10 OF THE BEST

AS STREET MACHINE SUMMERNATS 34 APPROACHES, LET’S LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST INCREDIBLE 10 YEARS OF THE WORLD’S BEST CAR FESTIVAL

- SIMON TELFORD

HAVE you ever got home from shopping for a barbecue at your place and wondered if you’ve bought too many snags? Sure, 30 people have said on Facebook that they’re coming, but how many will actually turn up? If you’ve ever felt that pang of pre-party anxiety, imagine how Chic Henry must have felt the night before the very first Street Machine Summernats back in 1988.

As you’ll read in our Legend piece on page 26, Chic invested big time in that first event, but it paid off handsomely, with almost 2000 entrants storming the nation’s capital to be a part of that first ’Nats.

And they’ve been coming in droves ever since. The event has changed with the times – as it must – but it’s hard not to look back on the early days with some nostalgia. So with that in mind, we’ve dug through the archives to give you a taste of the first 10 years of Street Machine Summernats.

1988 SUMMERNATS 1

WHAT a way to start. Over 2000 entrants, a brand new burnout pad and 50,000 punters.

The results list saw Rex Webster’s FJ and the Queensland pro street Commodores of Rob Beauchamp and Greg Carlson fighting it out for the top gongs.

1989 SUMMERNATS 2

ROBBIE Beauchamp dominated the judging charts again at ’Nats ’89, but a bloke by the name of Howard Astill was making his presence felt, with his ‘Rock Solid’ Falcon scoring a swag of tinware including Top Engineering and Entrants’ Choice.