LEADING up to MotorEx 22, there was genuine excitement around new and reborn street machines from the kings of our sport, and anybody who wandered through the Melbourne Showgrounds on the first weekend of May would agree they didn’t disappoint. Legends like Ron Barclay, the Hillier brothers and Bob Grambau yanked the covers off brand-new builds, proving they’ve not lost an ounce of mojo since they made their names in the 80s and 90s. The Fitzpatrick name also made a return, but this time it was Peter’s son Daniel yanking the covers off a slick Honda CB1100. Some iconic cars from decades ago also rolled into the halls looking tougher than ever, including Phil Rillotta’s PROST1 Torana.
That’s not to say there wasn’t plenty of new stuff from debut owners on offer – with 20 unveilings in the hall, it was quite the opposite, as the covers came off long-awaited stunners like Cam Waters’s pro touring XB hardtop (see p.24 for the full story!), who watched on via video link from a NASCAR race in the US. Joining the action were a stack of Meguiar’s Superstars finalists; some more recent show icons like FORGED and XBOSS; countless street-driven toughies; and the industry’s best and brightest traders.
Melbourne’s weather played nice for a welcome change, which helped bring droves of metal to the Real Street display, not to mention the car park and surrounding streets! Summernats may still lead the way in saturating a city with muscle cars, but MotorEx turned the suburb of Ascot Vale into a car-spotter’s mecca.
Nostalgic and fresh rides flourished in the huge Street Elite display, one highlight being Scott Briant’s Corolla wagon. It had spent 15 years languishing in a shed until Scott recently bought the car back, gave it a few contemporary tweaks and polished the 20-year-old paint to snap necks and introduce the’Rolla to a whole new generation in the process. Top Street Machine went to Adam Bickerstaff’s newly unveiled, Coyote-powered F100 built by Viking Hotrods, and it also earned first in the Street Elite Bodywork and Interior categories to land a place in the Superstars hall for 2025.
TOP STREET MACHINE WENT TO ADAM BICKERSTAFF’S NEWLY UNVEILED, COYOTE-POWERED F100 BUILT
