Immaculate LS1 Hot Rod

Pics by Scott Paddy

 As a kid, there is always that one model of car that just stands out, that model of car that makes you tell yourself ‘when I grow up I’m going to have one of those.’

While most of us never get to actually realise this dream, Brendon English stuck to his guns and when the little kid turned in to a big one, he bought himself the car he always wanted.

“I remember going to the second Summernats when I was a kid” says Brendon. “I got photos taken in front of a ’34 coupe and it just stuck in my head. Ever since then I have wanted one, they are just the iconic Hot Rod.”

This lust lingered for almost 20-years, resurfacing when a friend of Brendon’s abandoned his ’34 coupe mid-build.

As the coupe was purchased mid build, the LS1 and 4L60-E gearbox out of a VZ Commodore were already in place.

Added to this was a tougher cam and one of Harrop’s gorgeous Hurricane ITB intake manifolds to help the modern V8 breath.

The coupe’s chassis came fitted with a great suspension setup supplied by Rodtech and a fresh fibreglass body sitting temporarily on top, with trim, bodywork and paint all that was needed to get Brendon behind the wheel of his dream car.

Jeff at All Trim is known for some pretty pretty detailed work and he absolutely went to town on the ’34, creating a completely custom interior with modern touches like the Dakota Digital dash and power windows slotted neatly into the sea of gorgeous ochre leather.

Next stop was Warren at Wazrodz for the final bodywork and paint. The front guards and running boards weere modified to continue the beautiful lines of the ’34 back to the 70mm wider rear guards while the undercarriage was neatened up with the installation of an insulated and smoothed out floor.

 “I have a lot of respect for Warren” says Brendon. “He did an awesome job and let me work alongside him in the workshop. How many hot rod builders do you know that will let you do that?”

With his dream finally becoming a reality, Brendon has been enjoying the ’34 every chance he gets, debuting it at the Meguiar’s Motorex.

 “I really want to take it to Summernats and enter it in all the events” he says. “I’ve been toying around with the idea of putting it in the burnout comp although everyone, including my wife, seems to be dead against the idea.”

Laughing he says “I’ll get it down there and see what happens.” Whatever he decides to do with the car, it would be hard not to enjoy yourself sitting in such a mean looking coupe, especially when you have waited over 20 years for the privilege. As one of the few people to actually own their dream car, Brendon is living the dream for all of us and we say good luck to him.