Video: Slammed HD ute versus pro street LJ Torana

Funny thing, these COVID-y times we’re living in. For all the seriously bad stuff going on, there are some interesting positive by-products as well. For example, I’ve been seeing packs of pre-teen kids getting around my local area on BMX bikes at levels I haven’t witnessed since the 1980s. After months stuck inside doing home schooling, it seems these young ’uns have rediscovered the simple joys of racing around outside with their mates.

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The Lloyd 600 is a rare piece of Aussie motoring history, but that didn't stop Scott and Chad from cutting this one up and beating on it mercilessly!

So too with this year’s Milwaukee Street Machine of the Year competition. In a regular year, you’ll often see the contenders getting their rides out to as many events as possible, so they can spread the word and grab some extra votes. After all, there is a lot at stake – not only is Street Machine of the Year the most prestigious award in our sport, it comes with a $20,000 prize.

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Louis's LJ has come a long way since Drag Challenge in 2015, where it competed with a nitrous small block

With a few exceptions, COVID has put the brakes on most of that kind of thing, so we thought we’d get this year’s 16 finalists together for a series of Zoom interviews, two at a time. And while we’d much rather be checking out the cars in the metal, the project has added a whole new dimension to SMOTY by allowing each contender to give their car’s back-story straight to the voters.

We’ve been really enjoying these chats, and we hope you will too!

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For those that doubt that Louis will drive his LJ on the street, please consider how much street time his blown six-pot LC has seen over the years!

Our first pairing consists of two Holdens, both built in Sydney by passionate enthusiasts. But aside from that, Chad Ribbons’s HR and Louis Youinis’s LJ couldn’t be more different. One is low, slow and built on a tight budget; the other is a crazy pro streeter with a stack of horsepower and attitude to burn. Enjoy!

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Besides being Holden guys, what Louis and Chad have in common is that they were both brought up by car-crazy dads. The late Scott Ribbons built a stack of fun cars over the years and was always a great guy to chat with