Street Machine

In this game, we hear about new car builds all the time, but when we get wind that someone like Frank Marchese from Dandy Engines has something new in the build, we really sit up and take notice. Plot twist: if you were expecting it to be another tough Falcon, you’re going to be disappointed. First published in the September 2026 issue of Street Machine EXTERIOR: The purple coupe may look like an LJ Torana, but it actually left the Holden factory as an LC.

Each and every year, the Summernats team work hard to improve the event and make it more fun for entrants and spectators alike. For 2027, the big news is that we are adding a third pedestrian overpass over the iconic cruise route, this one located near Gate 7. As with the two bridges installed this year, this will only improve the flow of the cruise route and spectator movement around Exhibition Park.

If you’re still spewin’ that you missed out on our recent VUFORU 2.0 giveaway competition, here’s another chance to get your hands on this slice of Street Machine folklore. While the Street Machine giveaway car was set to head back across the Nullarbor to the competition’s winner back in June 2026, the owner has decided to sell and this rowdy VU ute is currently crossing the online auction block at RR Auctions.

Laura Johnson started Mulletfest as a piss-take in a little pub town. Eight years on, she’s bringing it to Red CentreNATS, and she reckons she’s single-handedly responsible for your barber’s waiting list. There was a time when getting a mullet was less a fashion statement and more a cry for help. Now, thanks in no small part to Laura Johnson, they’re back.

AS SOON as Brett Bresnan popped the bonnet of his HR Holden wagon in the Real Street display at this year’s Meguiar’s MotorEx and we peeped the blower, we knew we had to grab him for chat to find out more about this combo. First published in the July 2026 issue of Street Machine The engine itself is basically a stock 202, just with some cast pistons and Starfire rods. It actually had five different turbo set-ups on it, before one day I woke up and decided I wanted a blower.

Over the years, Adrian Cuthbertson has built elite-level show cars and tyre-frying burnout cars, but this time around, he’s combined the two to create a burnout monster that can hold its own in any show hall. First published in the July 2026 issue of Street Machine If Adrian’s name sounds familiar, you might remember his blown VR GTS Commodore, 2DSIRE, which appeared in plenty of magazines and shows back in the early 2000s.

An awesome byproduct of the hot-car scene is learning about the people we share this passion with and discovering what other hobbies make them tick. First published in the July 2026 issue of Street Machine Take Tuff Street stalwart (and aficionado for anything bright green) Tristan Ockers, for example. Although he’s well known throughout the car world for his head-kicking MINCER Capri, Tristan shares my passion for BMX bikes.

“This 1990 VN Commodore S-Pack is the first car I ever purchased, but it had sat for seven years and had started to deteriorate. “With some help from friends, and with the motivation of using it as my wedding car, I decided to do a full restoration, along with an LS1/T56 conversion. The majority of the work has been done by me and my friends at my workshop, and has included a complete open-door respray, smoothing the engine bay, and a complete underbody restoration.

“I bought my XW about two years ago, after looking for one for about five years – it’d been my dream since I was a teenager to have a tough XW or XY. “I’m slowly getting there with this one, modifying it as an 18-year-old me would have liked to have done, but doing it properly like the current 41-year-old me can do. “The principle of the build is ‘do it once, do it properly’. So far that has included replacing all the suspension and steering, wheels, cooling system and diff.

First published in the July 2026 issue of Street Machine “My 1978 Toyota Corolla KE55 SE sedan now runs a 3.8L V6 Ecotec from a VX Commodore, with an auto to match. “And yes, it’s wrapped in purple velvet, and appropriately named VELVET REBEL. “It has a sticker on the windscreen explicitly inviting onlookers to touch it! Sometimes, you just need a car that doubles as a petting zoo to get people’s attention! “It’s always getting looks and people asking how and why, which is why I love it.