Summernats 38: The Greatest Show on Earth
By Liam Quirk & Kian Heagney
Words: Liam Quirk & Kian Heagney
Photos: Chris Thorogood, Ashleigh Wilson, Michelle Porobic & Tim McCormack
Street Machine Summernats 38 was a record-breaker in nearly every way. With more entrants than ever before, a crowd of 130,000 people, and fierce competition, the event was a triumph. Despite a heatwave gripping Canberra and the east coast of Australia for the first three days, the show went on, with new additions to improve the punter's experience.
The Cruise Route and Pedestrian Bridges
To ease congestion, three huge pedestrian bridges were erected over the cruise route, allowing spectators to cross quickly and safely. The ever-popular Skid Row was expanded with an extra lane and shaded marquee seating, becoming a hive of activity.
"We're always looking for ways to improve the experience for Summernats punters," said Andy Lopez, Summernats frontman. "As a result of thorough post-event analysis, we knew that keeping the cruise route flowing was a big focus for 2026. The introduction of the pedestrian bridges was a huge focus for us, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive."
The Haltech Horsepower Heroes Dyno Comp
One of the first events to make noise was the Haltech Horsepower Heroes dyno comp. Darren Portelli's 540-cube, twin-turbo HQ shattered the previous dyno record, eclipsing the 2504hp set by the MAKDDY VL Turbo at Summernats 36 with a stonking 3513hp.
The Meguiar's Great Uncover
The Meguiar's Great Uncover had the Top 60 Hall packed as 23 stunning new builds were unveiled. The diversity of cars was remarkable, with Aussie builders pushing the boundaries of colours, textures, and technology.
"I’m aware that I can’t keep saying that the quality improves year on year, but I also can’t ignore the fact either!," said Owen Webb, Summernats chief steward. "I don’t think we’ve ever had the variety of cars – look at how different Anna Povey’s diesel-powered VL drag car is, and it’s sitting right alongside Peter Liversidge’s diesel-powered HG wagon show car! We had four or five hot rods – everything from Mick Sammut’s Chevy bomber through to the most beautiful ’32 coupe you’ve ever seen. Then two of the best Celicas ever built in the country, and Andrew McCartney’s Camaro. The diversity just blew my mind."
Off-Site Activations
The event expanded to new parts of Canberra, with two off-site activations. The Braddon Fringe Festival brought the noise and colour of Summernats to Canberra streets, and the invite-only Street Machine of the Year VIP Party at the George Harcourt Inn in Nicholls showcased the sublime HTKO Monaro of current SMOTY champion Martin Pecotich.
Friday's Action
Friday was an action-packed day, with qualifying for the Pro Series and Open burnouts against a lively cruise route backdrop. An all-Aussie live music line-up ushered in the weekend, with Killing Heidi opening for The Screaming Jets, before The Living End rocked the giant stage.
Saturday's Format
Saturday saw a ground-up rebuild, with non-stop action from 9 am. The Top 60 and Grand Champion judging were done on Saturday, including the Grand Champion driving events. Adam Bickerstaff's ’56 F100 was crowned Grand Champ in front of the crowd.
Sunday's Dyno Cell
Sunday saw the Haltech Horsepower Heroes finals, with high-horsepower monsters lined up. Adam Povey's Capri wowed the crowd with a 3616hp run, while Daniel Szabolics' HQ laid down a 3697hp best. The MACKED RB-powered R34 Skyline GT-R reeled off 2054hp, and JT Performance's black Capri produced an ear-splitting 1093hp.
Sunday's Burnout Pad
High rpm was the order of the day on the burnout pad, kicking off with the Pro Burnout Series Ultimate Redemption Round. Brett Battersby in BLWNLUX was crowned Open Champion, pipping Britt and Brad Kilby for second and third in HAMMERTIME and HAMMERD.
Street Champion Award
The Street Champion award recognised genuine, regularly street-driven vehicles. Dave Darcy's HJ Premier emerged victorious, showing the car regularly and not afraid to drive it hard.
Mulletfest
The Summernats Mulletfest celebrated the much-loved follicular tradition, with Migelly Shaw crowned Grand Mullet Champion for 2026. His magnificent mane raised money for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
John Taverna Master Craftsman Award
Michael and Matt Ellard of Image Vehicle Manufacturing won the award, with Michael receiving it in honour of the legendary drag racer and car builder who passed away in 2013.
Highlights
- Five inductees into the John Peterson Burnout Hall of Fame.
- The debut of Tristan Ockers' original Capri with a howling 860hp tunnel-rammed Windsor.
- Ben Fink's well-sorted pro touring first-gen Camaro climbing the rankings to finish in the Grand Champion final three.
