JUST when you thought you had seen every possible combination in a firstgen Commodore, Danny Landsdowne and the boys from Brisbane’s Spot On Performance knock it out of the park with this 9000rpm, 2JZ-powered VL wagon.
“This car kind of chose me,” Danny begins. “It started years ago when a mate had this VL wagon and then bought a 2J and lost interest in the whole deal. We got it going with just a set of mini-tubs in it and a six-point ’cage, back in the days of Modified Street rules and racing.”
The VL was a quick car for that time, running into the mid-sevens on a 10.5-inch tyre. Then, when X275 Radial became the next big thing in drag racing, Danny campaigned the car in that class.
“We could run 5.50s all day on radials,” Danny recalls. “We were not so much interested in chasing round wins as having fun, so if we couldn’t run to the index, we’d just crank it up and run 5.20s. Unfortunately, X275 finished, so we went to Jambo and Kenda events, eventually running a best of 4.83 to the eighth at 3180lb, and 7.50 over the quarter at 185mph.”
The wagon was a handful, and loved to wheelie; eventually, it went into the wall at Sydney Dragway. The Spot On crew took that as a sign to step back and reassess the car, as it was getting dangerous at those speeds with just a six-point rollcage.
“I took the car home, cut the whole lot out except for the sills, roof and quarters and bolted it to a chassis table,” Danny says. “I bought the Tim McAmis plans for building a 25.5 car and adjusted the bar sizes to suit the VL. It was pretty easy, as they give you the bar lengths and angles and off you go.”
Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
ANIKA HODGES
THE CAR DROVE INTO OUR SHED AS A CREAM 202CI VC AND DROVE OUT AS A SILVER CAR WITH A 355 V8
STAGE FRIGHT
IT TOOK OWEN SCOTT MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BUILD A TROPHY-WINING, 600HP EH HOLDEN UTE THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
HARDWOOD ROD & CUSTOM TURNS DARREN ISON'S HAND-ME-DOWN HT INTO A SMOOTH OPERATOR
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 36 YEARS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS - AND MOST DEMOCRATICALLY AWARDED - HONOUR IN OUR SPORT: STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR
OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE IS ALREADY A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME, BUT WHAT CAR EVENT CAN'T BE MADE EVEN BETTER BY ADDING A BURNOUT COMP? INTRODUCING OUR INAUGURAL RODS OUT!
BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
