Summer skids

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

Greased lightning: A selection of cars on display at this year’s Summernats, guaranteed to rev up the car fans.

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

By AB Kade Rogers

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 carnuts descended on our capital from every corner of Australia for the annual Summernats festival held at the Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC) from January 6-9.

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’s under your bonnet?”

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, CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy gave the public a sneak peek at the 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.

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 the 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.

To be 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 has flames on the side.

Fast facts
ARMY STREET MACHINE