Holdens of Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year

Our first running of the Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year has been going off big-time, with hundreds of entrants putting their hand up for a shot at the $2500 cash prize and a stash of Milwaukee gear.

The competition is open to any revheads aged 24 years old or younger with a cool car, and anything is welcome: street machines, hot rods, 4x4s, mini-trucks, burnout weapons, JDM hotties – whatever you’re tinkering with!

Here’s a quick sample of some of the awesome Holden entries we’ve already received, and rest assured, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Entries are still open until 24 June, so if you’re keen to get amongst it, make sure you follow this link here.

OLI GROUNDWATER – 2004 VY ute

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“THIS is my 2004 VY SS ute that I’ve built myself with a hand from a couple of mates, to the point where only the tune was outsourced during the build. It was originally manual, but I’ve swapped that for a fully manualised TH400 with a Shotgun Performance 3500rpm converter. It’s a turbo LS combo now, with Crow Cam valve springs and timing chain, an E85 fuel system, T4 flange exhaust manifolds, Aeroflow intercooler and a custom 2.5-inch exhaust. The car was white, but after I took it to Summernats, we pulled it apart and my brother and I resprayed it in the new colour. You can find out more by looking up The Calais Kids on YouTube.”

DYLAN ORTOLAN – VN Commodore

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“MY V8 manual VN started life as a Highway Patrol car in St Kilda in 1991. I purchased it a few years back in relatively good condition, and managed to get in contact with a Police officer who originally drove the car back in the day. I also tracked down six photos of my car whilst it was in service, so I decided to restore it to the way it was back then. It has all its original police equipment inside and out. I believe my car was one of the first to be originally fitted with the updated chequered Victoria Police decals and lower case lettering.” Instagram: @dylan_ortolan

MIHALI TSIHLAS – HX ute

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“I GOT my 1976 HX ute that was in the build for around four years. I bought it when I first started my mechanics apprenticeship, and it was a long fun build with lots of help from family, friends and especially my Dad. The car originally had a 253, auto and open diff, so we swapped that for a 355 stroker with a mild cam, turbo 400 gearbox and 10 bolt Holden LSD diff. For something that started as a rust bucket we’re really happy with the end result."

BLAKE ATTARD – HJ One Tonner

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“THIS is my 1974 HJ One Tonner. It has a mild 308 V8 with an M21 four-speed manual, but the car was originally a 253 car. I’ve owned it for around three years now, with me and my father working on it as my first classic car build. It was originally white but now it is in Holden Sting Red, and I’ve really enjoyed working on it and driving it.”

JERE SKORIN – HQ Premier

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“HERE’S my 1972 HQ Premier. I bought the car when I was 21 years old, with the thought of building a car like the ones I used to see at Summernats when I was a young tacker. I’ve always had a soft spot for old school muscle cars, so when this car came up for sale I knew it was time. Two years in the build and this is where I am at with the project. The paint and panel have been done by Muscle Car Restorations, who did a killer job with the colour I wanted. The motor is a 427 Dart block, which is also coloured matched to the car to make it stand out. There’s so much more to do, but it’s been a lot of fun so far and I’m looking forward to finishing it.” Instagram: @jereskorin

ETHAN PAY – VS Commodore ute

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“THIS is my 1996 Holden VS 5.0-litre ute, and it was my first car when I turned 17 and earned my red Ps. I found it on Facebook Marketplace in Forbes, NSW for $4000 and it was rough. I spent a few months with my Dad learning what it took to work on and maintain a car to get it roadworthy. I absolutely loved driving this ute, and I even took it to a track day down at Wakefield Park. While I was in Newcastle I got rear ended at a set of lights, which did a fair bit of damage to the back of it. Because of the damage we took the car off the road for a year, and my Dad and I took on all the work to make it what it is today. Now the body is dead straight with no dents, with a fresh coat of Botanica Mica. It had its maiden outing at Summernats 34 earlier this year, and I love the thing.”

