COMING ATTRACTION Southern Rod & Custom ‘55 Buick

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

After a couple of years of planning, the first Killer Rides Hot Rod & Harley Expo was on! And after a highly successful Killer Rides Live in the same venue a few months before, we were looking forward to another big show…

For years, I’ve been wanting to put together an indoor show specifically for Hot Rods, Customs and Harleys, but the time was never quite right. Then Covid came along, and we all know the impact that had on car events around the country. 2022 was going to be the year and plans were ramped up to make it happen. At that early stage, when I booked the venue, there was very little else on that was being advertised, but the closer to the event, the more I found happening. But, I was committed and stuck to the schedule. The plan for me was simple. Bring together a mix of Hot Rods, Customs and Harleys that showcase all parts of their respective scenes from the obvious Showcars, to the regular drivers, the homebuilt cruisers and those built to go fast. By all accounts, the handpicked group of cars and bikes that greeted the crowds as they flowed through the doors was spot on.

The Hot Rod section featured some iconic cars that have been around the scene for quite a while, yet still manage to impress. One Hot Rod in particular was Les Lawry’s 1930 Ford Victoria. Built by Southern Rod & Customs, Les bought the ’30 back to the Hockey Centre 20-years after it made its last showing in this building. Looking as fresh as the day it was built, people who knew the car stood and stared in amazement and those that hadn’t seen the car before, thought it was a new build. Also back on show after being built some decades earlier, was Mark Stacey’s “Buccaneer” Dodge Pickup that was built by local Odd Rods Club founder John Watts. Not wanting to mess with the history in this build, all Mark has done over the years was to add a blower to the small block. Matt Olver made the trip down the highway from Qld for the event and had jaws dropping at the site of his stunning ’34 Ford coupe. The quality of the hot rods on display was of the highest quality with the variety unmatched! From a pair of Rattletrap racers, to blown pro-streeters to full-tilt, show-only builds.

The plan for me was simple. Bring together a mix of Hot Rods, Customs and Harleys that showcase all parts of their respective scenes...

The custom section also had some historic vehicles on show. The late Mario Colalillo’s KINGCAD still looks amazing, as did Ben Gatt’s candy ’39 Lincoln Zephyr, which it was pointed out, was painted around 20-years ago. And if seeing one Lincoln Zephyr blew your mind, we had two on show with Chris Cobaine entering his orange ’39 Convertible! This was the first (and maybe last) time these two were seen as the same show. This section also saw Peter Strojen’s ’60 Caddy back inside the venue after Killer Rides Live in August along with John Trunzo’s historic FJ coupe, Gordon Day’s candy Gold Buick Riviera and Andy Colalillo’s slammed Lincoln Continental as built in the USA. This is one part of the Hot Rod & Harley Expo I can see expanding in coming years for sure.

The bikes that made this year’s event were nothing short of mindblowing. From the candy, pinstriped and muraled paint to the use of gold plating, airbag suspension and engraved chrome work, these bikes all deserved to be winners. Peter Pulford travelled from Canberra with not one, but four cool Harleys including the Captain American and Billy bikes, made famous in the movie Easyrider. Peter also entered a mild custom Harley and a replica, board track racer that took everyone by surprise without the use of an abundance of chrome or the need for fat tyres! At the other end of the scale, Mohamed Habib’s Night Rod used lots of gold plating, candy paint, a massive rear tyre and turbocharged V-Twin to impress everyone, no matter how bad their eyesight was. Fadi Rudd’s HTMAN Vicla is one of the most impressive bikes I have seen and it absolutely glowed under the stadium lights, the candy teal paint standing out like a beacon. Likewise, Daniel Bennett’s daily ridden Vicla looked every part a show bike set up inside the building. Gus Seklaoui’s VRod was just plain tuff! The candy bronze paint mixed with satin charcoal is a winner. It’s hard to believe, but Bill Gazilas’ Vicla was a pile of parts just a week before the show. But Bill’s determination to be there saw the bike come together at the last minute and actually arrived at the venue just an hour before the show opened to the public. This was the bikes first showing, and one that Bill will remember for quite a while.

When I was putting together the trophy list, I needed to cover all the necessary categories within the Hot Rod, Custom and Harley sections, there were three big awards that I wanted to have included. They were not only awarded to the best in each category, but it would give the winner the ultimate bragging rights. So, to the victors, go the spoils. Les Lawry was awarded the Australia’s Most Beautiful Hot Rod trophy, with Australia’s Most Beautiful Custom going home with John Trunzo, his FJ coupe topping the point score in that section. And it was Bill Gazilas who came up to accept the Australia’s Most Beautiful Harley trophy. I bet has was happy he persevered with getting his Vicla together for the show.

Whilst we had to compete with the local Air show, less than ideal weather conditions and a few other events up and down the coast, the first Hot Rod & Harley Expo was a complete success. And announcement will be made soon in regards to the next Hot Rod & Harley Expo as we search for an alternate date away from the hustle and bustle of November. Stay tuned…

ON THE STREET KILLERRides Rides Words / Pics - Paul Beck DARREN HARRIS 1966 XP FUTURA COUPE They say that most things that come from the 80’s should have stayed there!

That simply doesn’t apply to Darren Harris’ ‘still’ stunning XP Futura Coupe.

Some cars are just timeless. There’s no other way to put it. Can you believe this oh-so-cool XP Futura hit the streets way back in 1984? I remember seeing this car for the first a few years later at the Street Machine Nationals in Wagga Wagga. The candy paint glowed in the sunlight and at that time, and it had a tunnel ram topping the small block Windsor. One other thing that caught my eye was that the 15x6 and 15x10-inch Centerline wheels were highly polished, not satin finished like everyone else was doing at the time.