LETTER OF THE MONTH

XX MARKS THE SPOT

HI GUYS, great job on the 40th-anniversary edition (SM, Sep ’21) – huge effort! But you must have been under the hammer, as you missed Q, U and X in your ‘A-Z of Street Machine’ feature.

For U, you could have celebrated the role of the ute in the scene. And as for X, well, it might have been a bit outside your 40-year window, but there is no greater icon when talking about street machining history than Stephen Ellis’s legendary 1976 Holden panel van, XX308 (right). You mentioned Van Wheels being the birth of Street Machine; well, XX308 was there in Van Wheels #1, so it must be given some credit for being there at the beginning.

Adam Black, email

HEY Adam, glad you enjoyed the 40th-anniversary issue. Good call on XX308; it’s important to remember that the wildly modified panel vans of the late 70s are what gave birth to the street machine scene we know and love today – including this very magazine. – Broads

CLASSIC TIN

I’M PLEASED to announce that my 1971 HQ LS Monaro has been showcased on a special Father’s Day-edition Mac’s Shortbread 350g biscuit tin (left)!

The Monaro was also featured in the April 2019 issue of Street Machine, and the car will be 50 years old in September.

Thanks again for showcasing so many awesome cars in your magazine.

Dave Steele, email

VANTASY

IF I HAD the time, I’d build an LC Torry panel van, factory style – a bit like an Escort van. It would have grey paint, stock-standard everything, roll in through the Summernats gates and wow everyone.

How come no one has done it? I’m too busy building a twin-turbo supercharged buggy. Somebody please build it!

Darren French, email

GOOD idea, Darren! I’m pretty sure there is one LC or LJ van getting around. – Telfo

PURE CARNAGE

HI GUYS, love Carnage, but I have to feel for Scotty – he must have some pretty thick skin. Some days for him will start out fantastic, getting things sorted left and right, hoping to get all things flowing. But sometimes no matter how much you try to get it right, the numbers just do not add up.

Most of us know that nothing just bolts on or fits first time, and you guys showing the frustrations of what really goes on behind any sort of car modification is something we can all relate to.

But now we need to get to the dark side of Carnage: the keyboard warriors who think they know better or feel the need to criticise every tiny thing you do. These people obviously don’t get it – hey, you’re watching this shit for free! Why do they need to feel better about themselves by putting other people down?

At least back in the day, when you had some of the unusual sorts of builds you guys do, people would have to take the time to buy the mag, read it, write a letter and post it to vent their frustration. But in this day and age with social media, anything you guys might do that’s a bit against the grain can get shared round the globe faster than COVID – and so can the negative opinions.

I say just keep doing what you’re doing with Carnage, regardless of what other people say. We’re all here for the ride, no matter the highs and lows. We all want to see the end result, but sometimes the journey itself is just as important.

James Baylis, email