THE PLAN IS TO GET SOME RADIALS ON IT AND RACE IT. I DON’T HAVE ANY RACING EXPERIENCE, BUT I THINK IT SHOULD GO 10S
While you might be expecting a Powerglide or Turbo 400 under the tunnel, Glenn wasn’t interested in that idea; instead, the VE retains its original T56 six-speed manual with an Xtreme twin-plate ceramic clutch. “I just love driving a manual on the street, and I never built it to do quarter-mile times either, so that was another reason to stay manual,” he explains.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to have a crack, though. “The plan this year is to get some radials on it and race it,” he says. “I don’t have any racing experience, but I think it should go 10s.”
The rear end is still Holden IRS as well, using a Harrop Truetrac LSD with 3.7:1 gears and standard axles. “I wanted the axles to be the weak point, as they’re the cheapest and easiest thing to replace,” Glenn says.
Although the VE was built to be a showworthy machine, that doesn’t mean Glenn is precious about how often it sees daylight. “I use it basically every weekend, and it did the 550km round trip to Summernats Slam at Heathcote earlier this year with no issues, even getting 9.3 litres of fuel per 100 kays on E85,” he says. “It’s pretty docile and easy to drive normally, and despite what people may think, it’ll also get up and go from 2500rpm with the big turbo.”
As you’d probably expect, the VE has cleaned up plenty of awards at car shows of late, and even made a decent impression at Street Machine Summernats 34 with a place in the Top 60. “That was really cool, and the judges gave me some pointers for where I can improve for next time,” says Glenn.
It's a big accolade for a first attempt at a car of this level, and Glenn says he’ll always look to keep improving his dream machine. “I’ll always keep changing it in some way, and it’s supercool that we built it all with local people and businesses, who I can’t thank enough. Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”