AUTO EROTICA

BENNY GATT’S LINCOLN ZEPHYR IS JUST AS GORGEOUS TODAY AS IT WAS ON DEBUT AT SUMMERNATS IN 2003

- CRAIG PARKER

SUMMERNATS 16 in 2003 was a massive one, with legendary names like Hadfield, Fitzpatrick, Ostric, Course, Lawry and Grima dominating that year’s Elite awards. However, Benny Gatt’s incredible custom Lincoln Zephyr beat them all out for the coveted People’s Choice gong.

“I won Top Custom, took out second Special Effects Paint and made it into the Top 20, but winning People’s Choice was very special,” Benny says today. “It means the most to me because the entrants and spectators vote for it; it’s one of my favourite trophies.”

Over the past 17 years, this radical, belly-scraping custom has picked up a host of tinware and has been to just about every corner of the country – even on a boat over to Tassie. It also caught legendary US customiser George Barris’s eye when Benny brought it out for MotorEx Sydney in 2015. Not bad for a dyed-in-the wool drag racer – Benny holds ANDRA licence #25 and recently celebrated 50 years in the sport.

What’s even more impressive is that his Lincoln, fittingly dubbed DUMPED, was built to a show-winning standard in just under 11 months. It was an incredible effort by a dedicated crew, as the body came without a chassis, driveline, dash or interior!

The car’s first stop was with Terry Wood at Camden County Customs, where a 1954 Customline chassis was prepared. The rear leaf springs remained, minus a few leaves, with a pair of control arms to keep it centred. Up front they went for a Jaguar double A-arm with power rack-and-pinion steering. The external shock design of the Jag front made it a natural fit for airbags.