- Richie Vegara's blown LS-powered ’39 Ford pick-up hoiking the Top 20 truck around the pad with reckless abandon.
- Jay Duca's wild V8 LX hatch with a 600hp Mercedes OM606 diesel inline six, built in just eight weeks.
- Adrian Richardson's blown ’76 Charger 770 cruising trouble-free, even blazing a set on Precision International Skid Row.
- The debut of our V8-powered ’73 LJ Torana GTR giveaway car, which has since found a new owner.
- Rod Hadfield's ‘Grandma Duck’ twin-supercharged, Boss 429-powered Model T in the Meguiar’s Pavilion.
- Adam Povey's three-wheeled Peel P50, the smallest road-legal car in Australia, taking part in the City Cruise.
- Jake Spokes' four-month build on his 1970 Holden HG GTS Monaro, featuring a carby-fed, TBS 8/71-blown LS combo.
- Rob Kassouf's 1946 Chevy bus, the real-deal with a blown 383 small-block and 16-seater interior.
- Bobbie Stevens' Datsun 120Y debut with a new BDS 6/71-blown L98 combo.
- Tim Nelson's CAMPFIRE XP wagon, a four-day Easter project build atop a modified HiLux chassis.
- Jayden Craft's WARZONE VF ute, rocking a Warspeed Industries-built blown, injected 1221hp 427 LS.
- Josh Rendall's EK wagon, a perfect weekend family cruiser with a set of ’bags and a flat floor.
- Jamie Cairney's BIG PAPA, a steel-bumpered burnout machine with a Warspeed 365ci LS and injected methanol.
- Tim McDonald's 1000hp, blown XY Fairmont and Daniel Souvleris' ’76 Holden ute, both in the Tuff Street judging.
Summernats 38 Meguiar's Great Uncover
By Liam Quirk & Kian Heagney
Australia’s show car scene is brimming with innovation, as the Summernats 38 Meguiar’s Great Uncover proved.
There’s always an air of anticipation ahead of the Meguiar’s Great Uncover at Street Machine Summernats. It showcases cutting-edge Aussie car crafting, and serves as an opportunity to identify emerging trends.
A massive 23 cars were unveiled at Summernats 38, and we saw builders push the boundaries, mixing gloss and satin finishes. Increasing attention was paid to well-executed, subtle body mods that enhance the car’s most flattering features – deleted drip rails, frenched metal bumpers, and flush-mounted door handles, for example.
"I don’t want to repeat myself every year and rave about how the quality is so much better, but it is!," said head judge Owen Webb. "What really blew me away this year was the variety. Guys are taking exciting chances with their colours and finishes. Andrew McCartney’s Camaro is a great example of that – gloss paint with a satin stripe and pearls over the top. That’s incredibly difficult to nail!"
Here are the 23 cars unveiled at Street Machine Summernats 38:
- Andrew McCartney – 1971 Chevrolet Camaro
- Stephen Micallef – 1973 LJ Torana
- Mathew Hughes – Toyota Celica TA22
- Darren & Tracey Neill – 1932 Ford Coupe
- Danny Hoy – 1956 FE Holden Station Sedan
- Ol’ School Garage – 1957 Chevy Business Coupe
- Michael Groves – 1949 Chevrolet Pick-up
Paul Khairo – 1934 Ford Coupe
Angus Pirotta – 1971 HG Monaro
Melissa Gow – 1969 Datsun 1600
Christopher Campbell – 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe
Peter Xiberras – 1982 Holden VH Commodore
Mick Sammut – 1939 Chevrolet sedan
Lee & Anna Povey – 1987 VL Commodore wagon
Matthew Ellard – 1974 Toyota Celica
Joe Kurtovic – 1933 Ford Coupe
Clint Stevens – VS Commodore ute
Matt Mizzi – 1948 Chevrolet Pick-Up
Jason Holt – VH Commodore SL/E
Dejan Stojanovic – HK Monaro
Colin Lee – 1936 Ford Five-Window Coupe
Peter Liversidge – HG Holden wagon
Luke Swift – 1971 LC Torana
Elite Top 60
By Andrew Broadley
Australia’s best custom cars formed the Elite Top 60 at Summernats 38.
The Meguiar’s Pavilion is the place to be at Summernats if high-end custom cars are your thing. In recent years, we’ve noticed a shift away from dedicated show cars built for the sole purpose of winning trophies, in favour of cars that are engineered to be driven once their show days are done, and that trend looks set to continue for 2026.
"You can see that in something like Martin Pecotich’s Monaro," said Summernats chief steward Owen Webb of the 2025 SMOTY-winning HT (https://www.streetmachine.com.au/news/martin-pecotich-htko-monaro-wins-enthusiast-motor-insurance-street-machine-of-the-year-2025) (SM, Jun ’25). "That car won a lot on the show circuit in the first year of its life, and this year it’s sitting outside and he’s driving it to Braddon and just cruising it around."
