> LETTER OF THE MONTH

YOUNG BLOOD

TELL ya what, I thought having to pick a normal SMOTY winner was hard, but after seeing what the next generation are doing to cars, the Young Street Machine of the Year comp (right) is harder to pick than a broken nose.

So who do you choose: Brock Clayton’s HZ panel van, which goes back to the very roots of Street Machine; Jesse Wilkins’s ’49 Chev; or go for a dark horse like Maxamillion Edwards’s Toyota Crown?

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter who wins, because at the end of the day, we’re all going to be winners! The quality of work all the entrants have put in shows that there’s new blood coming in the modified car culture.

James Baylis, email

SLOWING DOWN?

I’VE been following your auction coverage (streetmachine.com.au), and it definitely seems like the market is slowing. More and more bigdollar stuff seems to be reappearing after not hitting reserve, and it seems even the basic shitbox market is going the same way.

I recently bought a ZL Fairlane in decent shape, gave it a tidy-up and put it on the market for $4K. This time a year ago it would’ve sold almost straight away, but I got virtually no interest over a couple of weeks. In other words, now seems like a good time to buy.

Todd Klein, email

UTE BEAUTY

MY COMMENDATIONS to Scotty for driving his dad’s ute (below) all the way to Queensland and back for Mopar Sunday [see p.42 of this issue for our full event coverage – Ed]. In a world of car trailers, air con and cruise control, it’s pretty refreshing to see a classic car driven on a proper road trip. These cars weren’t built to come out every few weekends for car shows; they were built to carry people and goods across Australia.

Good on you, Scotty, for giving the ute a proper chance to stretch its legs, even if you’ve probably got a crook back after a few thousand kays on a bench seat!

Harold Smith, email