Cairns turned up the heat for the 2026 Cairns Show Auto Spectacular, with around 3500 spectators pouring through the gates to check out 158 of the hottest cars and bikes in the tropics. Better still, the volunteer-run show raised approximately $12,700 for the FNQ Hospital Foundation.
The big news out of the event was the debut of John Bonaccorsi’s XA Falcon ute, XANGRY. The ute was built in Cairns by CJ’s Restoration, Air Sound & Vision and Marino’s Auto Upholstery. The Ford swept the Elite field, claiming Top Engine Bay, Paint, Undercarriage, Interior and Bodywork. It then backed that up with People’s Choice, Car of Show and a MotorEx Superstars invite.
John Bonaccorsi’s XA Falcon ute, XANGRY, scooped the pool come judging time. Although it’s powered by a traditional 393ci Clevo, backed by a C10 and Truetrac 9in, the rest of the ute is bristling with innovative features and finishes. These include the billet front guard spears, CNC-milled rear tail-light body, custom front indicator housing, custom XANGRY badging, and much more. The Queensland-made Koya rims hide a custom Wilwood brake set-up
“The ute was something else,” said judge Owen Webb. “It is one of those cars that is almost overwhelming; it is hard to know where to start. The interior is incredible. The console and armrests, for example, were CAD-designed and then CNC-machined in billet. The wiring is also crazy; there are four fuses in the whole car!
“All of the body mods like the chin spoiler are in metal; the only fibreglass piece is the bonnet scoop.”
Due to the excessive heat of the XA's tropical environment, the interior was trimmed in vinyl rather than leather. It still looks a million bucks, though!
Anna Povey took her impressive Duramax diesel-powered VL wagon (SM, Aug ’26) through the driving events for the Spectacular 7. Head judge Owen Webb gave the wagon his Judge’s Choice trophy, along with a wagon-load of other gongs. Cairns was the last show for the VL for this year, and Anna plans to hit the track with it in 2027
While the car is running engine and undercarriage covers, they aren’t there to hide anything, as the engine and gearbox have been deburred and smoothed. “The covers are just there to make everything flow visually,” Owen said.
Builder Craig Jones of CJ’s Restoration is adamant that owner John will drive the XA, and drive it hard. “We build them to drive; they’re not trailer queens,” he said. “Yes, the undercarriage is a show-car deal, but the floor is covered in Raptor coating, and any painted panels are easily removable so they can be repainted down the track. The car has Vintage Air, with an electric compressor hidden in the back. We chose factory colours from BMW and Chevrolet so the car can be easily repairable and serviceable.”
Donny Gray and his family pulled out all the stops to get his NASTI1 Camaro to the event. With the week-old build fresh out of the workshop, Donny and his son Jayden threw down a winning 2576hp on the dyno. Michael Andrejevich’s VL Calais cranked out 1117hp for Top Six-Cylinder, while Glen Cetinich topped the four-bangers with 433hp from his HiLux. Patrick Garlando’s AGRO87 VL Calais earned Top N/A Horsepower per Cubic Inch with 448.2hp, or 1.26hp per cube, and also collected the Jim Nissen Memorial Trophy
It was also a big weekend for Pat O’Shea and his Pat’s Pro Restos team, who made the long haul north from Beaudesert with two of his clients’ serious heavy hitters in tow. Niko Prommnitz’s HK Monaro, TUF HK (SM, Jan ’20), took out Grand Champion, which sealed a remarkable hat-trick for Pat as a builder: three Grand Champion titles in Cairns over three years, each with a different car.
2026 Grand Champion Niko Prommnitz lines up for his shot at the driving events. The HK is powered by a Toca Performance-built 426ci small-block Chev, good for 780hp, and Niko knows how to steer it! Each Grand Champ contender got three shots at the go-to-whoa, with their best time being their score
TUF HK also made the Spectacular 7 and Top 10 Elite, and collected runner-up gongs for Paint, Undercarriage and Bodywork.
The event was pulled together through countless hours of toil from volunteers such as co-organiser Patrick Garlando and judges Rachael Durbz and Owen Webb
Anna Povey keeps a careful eye on hubby Lee as he puts the legendary JKLHYD VL Calais through its paces on the dyno. The LS tickled the 2000hp mark, with a top of 1986.4 ponies. The Calais didn’t get a gong for its dyno efforts, but it did take home a Top 5 Tuff Street trophy and was runner-up in Top Engineered
Making the trip from Brisbane and sharing the furthest-travelled honours with the PPR team were Bob and Stephanie Briggs, who brought their 1929 Ford Tudor all the way up and drove home with Top 10 Elite and Spectacular 7 recognition
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