JACK KOKLES – Torana

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“I bought my LJ in 2018, actually the day before Christmas! Let’s say it was Christmas for my parents with me in the garage revving my LJ. After I bought the car the 173 died, so I built a 202 with a 12 port head and a four barrel carb and it’s a pretty hot motor. Overall I love the car and try to drive it as much as possible!” Instagram: @Jackxkles

REECE LOUGHER – HZ Sandman

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“I’VE got a genuine 1978 Holden HZ Sandman ute, with a mildly cammed 253 and Supra five-speed conversion. The build took about six to seven months to complete, my Dad and I doing the whole lot.”

BLAYKE PETERSEN - VS Commodore

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“MY VS Commodore was originally a V6, which I’ve swapped to an LS1 with a Harrop supercharger and a full cam kit. The gearbox is a turbo 400, with a shortened diff with billet axles and a mini spool. The rear wheels are 15x8 255s. The whole conversion was done by my Dad and I in our shed, and we are currently building another car with a better engine and supercharger combo.”

TYREE DUPLAIX – VY Commodore

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“THIS is my VY SS, which as you can probably tell is a dedicated skid car. It has a 403-cube LS stroker, with a TH400 gearbox, rear tubs and a shortened VN live axle diff with E85 fuel. The engine bay is shaved, and it has an all new interior. I’m about to wrap it for a fresh look. It’s a well-known car and everyone seems to absolutely love it!” Instagram: @honcho_burnout_car

JAY SCOTT – HX ute

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“I BUILT this 1977 HX Kingswood ute in Mum and Dad’s front yard with family and mates. There were many long nights pumping AC/DC and Chisel while we wrenched away. Almost everything has been rebuilt on the car, with the help of the old-timers’ books and trusty Facebook forums. It has a 308 with L34-spec heads and a Crane cam. The intake manifold is a John Cain port-matched tunnel ram with twin Quick Fuel 450 ram matched carbs. It’s lowered on all four corners, with DBA front disc brakes, and the diff is a 4.44:1 10-bolt Salisbury. It’s a work-in-progress, but I’ve learned a lot of new skills, met a lot of cool people and had amazing memories in the car.”

NATHAN CARUANA – VH Commodore

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“I’D ALWAYS wanted a VH SL/E since I’d seen a blue-over-silver one sitting on the back of a tow truck when I was younger. I finally got my hands on one when I was 20 – a 253 car in white on blue. I SL/E-converted it with a 308 and completely rebuilt it in around two years, with nothing left unchanged except for interior, as it was already flawless.” Instagram: @nathancaruana83

JACOB BAYADA – HT wagon

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“MY1970 HT Kingswood wagon is a very original machine, including the factor 161 six pot and three on the tree! It’s all standard, and it makes for a great cruiser.”

JAIDEN BRAENDLER – LX Torana

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“THIS is my 1978 LX Torana, a 202 Trimatic car. My Dad bought this car in around 2008-ish as something for me to learn basic mechanics on. I have been making plans for this car since the age of about 10, and plan to turn it into an SLR5000 replica. I have a 308 and turbo 700 that I am building for it right now, which I’ll put into the car once I get my full licence.” @jaiden_braendler

JEREMY GULJAS – VL Commodore

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“HERE’S my VL Commodore I’m building as a BT1 mock up. I started the project when I was 15, and it became a full bare metal restoration when I started my panel beating apprenticeship at 16. I’ve tried to do as much of the car myself during the build. I’m 20 years old now, and the car is now painted and I’m in the middle of assembly. I’m having a turbo RB built for it, and I can’t wait to have it finished!”

THOMAS MARTIN – VP Commodore ute

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“I BOUGHT my ute when I was 13 for $400 as a father-son project for my first car. My Dad and I did everything to it, starting off with a lowering kit. It has had full closed door respray and we fitted a genuine VP SS lip kit as part of the bodywork. The driveline is a standard V6, with a side-mount Raptor supercharger too. The gearbox is just the standard T5 manual, and the interior is the original that looks as good as the day if left the factory.”

