Joe Garzaniti

Car: HSV VY Series II Clubsport Hometown: Sydney, NSW

What is it? “It’s a VY Series II HSV Clubsport, six-speed manual, Phantom (black) colour.” When did you buy it? “I bought it new in October 2003.” Why did you buy it? “I bought the VY to replace my VS Clubsport which had been stolen earlier that year. Initially I was looking at BMWs, but for the money I paid for the Clubsport, I would have been lucky to get a four-cylinder 318i. And the BMW had wind-up windows! You think – really?” What can you tell us about its life? “It started out as my daily drive, but only for about a month. Now it’s a club car, a show car, and it only comes out on some weekends. It’s totally original. It’s only done 22,000km; it still smells like new, and still drives like new.” How does it go? “With the handling and the power it’s got, it’s a fantastic car to drive. The VS was great but the VY is so much more. I recently drove my mate’s GTS-R W1, and that’s so much more! The VY is a lot of fun to drive, and I don’t baby it, far from it – I take it to drag days at Eastern Creek. A few weeks ago it did the drive up to Bathurst with 70 other cars (and 150 people) as part of a social drive for a car club I’m currently the president of the HSV Owners Club of NSW (incorporating HDT).”

Anything you’d like to add? “A lot of people love European cars and four cylinders but a true V8 is a true V8. The sound of my 5.7-litre VY Clubsport, it’s awesome – you can’t get that out of a four or six cylinder turbo. The pure grunt of a V8, you just can’t beat that. I’ll never sell it.”