitting outside and he’s driving it to Braddon and just cruising it around.”

Indeed, the oft-repeated argument that the cars in the Elite Hall are just shed ornaments that will never get driven doesn’t really stack up in 2026, and it’s changing the way these cars are being built.

“What’s happening now is the owners want to get the most out of the show scene for probably 18 months or two years, but the cars are designed in a way where they’re actually practical after that to use,” said Owen. “And you can’t just build a show car and then think you’re going to drive it one day; you’ve got to work it through so that it’s easy to maintain, well-built and well-engineered.”

We say it every year, but the Hall at Summernats 38 offered an incredible variety of cars, from dedicated race cars to drag-and-drivers, cruisers and skid cars, in a range of makes and models from Aussie muscle cars to American and Japanese classics.

Despite the depth of the field, however, one entrant in particular seemed to be ascending the stairs to the stage more than others at the Elite preso, and that was Frank Zammit, whose incredible XW Falcon ute judged exceptionally well at Summernats for the second year running.

“It’s very unusual for a car to come here and win Top Judged two years in a row, and pretty much take out every top award in the process,” said Owen. “That car is exceptional. He has done a lot of work on it and maintained it to keep it at the top level, and it showed.”

Despite the move towards more practical, useable cars rather than dedicated showcars, we still see the bar raised every year due to a mix of advancement in technology and human innovation, and according to Owen, that’s more evident in interiors than any other aspect of car crafting. 

“I just cannot believe how much these interiors have evolved in the last three or four years; that’s the thing that’s moved to the next level.” he said. “Paint and fabrication have become better as the technology has improved, but the big leap has been interiors.”

The really good news? There’s still a bunch of hot new Elite metal in the pipeline, with a raft of fresh builds set to be unveiled throughout 2026 at events like MotorEx, Rockynats and Red CentreNATS!

Elite Top 10

• Frank Zammit – 1969 FORD XW FALCON
• Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica
• Andrew McCartney – 1971 Chevrolet Camaro
• Matthew Mizzi – 1948 Chev 3100
• Steven Alldrick – 1934 Chev sedan
• Dean Rickard – 1969 Holden HT GTS Monaro
• Adam Bickerstaff – 1956 Ford F100
• Ben Fink – 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
• Jovce Tosevski – 1986 Holden Calais
• Jeremy Guljas – 1970 Holden HG Premier

Top Judged Elite

Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute

Judge’s Choice

Chris Totos – 1971 Ford XY GT
Stojan Stekovic – 1987 Holden VL Calais

Elite – Top Undercarriage Driveline

Winner: Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute
2nd: Steven Alldrick – 1934 Chev sedan
3rd: Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica

Elite – Top Engine Bay

Winner: Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute
2nd: Jeremy Guljas – 1970 Holden HG Premier
3rd: Dean Rickard – 1969 Holden HT GTS Monaro

Elite – Top Bodywork

Winner: Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute
2nd: Andrew McArtney – 1971 Chev Camaro
3rd: Richie Vegara – 1939 Ford Jailbar

Elite – Top Interior

Winner: Melissa Jayne Gow – 1969 Datsun 1600
2nd: Dean Rickard – 1969 Holden HT GTS Monaro
3rd: Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute

Elite – Top Special Effects Finish

Winner: Andrew McArtney – 1971 Chev Camaro
2nd: Steven Alldrick – 1934 Chev Sedan
3rd: Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica

Elite – Paint

Winner: Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute
2nd: Michael Sammut – 1939 Chev Master Delux
3rd: Mathew Hughes – 1973 Toyota Celica TA22

Elite – Top Engineered

Winner: Matthew Mizzi – 1948 Chev 3100
2nd: Matthew Hughes – 1973 Toyota Celica TA22
3rd: Anna Cruse – 1987 Holden VL

Elite – Top Tuff Competition

Winner: Anna Cruse – 1987 Holden VL
2nd: Stephen Micallef – 1972 Holden Torana

Elite – Top Custom Classic

Lance Wood – 1955 Chev 2-door hardtop

Elite – Top Factory Production Muscle Car

George Papadopoulos – 1970 Ford XW GT

Elite – Top Retro Tech

Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica

Elite – Top Ute Pick Up

Richie Vegara – 1939 Ford Jailbar

Elite – Top Station Wagon

Peter Liversidge – 1971 Holden HG

Elite – Top Van

Jason Ackland – 1976 Holden Sandman

Elite – Top Tudor

Winner: Adrian Haynes – 1976 Holden Torana
2nd: Nick Ursino – 1970 Holden LC Torarna
3rd: Luke Swift – 1971 Holden Torana

Elite – Top coupe

Winner: Dean Rickard – 1969 Holden HT GTS Monaro
2nd: Ben Fink – 1968 Chev Camaro
3rd: Mathew Hughes – 1973 Toyota Celica TA22

Elite – Top Sedan

Winner: Jeremy Guljas – 1970 Holden HG Premier
2nd: Daniel Wickman – 1964 Ford XM
3rd: Simon Mokdassi – 1970 Ford Falcon

Elite – Top Hot Rod

Winner: Steven Alldrick – 1934 Chev Sedan
2nd: Michael Sammut – 1939 Chev Master Delux
3rd: Paul Khairo – 1934 Ford 34 Coupe

Elite – Top Pro Sedan

Winner: Jovce Tosevski – 1986 Holden Calais
2nd: Jason Holt – 1983 Holden VH SL/E

Elite – Top Pro 2-Door

Winner: Andrew McArtney – 1971 Chev Camaro
2nd: Luke Mitchell – 1973 Holden Torana

Elite – Top Pro Commercial

Winner: Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute
2nd: Matthew Mizzi – 1948 Chev 3100

Elite – High Impact Award

Adrian Cuthbertson – 2008 Holden SS Commodore VE

John Taverna Senior Award

Michael Ellard – BEAMS-powered Toyota Corolla wagon

People’s Choice

Jovce Tosevski – VL Calais

Meguiars’ Superstars Invitees

Melissa Jayne Gow – 1969 Datsun 1600
Andrew McArtney – 1971 Chev Camaro
Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica
Matthew Mizzi – 1948 Chev 3100
Paul Khairo – 1934 Ford 34 Coupe

Judging – Elite – Overall Top 20

Nick Ursino – 1970 Holden LC Torana
Angus Pirotta – 1971 Holden HG Monaro
Peter Liversidge – 1971 Holden HG
Adrian Haynes – 1976 Holden Torana
Luke Mitchell – 1973 Holden Torana
Michael sammut – 1939 Chev Master Delux
Richie Vegara – 1939 Ford Jailbar
Matthew Walsh – 1966 Ford Mustang
Jason Holt – 1983 Holden VH SL/E
Mathew Hughes – 1973 Toyota Celica TA22
Frank Zammit – 1969 Ford XW Falcon ute
Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica
Andrew McArtney – 1971 Chev Camaro
Matthew Mizzi – 1948 Chev 3100
Steven Alldrick – 1934 Chev Sedan
Dean Rickard – 1969 Holden HT GTS Monaro
Adam Bickerstaff – 1956 Ford F100
Ben Fink – 1968 Chev Camaro
Jovce Tosevski – 1986 Holden Calais
Jeremy Guljas – 1970 Holden HG Premier