Since 1988, Street Machine of the Year has been the most prestigious accolade in our sport. You’ve only got to read the list of winners on the side of that iconic trophy to see that some of the biggest names and most significant cars in Aussie street machining have taken out the award over the years.
First published in the December 2026 issue of Street Machine
What makes SMOTY so special is that it’s a reader-voted accolade. While Street Machine’s staff and contributors vote to determine the 16 finalists, the eventual winner is decided by you, our valued readers. But you’re not just helping to shape history; you’re also in with a chance to win $5000 cash – pretty damn cool!
The winner of Street Machine of the Year scores a cool $20,000 (and a comically oversized cheque), and gets their name added to the list of legends etched into the side of the most recognisable perpetual dust collector in the Aussie car scene.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the backing of the legends at Enthusiast Motor Insurance, and we thank them kindly for their involvement.
So, here it is – the field of 16 finalists for Enthusiast Motor Insurance Street Machine of the Year 2026. We’re sure you’ll agree that both the quality and variety is off the charts. Take a look, see what tickles your fancy, and to vote and win!
MATHEW HUGHES
TOYOTA TA22 CELICA
We have seen a stack of high-end, super-tasteful JDM cars hitting the show scene of late, and Mathew Hughes’s UTMOST Celica is one of our favourites. A true home build, the Celica stormed into the Elite Top 20 at Street Machine Summernats 38, taking out second in Top Engineered and third in both Top Coupe and Top Standard Paint. Housed in the stunningly smooth engine bay is one of Toyota’s halo engines – the 3S-GE BEAMS four-pot, decked out with gorgeous equal-length headers and 48mm throttlebodies, and backed by a J160 six-speed.
ROBERT GIANGRAVE
1974 FORD LANDAU
Rob Giangrave has taken the rarely seen Landau luxury coupe and created a 1500hp, go-anywhere scene-stealer. The Harrop-blown, 7.3L Godzilla V8 under the bonnet is only the start of the story, with Rob working hard to retain or improve as many of the luxo touches that made these big coupes cool, including the vinyl roof, leather trim, vacuum-operated headlight covers, and rear centre reflector strip, which now operates as an extra-wide third brake light. The whole car is bathed in Rothmans Blue thanks to Carmine at CAD Customs.
WILLY ARMSTRONG
VF VALIANT UTE
Willy Armstrong’s VF ute was one of the most talked-about cars at Meguiar’s MotorEx 2026, thanks to its worm-burning stance and super-sano panel and paint. It took Willy a stack of work to get the Val rolling so low, including adding tubbed front inner guards, drop spindles, 8in-raised tray, a triangulated four-link, and airbags all ’round. Subtle body mods include the use of wagon tailgate stainless and late-model ute bumperettes, as well as hidden tailgate hinges and a smoothed rear pan. Under the bonnet is a beautifully detailed and surprisingly rowdy slant-six.
ROBI FEKETE
FORD F-100
Rob Fekete’s insane F-100 is one of the wildest street-registered cars ever built in Australia – period. Built in the style of a Baja pre-runner, the truck is 100 per cent engineer-approved for Victorian roads – and that includes the 800hp blown Coyote engine, bespoke suspension and chassis, rollcage, beadlocked rims and 39in tyres. The Effy was built to be a fast, capable and easily serviceable rig, but it’s also bristling with tech and luxury features, including air con, smartphone connectivity and wireless charging. It is also a show winner, scoring firsts in both Engineering and Design & Execution at Meguiar’s MotorEx 2026.
PETER LIVERSIDGE
HG HOLDEN WAGON
After 45 years of Street Machine, you’d think it would be impossible to dream up a vision for the classic HG Holden wagon that manages to be both utterly new and totally cool, but Peter Liversidge and his mate Brian Terry managed it! The 6.6L LBZ Duramax diesel engine swap required a power of work, including a bespoke chassis, fabbed transmission and tailshaft tunnels, custom floor, massive tubs, a hidden fuel cell and more. There are body mods galore, and inside is a stunning spin on factory-style trim, complete with column shifter!
TRISTAN OCKERS
FORD CAPRI
We featured both of Tristan Ockers’ iconic Capris in the June 2026 issue, but only the blown version scored a SMOTY guernsey. While the OG MINCER is a normally aspirated Windsor-powered tribute to the early-90s pro street scene, the blown version is on the outlaw side of pro street, capable of 6sec passes at 200mph thanks to a 14/71 Kobelco-blown, 510ci Oldsmobile Big Chief mill. The beast currently rolls on fat, colour-coded Simmons V5 rims, which harken back to the 1990s scene and look a treat matched to the punchy metallic paintjob.
JAY DUCA
LX TORANA HATCH
Who thought we would see three diesel-powered SMOTY finalists in one year? Not us! Jay Duca’s example is utterly original in its design and execution, taking the classic LX Torana bodystyle and applying Japanese drift styling and engineering. Underneath, the LX is mostly Nissan S13, with an OM660 Mercedes diesel inline-six powerplant matched to an 8HP70 transmission. The boot, bay and interior panels are all shot in the same Holden Opaline Blue duco, contrasting beautifully with the sweetly trimmed Recaro bucket seats, Panasport rims and all-steel flares.
ROB & JEREMY GULJAS
HG HOLDEN PREMIER
The Guljas boys took only six months to turn this HG Prem into a show-stopper that has taken a tonne of awards, including Top 20 and Top Sedan at Street Machine Summernats 38 and a Super Six gong at Meguiar’s MotorEx 2025. Under the bonnet is a stonking, Harrop-blown 540ci big-block, but that is almost a sideshow to the rest of the car’s attractions, including brown leather and Alcantara trim, with matching brown trim pieces on the outside of the car and the same hue used in the interior boot panels. Metal mods including the stunning engine bay, all-steel radiator cover, and tasteful reverse-cowl scoop.
