Red rocket: Ensuring this Holden Coupe4 goes super fast is a retina-searing paint job.

Pictures: ABPH Kade Rogers

Flaming glory: The engineless Army street machine good for apprentices, good for recruiting.

Summer skids

Flames painted on cars are ace.

Flames coming out of exhaust pipes are ace.

A jet engine powered Donut King van that shoots flames out the back is really ace.

There was plenty of this to see when thousands of car-nuts descended upon our capital from every corner of Australia for the annual Summernats festival held at the Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC) recently.

The roar of engines, the whine of turbochargers and the thumping of subwoofer-packed boots transformed the normally quiet Northbourne Avenue into a symphony of high performance heaven during the festival.

The drive on the way into EPIC was almost as fascinating as the event itself. People who would normally never speak to each other became "mates for a minute" as complete strangers pulled up to each other in their street machines, hurling queries and questions amid the din of the mechanical maelstrom.

"What are you running mate?"

"What's under your bonnet?"

Once inside the grounds hundreds of immaculately prepared automobiles of every make were on display ranging from Gary Myers' famous Mustang to the newest VZ Monaro.

The sound of screeching tyres and boisterous cheers erupted from the main drag as drivers put their machines through their paces.

Delightful smells of scorched rubber and burnt fuel wafted over the main oval, which, crammed full of pristine cars, resembled some sort of divine car park.

Among the rows of static displays set up by manufacturers of after-market auto products Chief of Army LTGEN Peter Leahy, gave the public a sneak peek of the Australian Army's newest weapon. Due for completion in July, technical trainees have been busily constructing a high performance street machine based on a 6x6 landrover to complement their formal Army training.

Greased lightning: A selection of cars on display at this year’s Summernats to get your motor running.

Beneath the metal skin of this monster will beat a supercharged LS1 Gen III V8 heart, bored and stroked to a massive 7 litres.

CFN James Black, who was at the unveiling, hinted at the awesome power to be unleashed when the monster is let loose. "When it's finished it'll be able to do a six wheel burnout," he said.

Just to make sure all that power is transferred to those six wheels the vehicle will be fitted with V8 Supercar-spec drive shafts and custom differential and axle assemblies.

Stopping the beast will be race-standard disc brakes on all six wheels. When completed later this year this deadly machine will tour the country and appear at major community events to showcase the trades and apprenticeship schemes provided by the Army.

…And it even has flames on the side.

Custom differential and axle assemblies V8 Supercar-spec drive shafts Supercharged Iron block LS1 Gen III V8 engine bored and stroked to 7 litres Water to air intercooler Custom mapped electronic engine management system Two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission Race-spec disc brakes with custom brake isolation system

Fast facts

ARMY STREET MACHINE Custom differential and axle assemblies. Supercharged Iron block LS1 Water to air intercooler. Custom mapped electronic engine management system. Two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission.