WE'VE all got stories about meeting our heroes, and they often end badly. But Rob Gorgievski picked the right kind of hero in Frank Marchese, coming away with an enduring friendship and a bigpower, show-quality XW Falcon to boot.
In fact, this juicy GT replica began as Frank's personal project. "I bought the shell during COVID as a project from the back of a shed," he explains. "The car had been used as a donor over the past 20 years." Despite its pillaged status, what remained was straight and dry, offering a perfect blank canvas.
Meanwhile, Rob was on the hunt for a Candy Apple Red XW. "I actually found a completed car in Melbourne a few years back, but the owner wasn't interested in selling it," he says.
"I thought, 'We'll do it ourselves with our own driveline and tweaks."" In a little slice of destiny, Joe Gauci of Profab Motorsport Fabrications had caught wind of Frank's project and tipped off Rob.
"I called Frank just shy of two years ago and flew down to Melbourne," Rob says. "He picked us up from the airport and I was a bit starstruck being next to him; I've idolised the guy since I was little! The car was in primer at that stage, and he was going to restore it to factory specs with a 351, Top Loader and black interior."
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra July 2024-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