POWER AND GLORY

KEVIN MANTACH’S ’50 CHEV COULD HAVE BECOME A SWEET CUSTOM SLED, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT’S NOT HIS STYLE

- BORIS VISKOVIC

ONE of the biggest hits at Street Machine Summernats 33 was Kevin and Jo Mantach’s army-themed ’50 Chevy coupe – partially because it was completely different to anything else at the event, but also because it is an exceedingly cool build with a tonne of clever touches and design features. While the prevailing trend of burnout car builds over the past few years has been turning the newest car you can find into a tyre-destroyer, Kev has flipped that on its head with one of the earliest cars built to this level.

While all manner of cars have been built over the years with an army theme, more often than not they have USA markings – a white star on the door, for instance – but not this time. Instead, Kev’s inspiration comes from his dad’s service in Vietnam with the Australian Army, so there’s a kangaroo roundel on the door, and emblazoned on the rear guards is his dad’s dog-tag number. The finish makes the car look like a battle-weary veteran that’s been dragged out of the jungle, with flaking and faded olive-drab paint and weathered markings, but it’s actually a very cleverly designed wrap by Ben and his team at SignBiz WA.

Of course, you can’t just chuck in a big engine and slap a wrap over a beat-up old car and call it done, and that’s most definitely not what happened here. The entire car was built by Geoff and Lauren Black, the father/daughter team that make up Black Magic Race Cars (BMRC). According to the more senior Blacky, “nothing is a problem; there are only solutions, my friend.” The car is proof of that, with many challenges faced and overcome.