PROGM-8, Australia's Most Awarded Holden Commodore

“I’ve never stopped loving this car, I’ve always worked on making it better. Building cars can be testing, but I still love the VH,” concedes Frank.

A fixture on the Melbourne show car scene for decades, in the early-2000s PROGM-8 rolled around as a standard body, untubbed and insanely detailed blue VH SL/E. The tan trim was there, and under the bonnet was a stove-hot 355 stroker built by legendary Victorian engine builder Eugene from Flowcraft.

Frank’s passion for big V8 engines has carried over into the latest build, which boasts a 440-cube LS engine, built using a DART LS NEXT block. “I just wanted to build something big!” smirks Frank. “It’s got All Pro cylinder heads and their two-piece manifold, a Dailey Engineering dry sump and it revs to over 8000rpm!”

The 440-cube LS is fuel injected, but during their time on the engine dyno he and the team discovered a small issue with the mega-cube small block that was robbing them of power. “It would roll over at 7,500rpm and then we discovered the pushrods were rubbing on the rocker stands. We fixed that and installed the engine in to the car, and on the hub dyno it went all the way past 8,000rpm with a full exhaust on it!” Frank grins.

As part of the last build, the VH’s monocoque Commodore body was treated to a full chassis, custom floor pan, giant rear wheel tubs and a four-link. “It’s basically a race car,” adds Frank, hinting at the car’s future.

The timeless tan Scheel-based trim is still there, granted with some modern revisions like a custom flat centre console. So too the car’s iconic Simmons wheels - though these days they’re measuring a healthier 22in in diameter and have been colour-coded the same delectable PPG blue as the rest of the car.

After achieving a Top Three finish in the running for Grand Champion at Summernats 35, Frank backed it up with a Super Six Award at MotorEx 2023, sealing the VH’s status as one of the most legendary Commodore builds of all time.

Frank is adamant that the car’s show days are behind it. “It’s a street car again, now - granted, one we’ll race when I can be bothered to set it up for the track. It’s got plenty of power, making around 900hp at the engine, but in terms of times we won’t know until we run it,” he says in closing.