Highlights of Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year

Jun 01, 2023

We've been blown away by the entries in our first-ever Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year — not only in terms of numbers, but in variety and quality.

While plenty of next-generation car builders have submitted Holden, Ford and Mopar toughies, there's also a massive contingent of metal from Japan, Europe, America, and just about anywhere else you can poke a stick at. So without further ado, enjoy a highlight reel of twenty more YSMOTY contenders!

STEFANO RAIMONDO

"My 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is a factory SS, optioned with a 396 big-block, four-speed, rare factory cowl and fold-down rear seat. It's currently running a 350ci SBC and T400 auto."

LACHLAN MATTNER

"I purchased my 1993 R33 Skyline in 2019 as a roller. I spent 12 months with Dad putting an LS1/T56 combo in and making it purpose-built for drifting. There's a Moroso sump and accumulator, Astra power steering, dual calipers, AGI rollcage, all new suspension components, and new paint. Between Dad and I we did everything except for the wheel alignment. I drove it from Townsville to Brisbane for my first real drift event, doing both days at Spring Matsuri 2020 with no issues and driving it back onto the trailer."

CHRIS ROBERTS

"I picked up my 1980 KE55 Corolla before I got my licence, and with some help have learned how to do everything involved with turning a tired old economy car into my own interpretation of a period street machine, doing as much as I can on the car myself to save money whilst going through high school and uni. I've tried to keep with as many old period parts as I can, such as parcel shelf speakers, period Japanese wheels and twin sidedraft carburettors.

I’ve kept most of the original running gear and interior so I can enjoy what cruising was like in the ‘70s. I love road tripping in this car and bringing a smile to the faces of people who see it and remember it from their first car."

BRAYDEN WOLL

"Here is my 2000 Toyota HiLux. The car is my dream build. Mods include a custom widebody, custom front guards, Work wheels, four-link rear end with notched chassis rails and Panhard bar, turbo conversion, custom three-inch stainless exhaust, custom centre bearing and gearbox crossmembers, tubbed firewall to allow the wheels to turn, coilovers all round, and a custom Mazda 3 MPS brake conversion. The car is still in the build but hopefully will be done for YSMOTY next year!"

LOCHLAN CHANCELLOR

"My Beetle was built in 24 months in a carport, getting a ground-up nut and bolt restoration. It never left the house, with all work done ourselves besides engine machining and upholstery. It's running a 1640cc motor with twin carbs and a big cam. It's a cool, low and loud cruiser to take into the city on a Friday night with the boys or to Sunday breakfast with the missus. Up front is a narrow front beam and out back are fat rear tyres. The interior matches the colour of the car. Summernats 33 was my second-ever Summernats and first in this car."

BRAD MITCHELL

"I bought LN65 HiLux a couple months before my 18th, got it all roadied and just drove it around and then stupidly put it on its lid! I’ve rebuilt it from the ground up. I bought the cab already painted, but every nut and bolt in the engine was undone and everything painted. It took three months to get her back on the road, but from here on it's nothing but moving forward and good times."

NAVALA WILSON

"My 1987 Volvo 740 Turbo nearly ended up on a one-way trip to China but luckily I saved her. I needed a daily driver so I set about cleaning it up. I stripped everything and painted it in Brandywine Candy, which was a horrible choice considering it was my first time behind the gun!

I rebuilt the top end of the motor with a ported head and larger cam on the 8v B230FT, and put a slightly larger turbo on it. She makes enough power to break traction which was enough for a 17-year-old at the time, and with 9.5-inch wide tyres, Bilstein shocks, Koni springs and a few other mods, she handles like a go-kart."

CHARLIE WELLINGTON

"My newest project! I saw this 1979 Datsun Stanza on Facebook Marketplace and instantly knew I needed it. So my mates and I drove five-and-a-half hours to Canberra and I drove it home. It was a wild drive, I'll tell you, but sure worth it. I'm going old-school on this, 80s street machine style!"

MAX IOANNIDIS

"When I was 18 and had just graduated from high school I was working at a chicken shop and just saving money away, but I didn't really know what I wanted to buy. After seeing Billy Madison I thought there wouldn't be anything cooler to drive around when I went to university than a car with a big screaming chicken on the hood. So I bought my Trans Am!"

KYLE MULRINE

"I started this build when I was 20 years old. It was completed and unveiled at the World Time Attack Challenge on April 2nd, 2022. I did everything myself besides the paint! It's a turbo widebody fastback 1996 Mazda MX5 on E85, and truly my pride and joy!"

AARON WERTH

"My 180SX started out as an empty shell and has gone through a few significant stages in the build. It currently has a built 2JZ-GE making a reliable 600hp through a TR6060. Support from some great companies coming on board this year has allowed me to take the car to the next level and enter the Queensland competitive drifting scene."

ETHAN ELLUL

"I’ve had my 1984 Toyota Corona ST141 CSX for nearly two years. I bought it cheap and it is the top of the range for the Corona. It has a five-speed manual gearbox, a/c and power steering, and a disc brake rear end all from the factory. I’ve swapped the original 2-SC motor out and put in a freshly rebuilt 2-AC from another Corona, which I painted blue to match the interior. I have also resprayed the bonnet, guards and front bumper."

