A new era of Summernats?

Another January is over and with it another Summernats is done and dusted.
With the influx of flagship cars as well as what is always regarded as the hottest day of the year, the 29th year of Summernats was the second in a row in which a non-V8 came away with the prestigious Grand Champion award.  That being said however, the much acclaimed Mazda that came away with the top honours was a shoe in amongst the sea of lion and blue oval badged behemoths.

Much can be said about the spectacle that is Summernats.  Some say the belligerent wrong-doers with reckless attitudes towards personal and not so personal safety that attend this festival of fire do nothing but promote the maligned and degraded brand the name Summernats was identified with in days gone by.

Others say that since Chic Henry sold the carnival of chaos, the new owners have continuously raised the bar and ushered in a new era of automotive debauchery, just without as much debauchery.  The emphasis of family days, the assurance of safety and the inclusion of key cars such as the Red Bull Racing V8 Supercar wheeled by Jamie Whincup assist in stimulating the friendly attitude and encourage local law enforcement bodies to praise the lack of attacks on a Saturday night.

I love the Summernats as much as the next red meat eating, methanol whiffing male but to me it feels like the makeup gun that Homer made Marge "Homer, you've got it set on crack whore!".  At the end of the day the Summernats will always be a celebration of all that is masculine. You can tone down all that made it everything it was to begin with, but as long as people are willing to shred compressed rubber to appease the shirtless masses who are willing to pay $8 for a can of beer, then you will have 100,000 people streaming through the gates at $70 a ticket.

I for one think that the Summernats as a brand will go from strength to strength doing just what they're doing:  providing a locale at which to perform burnouts as much as your hearts content and present your hard earned and built ride for the inspection and admiration of your peers. So long as they show that they are making an attempt to curb the alcohol fuelled violence and endorse a family friendly event, then the public just may be appeased.

Next year will be no different, with Summernats turning the dirty 30, it will prove to be a true spectacle.  Lets just hope the ACT government doesn't have other plans.  With the revenue the Capital receives from this revelry of rev-heads I highly doubt anything will happen to waylay the event.


See you at the track
- Willie

MotorEx 2015

Well thats it, another year of MotorEx completed, thankfully this year it was closer being in Sydney than last year's show in Melbourne.

 Much like every year, this show didn't fail to impress.

 One thing i did pick up on is the last few shows, cars that didn't have a V8 under the hood were picking up the top awards.

This rotary powered Datsun won the much V8 dominated Summernats this year.

And now an RX3 sedan pick up the top going at the 2015 MotorEx.

 Do i feel a change in the air?

It seems to me that so many more people are putting in effort into rides other than the standard fair sedans of yesteryear.

That being said however, there is no denying the credibility of a well put together ride.

Builders seem to be thinking more outside of the box than ever.

Speaking of outside the box, I can't make up my mind about this Torana - Hotrod... your thoughts?

How about a slammed Holden Colorado?  I must admit, I was quite pleased with the amount of elite level mini trucks on display.

In addition to the mini trucks, the amount of rotors on display were also impressive.

I'd have to say, the biggest display I was looking forward to was Kato-san and Liberty Walk.

If you've never heard of Liberty Walk before, you've been living under a rock.  This is the crew responsible for taking an angle grinder to super expensive cars and creating ultra wide and low exotics.

Kato-san and his crew were brought in by Queen Street Customs to help with the promotion and build the incredibly wide R35's and BMW's on display.

It's one thing looking at these fine examples of rolling perfection from behind a computer screen, but once its in front of you, you just can't help but to stop and stare.

I don't even know what I would do if I saw one rolling down the block... probably follow and drool...

Not only was there fresh meat at the show, but award winners from years past were assembled to compete.

 So smooth and creamy.

Being a painter myself, it's wonderful to see such extreme levels of detail and perfect body work.

Hardly a panel out place, but then in an 'invite only' show such as Motorex, you wouldn't be caught with a spot of dust on any inch of paintwork, let alone a misaligned door jam!

I really liked the enginebay of this VY ute, but the doors and kit kind of ruined it for me, too much going on.

 

Sometimes, a 'less is more' approach is the best method.

This year the organizers also had a vast array of movie cars on display, a personal favorite was the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine.

Due to the popularity, it was hard to pull off a clean shot of these famous rides.

Another favorite of mine, is checking out what is in the pipeline for some shops and builders.

The lads from Down Town Kustoms were in attendance and managed to pick up a swag of medals for their Holden FC ute over the course of the weekend.

Do you think the super wide over fender movement is going to catch on in Australia? 

I'm already trying to figure out how to afford a new FT86 with one of Kei Muira's Rocket Bunny kits and the wheels to match.

Outside the main halls, the street cars lined up for a crack at the street driven trophy.

Some of the cars even looked good enough to be inside competing.

Well that's enough from me, don't forget to like and share us on Facebook, we have plenty more photos to share!

See you at the track (or the drags)

- Willie

Meguires Motorex 2013

Finally got my ass to the much revered Motorex in Sydney today, so i quickly smashed up a few of my show favourites.

I loved some of the cars on 'Real Street Blvd' out the front.  Rhys and some of his mates made the trek up from Canberra

This Datto absolutely oozed style, from its V8 to the wooden doors used as a hard cover, this monster had it all.

The writing on the back says it all.

Last year finalist, the amazing Goliath

This van was pretty rad, loved the bi-folding doors

Anyone remember the OVAKIL Magna from way back when?

The guys from The Impound came up from Canberra with their hella rad ute, this is the first time I've seen it with the matte black though i can't say I'm much of a fan, i liked it how it was before ... matte black is sooo 2010

Saw this drag torana unveiled at summernats, my favorite was his pit car though..

.. The cart was packed with subs and played all day, i cant think of a better hack to tour a golf course with

As soon as i walked Wild Cad  had my attention, this thing absolutely commands attention, pictures and photos in glossy magazines truly don't do this thing justice 

I really enjoyed how many rotors there were, and of such high calibre as well

Down Town Kustoms had a big display, showing of both completed and half finished projects

I know this rod will be something special when finished

I really loved this truck, it reminds me of what Mater from the Cars movie would look like in his younger days

This Rolls Royce Phantom was at the Queen St stand ... Surprise

One of my favorites of the show, i really loved this blue

Track ready BMW is track ready, i especially loved the fender louvres

A lot of the cars on display weren't made just to look pretty, This VL had videos of his burnout comps running all day....turns out it can cut sik, if you didn't get that from the burnt number plate

Hopefully we'll get to a few more shows for the rest of the year and put up some rad content for you guys, we also have a bit of an update regarding Brett's 180, so stay tuned!

-Willy