Indeed, the oft-repeated argument that the cars in the Elite Hall are just shed ornaments that will never get driven doesn’t really stack up in 2026, and it’s changing the way these cars are being built.
"What’s happening now is the owners want to get the most out of the show scene for probably 18 months or two years, but the cars are designed in a way where they’re actually practical after that to use," said Owen. "And you can’t just build a show car and then think you’re going to drive it one day; you’ve got to work it through so that it’s easy to maintain, well-built and well-engineered."
We say it every year, but the Elite Hall at Summernats 38 offered an incredible variety of cars, from dedicated race cars to drag-and-drivers, cruisers, and skid cars, in a range of makes and models from Aussie muscle cars to American and Japanese classics.
Despite the quality and depth of the field, however, one entrant in particular seemed to be ascending the stairs to the stage more than others at the Elite preso, and that was Frank Zammit, whose incredible XW Falcon ute (SM, Apr ’25) judged exceptionally well at Summernats for the second year running.
"It’s very unusual for a car to come here and win Top Judged two years in a row, and pretty much take out every top award in the process," said Owen. "That car is exceptional. He has done a lot of work on it and maintained it to keep it at the top level, and it showed."
Despite the move towards more practical, useable Elite cars, we still see the bar raised every year due to a mix of advancement in technology and human innovation, and according to Owen, that’s been more evident in interiors than any other aspect of car crafting.
"I just cannot believe how much these interiors have evolved in the past three or four years; that’s the thing that’s moved to the next level," he said. "Paint and fabrication have become better as the technology has improved, but the big leap has been interiors."
The really good news? There’s a bunch of hot new Elite metal still in the pipeline, with a raft of fresh builds set to be unveiled throughout 2026 at events like MotorEx, Rockynats, and Red CentreNATS!
Elite Top 10
FRANK ZAMMIT – 1969 XW FALCON UTE
Top Judged Elite
Top Undercarriage/Driveline
Top Engine Bay
Top Bodywork
Top Paint
Top Pro Commercial
3rd Top Interior
MATTHEW ELLARD – 1974 TOYOTA CELICA
Top Retrotech
3rd Top Undercarriage/Driveline
3rd Top Special Effects Finish
Meguiar’s Superstars Invitee
ANDREW McCARTNEY – 1971 CHEVROLET CAMARO
Top Special Effects Finish
Top Pro Two-Door
2nd Top Bodywork
Meguiar’s Superstars Invitee
MATTHEW MIZZI – 1948 CHEVROLET 3100
Top Engineered
2nd Top Pro Commercial
Meguiar’s Superstars Invitee
BRIAN IMLACH – 1934 CHEVROLET SEDAN
2nd Top Undercarriage/Driveline
2nd Top Special Effects Finish
Top Hot Rod
DEAN RICKARD – 1969 HT GTS MONARO
3rd Top Engine Bay
2nd Top Interior
Top Coupe
ADAM BICKERSTAFF – 1956 FORD F100
BEN FINK – 1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO
2nd Top Coupe
JOVCE TOSEVSKI – 1986 HOLDEN CALAIS
People’s Choice
Top Pro Sedan
JEREMY GULJAS – 1970 HG PREMIER
Top Sedan
2nd Top Engine Bay
Summernats 38 Grand Champion
By Andrew Broadley
Adam Bickerstaff’s 1956 F100 is crowned Summernats 38 Grand Champion!
What makes the Grand Champion award at Street Machine Summernats different from all others is the driving component. That’s very often the deciding factor in the hunt for the sword, and it was certainly the case this year.
With Johnny Tosevski’s gorgeous twin-turbo VL Calais placing in the Elite Top 10 and scoring People’s Choice, it had the edge on points en route to the Summernats burnout pad. Frank Zammit’s incredible XW ute certainly found favour with the judges in the hall, too, winning just about everything that wasn’t nailed down, up to and including Top Judged Elite (https://www.streetmachine.com.au/events/summernats/the-top-10-elite-summernats-37) .
But when the light turned green for the slalom, Adam Bickerstaff’s Viking Hotrods-built, blown Coyote-powered ’56 F100 emerged as a force to be reckoned with, finishing third in the slalom and second in the go-to-whoa to claw its way up the order and emerge victorious.
The final three included Adam’s Effie (SM, Sep’24), Ben Fink’s ’68 Camaro (https://www.streetmachine.com.au/features/ben-fink-pro-tourer-big-block-powered-68-camaro) (SM, Oct’25), and Dean Rickard’s HT Monaro (https://www.streetmachine.com.au/events/smoty/10
