NATHAN Sutherland’s formerly green KILLASET VK Commodore has been a familiar sight in top-tier burnout events around the country for years now, but during a COVID-induced break from competition, he decided to give the car a makeover.

“I actually really hate green,” Nathan laughs. “I got the car in two-tone green, and we kind of just kept it green until we decided to finally repaint it around two months ago.”

The new colour was laid down by Dan’s Custom Painting, Nathan opting for a striking purple candy, and even if the future repair bills cost a bit more, it’ll be worth it. “I wanted something that would stand out a bit more and get noticed, which is why we went with the candy,” he says. “I wasn’t sure we’d get it done in time for Red CentreNATS, but we got here on Tuesday, so we managed.”

Nathan was keen to debut the new colour at Red CentreNATS having road-tripped from Canberra to the Alice Springs-based automotive extravaganza for the past three years. Despite COVID restrictions and hot spots adding some extra distance to get to the Red Centre this year, Nathan didn’t let it faze him. “We had to go through Broken Hill to avoid Victoria, so it added probably another 600-700km, but I just love road trips,” he says. “It’s a great event; I’ve always loved coming here.”

While the outside of the car has had a birthday, the blown and injected LQ9 LS wearing a Blower Drive Service 8/71 blower remains largely unchanged, having proved a super-reliable package for Nathan over the years. “I’m not sure how much power it makes,” he says. “We just pad-tune it and it has been fine.”

This will be the first time Nathan has hit the pad since the Wildcard Shootout at Street Machine Summernats earlier this year, and he only has one aim. “The goal is to try and win it; that’s what we’re here for,” he declares.

We’ll bring you more updates on Nathan’s progress and a whole bunch more Red CentreNATS content over the weekend, so keep your eyes peeled to our socials.