BACK when the term ‘retrotech’ was first coined, it basically meant bolting an injected five-litre and overdrive auto into your Torana and calling it a day. But OEM power train tech has evolved tenfold in the years since, and the aftermarket has done a stellar job keeping pace, too.
These days, a street machine built in the retrotech style can boast four-digit horsepower figures, clockwork reliability, impeccable street manners, modern suspension and braking systems, and all the comforts of home. With all that in mind, Rocky Sarkis’s LH Torana stands as a top-shelf example of just how good a modern street car can be.
Powered by a 388ci Dart LS force-fed by a BorgWarner S480 snail, it can be turned up to deliver a projected 1000-plus horses at the treads on pump fuel, or toned down to be a perfectly approachable cruiser.
It has a Rod Shop IFS front end with tubular arms, modern geometry and adjustable coil-over suspension, and it’s a similar story out back. There are sizeable disc brakes all ’round, large-diameter wheels with meaty 285-wide rubber, and when you jump inside, it’s like rocking up to a five-star hotel.
The LH was built in consultation with an engineer, and has been finished to such an exacting standard that it picked up a spot in the Elite Hall and the Judges’ Choice award on debut at Street Machine Summernats 35, if you don’t mind. Such things are possible when you assemble a dream team that includes gurus like ProFlo Performance, Custom Bodyworks and Inside Rides. “They’re all actually mates from when we were young,” says Rocky. “It’s good to know the right people.”
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de Street Machine Australia.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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ROYAL CARRIAGE
BENNY ROYAL TOOK A FAMILY HEIRLOOM TOYOTA CORONA, SHOVED A 1JZ IN IT AND HEADED OFF FOR FIVE DAYS OF DRAG-AND-DRIVE
DEBUT TOUR
WITH A SCREAMING HOLDEN SIX, DEAN TROUNSON'S HOME-COOKED HR STEERS WITH THE BEST OF 'EM
FULLY FRANKED
A SNEAKY 670 HORSES OF FRANK MARCHESE POWER MAKES ROB GORGIEVSKI'S CONCOURS XW A PROPER TREAT
NOMADIC LIFESTYLE
DON'T BE FOOLED BY ITS DEMURE APPEARANCE THIS '57 CHEVY NOMAD IS A RAUNCHY RESTOMOD PACKING MODERN MUMBO
PERFECT 10 '!!!!
THE SYDNEY HOT ROD & CUSTOM AUTO EXPO TURNS 10
VAN WILDER
PETER MARRIOTT BUILT THIS TOUGH, 350 CHEV-POWERED HK PANEL VAN IN TRIBUTE TO THE LONG-LOST HT VAN OF HIS YOUTH
EXPRESS DELIVERY
IF YOU'VE ever been to the Bright Rod Run (and you damn well should've), odds are you've seen Joel Beatson lapping in an early Falcon.
RED HOT & BLUE
A REBORN PROGM8 SHOOTS FOR THE TITLE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST SHOW-AND-GO COMMODORE
PEOPLE LIKE US
WHEN Michael Gonzalez isn't busy making eight-second passes in CHOCTOP, his street-driven, LSA-fed VC Commodore, or cruising one of the many other cars in his collection, he can be found managing Springmount Raceway, home to Far North Queensland's biggest horsepower hoedown, Northern Nats (see p. 48 for full feature).
DRIVING INNOVATION
EVER WISH YOU COULD HAVE A BRAND-NEW VERSION OF AN ICONIC 1970s AUSSIE MUSCLE CAR, FULL OF THE LATEST TECH? DRIVE SOUTH IS WORKING TO MAKE THAT A REALITY