INFINITY AND BEYOND

IN THE 1990S, CARMINE CAROFANO’S SLICK HQ STATESMAN WAS A WEAPONS-GRADE TROPHY MAGNET

- CRAIG PARKER

THE early 90s saw the Australian show car scene evolve dramatically. The top trophy winners went from being essentially restored cars with nice paint, lashings of chrome and maybe a retrimmed interior to full-blown show cars. This new direction saw huge hours invested into smoothing out all those mass-production blemishes while adding a ton of refinement and detail.

Carmine Carofano’s ultra-slick 1973 HQ Statesman, INFINITY (SM, Jul-Aug ’93), was one of the leaders of this new school of super-detailed, super-smooth rotisserie builds, a style that still proliferates today. There’s not a burr, spot weld or daggy edge to be found.

The Stato started life as a factory 350 Chev model. The original engine was replaced by a far healthier 350 thanks to the work of John Sawka. It was also beautifully detailed, with Carmine’s brother Davide spending around 60 hours grinding the block smooth.