Kustom Nationals 2011

The event kicked off on Friday, and while it was hot, there was still a large turnout on the foreshore of San Remo. The bars and restaurants were very accommodating, keeping the food and liquid coming to the thirsty travelers while the bands Ignition, Blackhill Ramblers and Atomic Hitones kept the rockabilly blasting all night.

It was a great prelude to the rest of the weekend which saw Saturday turn out to be hotter still yet the die-hards still turned out in droves while those who preferred the cooler weather held out till Sunday making that day the biggest of the weekend.

Many of those with cars at the event took advantage of the track while others preferred to sit on the side of the track watching the unrehearsed parade while the cacophony of exhaust notes were music to their ears!

Music blasted out across the main pit area all weekend thanks to some great bands such as Flyin’ Saucers and Detonators, just to name a few,  while the tradies were kept busy by those looking to update their rides, clobber, music collection or what ever else was on offer.

  I knew I had had a great weekend when I got home and my wife complained that I smelt of exhaust fumes and I went to bed that night with the sweet sounds of V8 engines singing in my ears! Overall, it was a great weekend and I look forward to getting back there next year!

Twisted Metals’ Landbruiser

While most people who purchase a 4WD look to raising the ride height, the owner of this off road vehicle has gone the opposite way and dropped it on its belly! This 1998 100 Series Toyota Landcruiser has had a whopping 30 inches slashed from its ride height and to add to the challenge, he decided to fit massive 22X 10 inch wide rims on it, shod with Toyo 295/35 tyres. “How did he achieve this feat” I hear you ask?

Well the first step was to find the right chassis to do this and a Toyota Hilux chassis was given the nod with the underside of the ‘Cruiser modified to fit. Then the all essential air bags were fitted seeing 6 inch diameter bags up front while 7 inch bags and a four link rear can be found at the tail end. The next task was to modify the body to enable the huge rims to fit comfortably, so all four arches were enlarged while new larger inner front guards were fabricated, complimented by a smooth firewall and taller, wider rear tubs were constructed from sheet metal and welded in to the rear. Even the inner skins on the rear doors had to be modified to accept the huge Intro V-rod rims! The body mods didn’t just stop there, most external parts were shaved in order to enhance the Landcruiser’s lines including the fuel filler cap which is now located behind the passenger taillight. Neat idea, hey!

  To top off the super smooth body, the whole ride has been coated in the original 100 series maroon and to separate it from the herd (as if it wasn’t already) airbrush work inspired by Darkness comic books have been added.

  The customizing continues into the interior following on from the gruesome graphics on the outside with a corpse looking to escape the clutches of the once standard 4WD and blends in superbly with the cream leather and array of electronics, digital dash, DVD screens and ear splitting hi-fi.

 To see that this beast has momentum and can live up to its fierce looks, a Toyota 1UZ-FE 4.0 liter V8 fits snug in the engine bay topped off by an Eaton supercharger. Spent gasses exit via a custom made (by owner) exhaust system.

You’d have to agree that this definitely bucks the trend when it comes to modified rides and I believe it currently has the title as the lowest Landcruiser in the world! Coool!!

A "Sublime" Nissan

G'day all, here's another amazing creation from the automotive world!

This beautifully created custom ride is known as “Sublime” and is based around an S15 Nissan 200SX.

 In the fully fabricated engine bay sits a Mazda 20B rotary with a massive GT47R turbo charger which should give this green machine an impressive 700 to 750 HP at the rear wheels (Not yet dyno tested). A Supra r154 manual box was considered the best choice for helping to unleash all this horsepower to the rear wheels. The custom touches don’t finish at the immaculately presented interior or wild suicide doors, it also has a ¾ chassis and sheet metal finished undercarriage topped off with huge custom billet wheels!

Costing less than 90K to build and taking only 3 years to complete, I think you’ll agree that full credit must go to the owner and builder of this immaculate import and we look forward to seeing the stats sheet in the future.