AXE GRINDER

STEPHEN 'HOT AXE' WILSON BUILT SOME INCREDIBLE CUSTOMS IN AN ERA WHEN SUCH THINGS WERE CELEBRATED RATHER THAN SCORNED — INCLUDING HIS ICONIC HT VAN/HK MONARO MASH—UP, HUNCHBACK

- SIMON MAJOR

THE Australian custom mindset of the late 1950s and 60s carried over into the styling of the panel vans and street machines built in the 1970s and early 80s. Hot-car people of those eras weren’t afraid to let their imaginations run wild, chopping and changing cars that were often less than a decade old and still plentiful as daily drivers. There was no concept of ‘wrecking a classic’ back then. Stephen Wilson was front and centre for all of this action and has numerous builds to his credit, but his wild custom Monaro panel van dubbed Hunchback is the stuff of legend.

What sparked your interest in cars?

I used to go to hot rod shows with my older brother, Rowan, at Roselands in Sydney in the 60s and 70s. I’d come home from those shows and my mind would be bubbling over with creativity and wild ideas. In my late teens I started doing airbrushed mural work as a side gig while doing my painting and panel beating apprenticeship. I’ve always admired Frank Lee (SM, Jun ’15) and the mural work he created, and would rate him as Australia’s best.

What sort of cars inspired you as a young bloke?