ANDREAS SDROLIAS
XB FALCON HARDTOP
This bright-yellow coupe is built a little differently from most tough Aussie Falcons these days. The choice of Bathurst Globe-style rims is a hint at owner Andreas’s old-school aspirations, confirmed when you spy the shifter that operates a Tremec T56 Magnum. Under the bonnet is an 830hp, pump-fuel SBF combo by BK Race Engines – and it isn’t there to impress the punters at the local cars-and-coffee. Nope, Andreas is going to drive this thing the way nature intended, taking on the likes of the Bathurst Flying Fifth, the Coota 400, and some drag racing in pursuit of a nine-second timeslip.
ANNA & LEE POVEY
VL COMMODORE WAGON
The third diesel-powered entry in this year’s SMOTY is a show-and-go monster! Anna Povey and her husband Lee work on Duramax V8s all day at work, so it was only a matter of time before they fitted one to a streeter! The 7.1L L5P stroker will ultimately cop 100psi of boost and enough nitrous to make 1500hp. Despite the engine’s size and complexity, it looks like it was born into the VL’s highly customised bay. The build is show quality throughout, from the stunning metalwork in the rear wagon compartment to the interior trim that looks far too luxurious for a car destined for Kenda Radial competition.
STEVE MICALLEF
LJ HOLDEN TORANA
Stephen Micallef has plenty of form in Drag Challenge competition, including two Outlaw Aspirated wins in his HQ One Tonner and a Top 10 overall spot in his wicked turbo LS-powered Maloo. So, when Steve decided to drop the Tonner’s big-block into an LJ Torana, he designed the whole car specifically to thrive in the rigours of drag-and-drive competition. Somewhere along the way, he forgot he wasn’t building a show car and landed in the Top 60 Elite at Summernats 38, matching the car’s ballistic function with XU-1-inspired form.
JASON WAYE
FORD MUSTANG
Look up the term ‘serial car builder’ in the dictionary and you’ll see a photo of Jason Waye, who has been working hard all his adult life to turn his automotive dreams into rolling reality. And boy, does he have a lot of cool dreams! One of his most ambitious is FOXSAKE, a 1989 Ford Mustang propelled by Aussie Barra power. With input from MPW Performance and Dandy Engines, the Mustang has everything needed to kick arse in Drag Challenge competition, including a three-quarter chassis with a custom rear clip and four-link, a Barra that is as beautiful as it is ballistic, and an incredibly cool custom interior.
BRANDON ZITO
LC HOLDEN TORANA
Mean, green and, as we go to print, our reigning Street Machine Drag Challenge champion – that’s Brandon Zito’s LC Torana. A second-generation racer, Brandon and his dad set the car up with a tough aspo engine, before pursuing the twin-turbo SBC route. His first set-up netted a best of 7.71 at DC 2023, earning him a seven-second cap, second place in Radial Blown and a Top Five overall spot. Brandon came into DC 2025 with an untested combination against some very serious hitters and took out the event with a single pass at each track – and then took the family cruising at the Yarrawonga Rod Run the next weekend!
ANGUS PIROTTA
HG MONARO
Singer reimagines classic Porsches for the very well-heeled; Icon 4×4 do the same for classic LandCruisers and Broncos. And ProFlo Performance? They seem to have cornered the market for exquisite, tough and very driveable HK-T-G Monaros. Angus Pirotta’s HG is a perfect example of the breed, wearing a hyped-up tribute to the factory Indy Orange GTS styling, with a righteous stance and a classy, modernised interior that riffs perfectly on the factory setting. Poking through the bonnet is an 8/71-blown and FuelTech-controlled 400ci small-block, housed in an engine bay you could comfortably perform brain surgery in.
JAYDEN GRIMSHAW
HQ HOLDEN UTE
Jayden Grimshaw’s HQ ute might look like a big-tyre tribute to Ron Barclay’s famed SMOTY winner, but Jayden’s version is a whole lot more muscular. Our man originally had a tough patina-encrusted build in mind for the HQ, but after the passing of his father, Jayden opted to combine parts from his dad’s own ute to create something special. Body mods include a smoothed tub, modified nosecone to mask the radiator, and a raised trans tunnel to make space for the car’s righteous stance. Under the bonnet is a 427 Dart LS Next with a pair of Garrett G35s.
DANIEL HOOKHAM
VB HOLDEN COMMODORE
You would think that a Ford-powered Commodore would upset people, but Daniel Hookham’s VB seems pretty damn popular to us. When an LS engine combo lifted the heads on the dyno, Daniel changed tack and ordered a Coyote package from Fast Forward Race Engines in the US. With a pair of Garrett G42s pumping 40psi, the VB has made over 2000hp at the hubs on methanol! The car was unveiled at Street Machine Summernats 37, where it made the Top 60 and won Top Retrotech, but the real prize so far has been on the drag strip, to the tune of 6.84@206mph!
Conditions apply; see streetmachine.com.au/terms-and-conditions. Commences 6 November 2026. Ends 23:59 AEDT on 4 December 2026. Open to AU and NZ residents 18+. Only one entry per person. Drawn at Street Machine, Kingscliff, NSW, 2487 on 7 December 2026 at 11:00 AEDT. Prize: $5000. The Promoter in Australia is Street Machine Media Pty Ltd (ABN 33 672 316 951). The Promoter collects personal information through the competition website to conduct the Promotion and for other purposes. Authorised under permit: TP 26/02516.
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