LEWIS CROMEY

"I sold my first true love (a ‘64 XM ute) to import this ‘59 Parkwood. It's just a cool old 60s-style survivor car from Utah. It's 100% garage-built by me and Dad to be driven and loved. I’m a pinstriper from Perth who has a love for an era I was never around to see. May all these old cars entered in YSMOTY live on for generations to come!"

ALLESSANDRO IUNIUS

"The almighty 1984 Mazda RX7 Series 3! The car started off as a shell, and we decided to do a mockup version of the Allan Moffat race car, but with a livery from the 24hr race in America. It's been fully rebuilt inside and out, including overhauling the 12A motor and bridgeporting and injecting it."

ADRIAN LAUTIER

"Hi! I’m Adrian from Sydney! This here is my 2009 Toyota Crown Majesta 4.6 Litre 1UR-FSE G-Type with a Modelista bodykit, imported straight From Japan. Toyota produced approximately 7000 of these cars, and only 400 of them with this paint. It features a beautiful and comfortable interior with recliners, a wine bottle holder, air conditioned seats — you name it! There are a few more mods I’d like to do to my car including aftermarket airbags, a new set of wheels and a few underbonnet mods. Good luck to everybody else and their awesome builds!"

CASEY NITSCHKE

"In September of last year, a beautiful 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air appeared for sale online. After a few phone calls my dad and I made the trip to Brisbane to check out this beast with a matte black paint job and a 350 V8 perfect for cruising the streets. When I laid eyes on the car in person I knew I couldn't resist, especially with the shining chrome and rumble of that 350 when I first heard it start up. Later I found that good friends of my parents owned the car a few years ago and did the majority of the mechanical and paint work before it was sold on. The car is sentimental as their friend passed away after medical complications. A few weeks ago we traveled up to Gladstone and bought a wrecked 1960 Impala from which we were able to source some parts. I hope to keep reviving the car over the coming years, fixing the original mechanical and cosmetic components whilst adding a few customisations of my own! For now I am just enjoying cruising it as I got my open license in March."

DYLAN MALLIA

"This is my 1980 Datsun B310 wagon I have had since I was 18. It's been my first real project car and I also daily drive it. It's a bit of a rough old girl with some rust and dents and even loose wiring, but I have learned so much on it. I bought it back in mid-2019 as a completely stock standard car with a lot of issues. It has over 400,000kms on the original body.

Over the last few years I've been learning how keep it putting along, also modifying it in the process. Since I purchased it I have put in a combination of Silvia and aftermarket Datsun front suspension, and also converted it to five-stud to fit some Falcon snowflakes, as I've always loved that wheel.

Motor-wise it's pretty standard aside from the exhaust, cam, and MSD ignition. I still have a lot more planed for it and I will eventually get around to fixing the rust and dents, but I love it in a way because you can tell by the patina this car has a story, and I'd love to share more about it to others."

JACOB BAGNATO

"I bought this car three years ago for $1000 off Gumtree aged 13. I had sold my Standard Saloon speedway car because I wanted to learn how to drift. It's a BMW E46 318i with an M43 four-cylinder. The car has BC Racing coilovers all 'round, an SLRspeed ultra angle kit, and a welded diff. I have bought a M52TU six-cylinder engine to swap into it and down the track it will be turbocharged."

NIC HAGGETT

"This is my 1266hp 1996 Toyota Supra, entirely home-built as a massive project for myself and my old man. After riding in a big-HP Supra when I was nine years old, I fell in love and had to have my own! I started out at 16 with an N/A Supra, but one thing led to another and the boost bug got me. I bought an RZ Supra and that's where the fun began.

Under the bonnet is a shaved engine bay and wire tuck, housing a fully home-built 2JZ-GTE with a rather large Precision snail strapped to the side of it. I wanted to be a touch different to your regular street-strip Supras, so sitting behind the J is a Samsonas sequential gearbox. The car is also riddled with Haltech components. Late last year we decided to go the full Texas-style, so we tasked ourself with rollcage fabricating.

Although it was a challenging job it turned out immaculate! With the inclusion of the updated Alcantara dash pillars and glove boxes, this ‘Texas’ look also included some Weld Wheels. The car sees plenty of time at events like roll racing and is currently being teched, so it should see the 'strip late this year or early next year to finally run a time and do what it was built for!

It has been a dream come true. The most satisfying part is that it's a backyard build. I have made some amazing mates and some extremely close friendships through this car! It has been a blast from the start."

COOPER PURCELL

"This is my 1982 GJ Mitsubishi Sigma with a old-school Holden 253 and built Trimatic. It was sanded back which created a cool effect, so I painted the bottom half black and clearcoated the rest. I decided I loved the rat rod look and wanted to be different!" It took me two years to build from scratch, starting with a shell."

Jack snagged his dream internship in 2019, helping out around the traps at Street Machine. We snapped him up after he finished his media degree later that year, and since then he's done a bit of everything.