Street Machine

red raw

JASON Schembri is riding around in the car of his dreams – this fully pumped-up, Candy Apple Red, 427-powered XT Fairmont. But it wasn’t the dream he started off with. “I was actually looking for an XR,” he says. “My brother Darren has an XY (SM, Apr ’21), so I thought I’d get something different to him.” That noble plan took a detour when a well-kept, original Burgundy, 351-powered XT Fairmont came up for sale for $12K. Jason jumped on it, and the two brothers wheeled the stocker sedan into Darren’s shed, where the work then began. “We built Darren’s car up 12 or 13 years ago,” Jason says. “We’re always helping each other; we’re very close, always in each other’s pockets, y’know.” Key to the XT’s worthiness was its brilliant condition as a…

corridors of power

SOME shops have a signature look. For Sydney’s ProFlo Performance, that means worm-burning ride heights, steamroller meats out back and metal skyscrapers jutting out of engine bays, all finished to Summernats Elite-level quality. Owner Paul Sant first came to Street Machine’s attention with a tasty blown Torana hatchback that we featured way back in our March 1996 issue. “I wasn’t ProFlo back when that car was featured,” says Paul, sitting in his office at the new, much larger shop he moved ProFlo Performance into a little over a year ago. “Jeez, when was the start? I don’t even know!” You can’t fault the street machining legend for not recalling the exact date his empire began (it was 1998), given the hundreds of top-shelf street machines and off-tap engine combos he’s built since…

blow your cool

THE impetus for Charlton Sherry’s super-sweet ’56 Chev came from a motorcycle accident that left him thanking his lucky stars and re-evaluating his choice of transport. “I lost an argument with the Armco while riding my motorbike up the Putty Road,” says Charlton. “My family and I decided that it was time to end my bike days and go the four-wheel option.” Other than it having an extra two wheels, Charlton was unsure of what make, model or year he wanted. Relentless ‘suggestions’ from his son Ray to buy a Chev eventually swayed him. “In reality, it was a no-brainer,” says Charlton. “I’ve always loved Paul Souma’s ’56 [SM, Jan ’13]; this whole car was inspired by ATTACK.” While searching for a suitable donor car, Charlton came across a potential candidate located at Sussex…

high-pressure front

WHILE he already carries the keys to a blue, 700rwhp, turbo-LS1 Torana hatch (Street Machine LSX Tuner #7), Queensland’s Marc Palmer couldn’t shake the memories of his first car, a Mint Julep LX sedan. However, that fourdoor P-plate chariot was a world away from the 900rwhp, mini-tubbed and ProCharged brute Marc has just finished building. “I have a huge thing for Toranas,” he says. “I found this one advertised online as a painted roller, and because my first Torana was green, I just had to have it! “I picked it up from a bloke in Gympie who’d lost interest, and he was the second owner; he’d got it from his aunty who’d had it from new. The car was last registered in 1992 with a full rotisserie paint and panel job done…

king hits

TUNNEL Vision’s King Of The Street made a triumphant return to Heathcote Park Raceway for its sixth and largestever running, with nearly 100 of Australia’s quickest roadgoing cars facing off for top honours over an early-March weekend. Organised by Tunnel Vision Turbocharging in partnership with Mustang racer John Colaidis, King Of The Street was conceived as a way to crown Australia’s swiftest proper street cars. All vehicles entered must be road-registered, have a full interior and a complete exhaust system. All fuel types are accepted, as is nitrous. The last KOTS event was held at Ballarat Airport back in 2018, where cars fought for traction on an unforgiving no-prep airstrip. “A lot of people wanted more of a prepped track,” says John. “It’s more interesting when both cars can hook up off…

shop and go

“THE F-TRUCK NEEDS BIG WHEELS TO FILL IT OUT. THEREFORE, IT NEEDED TUBS” IT’S not like Alan Robson is an F-truck fanatic. He’s had a V8 HK Premier wagon, an XA Falcon GT, a V8 Fairlane, a Gemini, some Eurotrash and no less than a dozen Beetles. So how does a man who simply doesn’t mind an Effie get fanatical about building the cleanest F100 shop truck around? We decided to visit Lonsdale Autoshop in Seaford, SA to get the lowdown from the bossman Jason Riding and Alan himself. “I’d seen a few cool F-trucks on those American build shows,” Alan begins. “So I thought: ‘Let’s build a nice, shop-style truck’, even though I don’t have a shop.” Buying a 1975 F100 sight-unseen out of Queensland around June 2018, Alan was expecting a…