THE BIG SHOW

STREET MACHINE SUMMERNATS 37 WAS A RECORDBUSTER THAT HERALDED A VIBRANT NEW ERA FOR AUSTRALIA'S FAVOURITE FOUR-DAY FESTIVAL

- LIAM QUIRK

IT'S long been an Australian cultural icon, and the 37th edition of Street Machine Summernats 37 proved why. A bumper crowd of over 130,000 spectators filled Exhibition Park in Canberra, all eager to see 2500 of the country's coolest custom cars lap the complex, fill the Top 60 Hall, attack the hallowed burnout pad and compete for Grand Champion.

"By far and away, and by every metric, Summernats 37 was the best event we've ever run," beamed 'Nats co-owner Andy Lopez. "There wasn't one single thing that contributed to this success; it's a community effort. Summernats is a big event to deliver, with lots of stakeholders, but some of the biggest changes this year were based on feedback we received from our entrants and spectators.

"We identified a number of things we could do to improve people's Summernats experience. We got scrutineering time down to as little as 30 minutes, and our new security contractor was outstanding - they understood the brief and really respected the event. Combined with the support from ACT Police, the security presence was visible, professional and welcoming."

Formalities kicked into gear on Thursday night with the Meguiar's Great Uncover. The Top 60 Hall was dotted with over 20 brand-new builds waiting to break cover. "Every year, the Top 60 Hall is full of great-quality cars, but this year in particular, every car was outstanding," gushed Summernats Chief Judge Owen Webb.

The creations unveiled in 2025 continued a trend in recent years away from purely static show cars in favour of insanely well-crafted rides built with street driving in mind.