WHEN drag racing legend Ben Gatt was told his family’s 1968 XT Fairmont was available for sale, he had to have it. The old Ford held too many memories, and he knew exactly what his dad, Paolo (Paul), had desperately wanted to do with the car back in the day. Once he had this family treasure under his care, Ben and some trusted mates rebuilt it over 15 months or so, transforming Mum and Dad’s old XT into a very neat streeter, just like his old man would have wanted.
I’ve known Benny for a good number of years, and jumped at the opportunity to photograph the car. He had the perfect location in mind; we were off to the Gatts’ old family home at Fairfield Heights, Sydney – in Benny’s parents’ old car no less, now completely restored.
Heading towards the old stomping ground, the Ford’s exhaust let out a gorgeous burble when Benny backed off the gas, and a decent dose of mumbo when the loud pedal was activated. On these western Sydney tracks – sorry, roads – the ride was smooth, helped, no doubt, by the seats, but you could feel the XT’s tyres were planted firmly on the tarmac.
“Dad always reverse-parked in the drive, so I will too,” Ben said as we pulled up outside the old home. The traffic made this manoeuvre something of a chore, and Ben needed his daily spinach sandwich to complete the task, as the Ford has no power steering.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra August 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.
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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