I haven’t photographed a whole lot of Valiants over the last 14 years. Regardless, it would be safe to say that Ray Elia’s VH Valiant is the wildest. With its blown and injected 543ci monster up front positively chugging E85, it needs every inch of those mammoth hoops under the bum.
I photographed the car for the August 2023 issue of Street Machine.
It can be very hard to stand out from the crowd when it comes to building a Torana. Generally, it’s all been done before. And while it sits there on a set of Simmons FRs in a suit of dark metallic red, you’d think the exterior combo would make Rocky Sarkis’ LH blend into the mass as well, but the execution is perhaps what sets it apart.
The stance, for a start, it not messing about. It sits perfectly. The diameter and offset of those 20x10s. The subdued – kinds of mature looking – dark red and lack of flares… it all combines to make this Torana seem head and shoulders above so many others.
Open the bonnet and you’re faced with a 388ci Dart-based LS force fed by a big BW S480 turbo. The combo hasn’t been fully pushed yet (Rocky has only recently welcomed his first child), but it’s fair to say the combo will be good for some serious numbers.
With it’s simple satin balck aesthetic, it’s again, seemingly more mature and refined. The same thing happens inside, where a brownish-tan leather and suede interior, complete with a few billet additions makes for a serious, adult cabin. It’s almost like some foreign exotic housed within a humble 70s Aissue shell.
The shoot appeared in the July 2023 issue of Street Machine.
Miami V8 engine conversions into older models is still a pretty rare thing here in Australia. Not sure if it’s the initial cost, but with a Harrop blower mounted on top, the Miami in Ossie Fish’s XW makes a lazy 670hp on PULP.
Kyle’s Conversions did the conversion on the car, which is backed by a Tremec TR6060 manual and a 9in.
The shoot was featured in the May 2023 issue of Street Machine.
I haven’t historically done a lot of private shoots over the last 13 years. Almost all the work I have done has been for magazine clients. It’s always a subtle change of pace and some very nice machines roll past my lens as a result – like this VF SS Commodore from the Hunter Valley.
If you’d like a photo shoot on your own pride and joy, drop me a line today! I’m offering private shoots in the greater Newcastle/Hunter Valley areas only.
It’s no secret that I’m not shooting as much as I used to, these days. A sad reality of the declining car magazine business model. So it’s always great when my assignments include pristine, fresh builds like Serdar’s Ford XY Falcon.
Powered by a 430ci small-block boasting 855hp at the treads and looking like this, the sedan was a pleasure to shoot. Die-smooth paint and panel, glorious custom billet tunnel ram intake and detail everywhere… sure, it’s still externally looking like a GT clone like most old Falcons, but it has enough personality to keep it interesting.
The shoot was featured in the April issue of Street Machine.
There was a fair amount of hype surrounding the unveiling of Carolyn Hayes’ LH Torana, known as 275NOS. Street Machine had covered the build of the car both in print and video, and with Carolyn’s partner Mark being an icon of the scene himself, great things was expected.
As you can see from the images, it’s fair to say that Carolyn and Mark knocked the build out of the park, both in terms of fit and finish, but also attitude and attention to detail. No matter how close I got with my camera, the car was flawless and buried so deep in the weeds (in it’s show format) that the turning circle had about a 50m radius.
Carolyn was itching to get the magazine feature done and dusted so she could set the ride height a little taller and get the car ready for racing.
The shoot appeared in the March 2023 issue of Street Machine.
Built as a tribute to his granddad, Mick Matthews’ Ford XF Falcon is now one of the finest XF Falcons you’ll see in Australia.
From the clinically-clean engine bay with its 393ci Clevo-based power plant to the in-the-weeds stance that’s been achieved through coil-overs and some judicious fab’ work – this is one super clean and inspiring build. …then you step inside.
Stitched Up Custom Trim handled the incredible redesign of the interior, retaining the original vibe of the late-’80s cabin while bringing it thoroughly into the 21st century.
The shoot was featured in the March 2023 issue of Street Machine.
Interesting fact: The very first feature car I photographed (for Street Commodores magazine) was a VN HDT Aero Lexcen powered by a V6 – and it was built by Leo Mortakis, the same guy that built this pastel yellow LX Torana.
The Aero was a legit HDT and very nicely restored to original condition. Leo has made a name for himself over the last 13 years for performing very nice restos and custom builds. Off the top of my head, this is the third or fourth that I’ve personally photographed.
This LX was built as a family project for he and his father Steve and the shoot was featured in the February 2023 issue of Street Machine.
I always love it when I get to work with a car owner on more than one occasion. Sometimes it’s because more than one magazine has requested the same car (sometimes years apart!) and sometimes it’s because the owner has built something new – or like Mark Sullivan… many new things! hahah
So I was happy when Matt Lomas contacted me a few months ago about a new Torana he’d built. Around 2014 or 2015 I photographed his old white VL Commodore for Street Commodores magazine in an industrial area in Kurri Kurri. It was a nice car and pretty indicative of its time.
THis new Torana is on another level, with a Harrop Stealth 2300-blown LS2 up front, 9in and TrueTrac, phat stance and lovely House of Kolor metallic blue paint. Inside you’ll see there’s acres of tan leather, too. All up, it’s a killer ride and what’s even better is that he drove it the half-hour to get to the shoot location!
The shoot was featured in the Street Machine 2023 Summer Special.
Within a few weeks of one another, I photographed two gunmetal grey small 1970s US coupes from the ‘forgotten’ segment of vehicles. When was the last time you saw either a 1970s Mercury Comet or a Chev Monza built like this!?
What made my brain hurt even more was that both cars were from entirely unrelated workshops, probably started at different times and completely free of influence on each other.
The result for both cars has been amazing and this latest creation from Down Town Kustoms in Taree on NSW’s mid-north coast, is one incredible street car. 485hp from its 383ci SBC in a diminutive 1400kg coupe. Sounds like fun to me!
My shoot appeared in the Jan 2023 issue of Street Machine.