LOCHLAN ROBINSON – VB Commodore

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“AS A beer drinker, nothing beats a VB! So that's usually what’s covering the floor to about knee height at most rod runs or road trips where I’ll have a car load of my mates hanging out the window, trying to explain to all the caravan park hot rodders that the swags aren't for looks and we’re probably going to camp in the park or the closest creek! Putting miles and smiles is no dramas with the Commodore, as it’s got a cranky 186 that confuses most people for a 253. Other than that, the most I can tell you about the car is that it’s always up for a last minute ‘let's go there!’ adventure and I enjoy it which is what a lot of people forget to do.” Instagram: @loch_robbo

MAISON RUMBLE – VS Commodore ute

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“I BOUGHT this 1996 VS ute when I was 15 with the intention of making it into a fun, basic LS-powered burnout car. As I was pulling the car apart I did get a little carried away and decided that I was going to tub and paint it. The original plan was to put 20x10 rear wheels on it, but I found a cheap set of Weld Alumastar rears in 15x15 and I thought it would be different to have a pro street style VS ute. So from there I cut out the whole rear of the car and hand built new chassis rails, installed a four-link rear with coilovers and a nine-inch diff. Now that all this work has been done to the rear of the car it pushed me to decide to do a full pro street style interior with a sheet metal dash, door cards and Kirkey-style seats. I smoothed the engine bay for the methanol and carby-fed LS1, which’ll be backed up by a TH400 transmission. I’m hoping to have it completed for Street Machine Summernats 35 and it’s on track for that at this stage.” Instagram: @rumble_photography

AIDEN ADAMS – EH Holden

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“THIS Is my 1964 Holden EH, rocking a 179 red motor with a five-speed Supra gearbox.” Instagram: @aidenadams64

SAMUEL CLEMOW – VU ute

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“MY FIRST car I bought at the age of 17 was this VU ute, with an Ecotec and manual ‘box. By the time I was 19 the clutch was dying, so I started saving for a new one then an LS came up for sale for not much more. One thing led to another during the swap, so the bay was completely shaved, the motor was rebuilt and I’ve just been teaching myself everything along the way with help from some good mates.” Instagram: @sam.clemow

BAYLEY STEMP – LX Torana

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“MY DAD bought me this LX SL Torana in 2013 when I was 14. Ever since we have been building it ground up as a SL/R tribute. It’s a factory 253, Aussie four-speed combo. It’s been a full nut and bolt resto, with a full bare metal respray in Panama Green. We only just finished the build with my old man at our family owned mechanics business, Penrith Steering Service. The wheels are genuine V5 Simmons, 15x12 on the rear with 345 tyres.” Instagram: @Stemps.torana

TIM SHEIL – HQ Kingswood

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“MY DAD and I built this 1971 HQ Kingswood in the shed, doing everything ourselves. We mini-tubbed it and fitted a custom sheet-metal tunnel to get it nice and low. It has a nine-inch diff with coil-overs and adjustable four-link arms. We’ve upgraded to Wilwood brakes all ’round, tubular control arms and coil-overs up front. It’s running an LS1 with a carby on it to make it look old-school. She’s a bit rough on the outside, but it’s brand new underneath and it gets used hard at the drags and burnout comps!” Instagram: @timmysheils

BRAYDON CROCKETT – VL Commodore

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“THIS is my 1986 Holden VL commodore, with a turbo RB30. The engine is cammed, with a GT35 turbo, 1000cc Bosch injectors, Link ECU, bags all ‘round and 20-inch five spoke Simmons. It has the VL turbo manual gearbox, a full leather interior and of course the Walkinshaw ‘kit.” TikTok: @Braydoncrockett

BEN LEE-MADGWICK – VX Commodore

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“A FEW years ago I pulled a beat up 2002 VX SS Commodore out of a paddock worth $1000, which is a funny thing to think about today. I decided to use it to build my dream car, putting a cam in the LS1 and a methanol carb on it. We took it to a couple of burnout days and then to Sydney Powercruise. After that we rebuilt the motor with a new crank, rods, piston and cam. It also got a Holley Hi ram intake with twin methanol 850 carbs. During that we also shaved the engine bay, fixed the fried rear quarters and tubbed the car.” Instagram: @Madg-2610

SIENNA GIANNAULA – VK Calais

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“I LEFT school at a young age due to being bullied, and needed something to motivate me. So at the age of 14, I purchased my dream car – a VK Calais! – as a rolling shell. I slowly built the car with my dad, finally completing it when I was 18, which was just in time for my licence. We rebuilt the original 308 and put in a VL Turbo diff, along with a new interior with Scheel seats. The car brings me so much happiness!” Instagram: @siennagiannaula