VN GROUP A COMMODORE Blown, Injected,Tubbed

from Killer Rides #47 - May/June 2022

WHATS HAPPENING News, views and things of interest

MEGUIAR’S MOTOREX_MELBOURNE SHOWGROUNDS_APR30/MAY1-2022 WORDS – PAUL BECK PHOTO’S – CHAD SILVEY

SHOW, MAN! The Greatest After a forced break from the calendar, the Meguiar’s MotorEx returned in 2022 with the biggest, most impressive indoor car show Australia has ever seen. Everyone knew this was going to be an amazing show, after Covid had caused the promoters to shelve plans a couple of times. Those car owners that had prepared their new rides to be unveiled had more time than they had bargained for, but that’s a good thing. So leading up to the events first day, the snippets of new car unveils that had been sent out via social media, had tongues wagging. There was so much hype surrounding the next batch of cool cars to be unleashed onto the scene, that this quickly became the ‘must-do’ event of 2022.

Along with the unveils, there were a bunch of cars in the running to be awarded the Best of Breed after qualifying at various events around the country. The line-up of cars that have travelled far and wide to be at MotorEx are, put simply, the best of the best. Supreme quality was everywhere, making it very difficult for the judges to find the winners. The group was whittled down to half a dozen cars, dubbed the Super Six which included Trent Carter’s 1970 Plymouth Barracuda; David Xuereb’s TC Cortina; Brenton Dalwood’s ’35 Ford Coupe, Kees Wheels ’35 Chev Coupe, Dean Rickard’s HT GTS Monaro and Brian Imlach’s ’34 Chev sedan. After all the points were tallied up, the Grand Master award went to Brenton Dalwood, whose amazing ’35 Ford Coupe won his spot at his local show, the Adelaide Auto Expo. Brenton also took home first place in Paint, Engine Bay, Undercarriage and Driveline, as well as Engineering and Innovation. He also came runner up in Interior and Impact and Display categories. That’s quite a haul…

Bodywork Winners

1st Trent Carter – 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 2nd Charles Harley – 1957 Chevy Bel Air 3rd Kees Weel – 1935 Chevy Chevrolet 3 window

But, there was so much more than the unveils that make MotorEx what it is. Over 700 cars are put on display for the huge crowd to drool over as patrons made their way around the expansive Melbourne Showgrounds. On top of that, there were plenty of traders on hand showcasing their products and services to the power-hungry sector of the assembled crowd. And whilst you could stare at the indoor displays all day, making the trek in between each building wasn’t a brisk walk along the pathway, with the entrants in the Rare Spares Real Street competition scattered around the venue too.

Paint Winners

1st Brent Dalwood - 1935 Ford Coupe 2nd Brian Imlach - 1934 Chevy Sedan 3rd David Xuereb - 1973 Ford TC Cortina

Back to the unveils, and because of the cancellation of events all over the country, MotorEx were inundated with no less than 24 cars ready to have the covers removed from them on Day 1 of MotorEx. Variety was the name of the game this year, with plenty of traditional Hot Rods and Street Machines unveiled including Robert & Wendy Stevenson’s ’58 Corvette Roadster that, at first glance, looks like it’s been faithfully restored until you spot the 535hp Gen V LT376 engine transplant (with six-speed auto) and then find out about the later-model underpinnings. In stark contrast, Peter Sauer’s HG Brougham was nowhere near as subtle with the twin-turbo big block filling the engine bay to capacity. The ProStreet styled luxo-racer had a huge crowd around it the entire time! Another car that was completely left of centre, was Paul Tinnings Twin-turbo, V10Viper powered custom XP Falcon coupe that made the long haul down from Darwin. Luckily he did, taking home the prestigious Laurie Starling Engineering Excellence award. In amongst all the glitz and glamour of the paint and chrome sat a couple of creations that were on show in bare steel. Eliminator Rod & Custom had a smik ’68 Dodge Charger that looked almost too good to lay paint on. With its big diametre wheel combo and slammed stance, this will be one to look out for. Another ‘all in the raw’ unveil was Wayne Price’s blown HK Monaro. Praised by those in the know as having some of the best bodywork ever seen, the HK was one of the talking points of the weekend. In the ‘dare to be different’ section, nothing even come close to the stunning 911 Porsche built by the Real Steel Group. In fact, the Porsche was so good, it beat off some highly regarded competition to take off the Top Street Machine award!

Engine & Compartment Winners

1st Brent Dalwood - 1935 Ford Coupe 2nd Brian Imlach - 1934 Chevy Sedan 3rd Trent Carter - 1970 Plymouth Barracuda

1st Brent Dalwood - 1935 Ford Coupe 2nd Brian Imlach - 1934 Chevy Sedan 3rd David Xuereb - 1973 Ford TC Cortina

MotorEx started life in Sydney as an indoor show and shine, but over the years has grown to include the prestigious Meguiar’s Best of Breed winners, Performance Garage and more recently drifting, free-style moto-x, and burnout demonstrations. Whilst the residents within earshot probably weren’t impressed by the noise, for everyone else, it was awesome – taking MotorEx from a static show to a more interactive event. Whilst the drifters put on a great display, the few cars assembled for the burnout demonstrations really had the crowd smiling, thanks in part to Jake Myers, and the LOO5E Commodore. Did someone say entertainment?