Hidden Agenda

Jono Clark Likes Old-school Cool, but He Loves Horsepower Even More

- Boris Viskovic

I DON’T know about you guys and girls, but whenever I see an old ute done up I automatically walk over for a closer look. I’m always curious to see how well these ageing workhorses have held up after so many years of use – and quite often abuse.

More often than not a peek in the tray area gives you a pretty good indication as to how many bales of hay, engine blocks and lumps of wood the old girl has carted in her life.

That’s pretty much what went through my head when I spied Jono Clark’s XP ute at Motorvation 31. In the late-afternoon light, the turquoise blue paint had a lovely soft glow and the white steelies and sun visor suggested this was just a laidback cruiser. As I strolled closer I noticed the widened rims, and when I peeked in the back I saw the flat floor and tubs. Hmmm, something’s going on here. A quick look underneath revealed a nine-inch with a McDonald Brothers four-link and QA1 coil-overs.

I dusted myself off and headed towards the front to check out what was under the already popped bonnet, quickly glancing at the interior on the way and noticing the split-bench seat covered in white vinyl and a matching white steering wheel of the factory kind. At this point it was still looking like a 60s cruiser – then I got to the engine bay and had one of those ‘Holy shit!’ moments.