After a super-successful debut last year, our Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year competition is back for 2023, with some killer entries already rolling in.

YSMOTY is open to anyone aged 24 or younger with a sick car, no matter the make, model or build style. Each entrant has a shot of winning the $2500 cash prize and a feature on their car in Street Machine.

If that sounds like a good deal to you, there’s still time to enter by following this link, but hurry – we’re closing the gates on 30 April.

Here’s a sample of some of the cool cars that have been entered so far, with plenty of variety across the board.

Kane Grimshaw – EH Holden Special

“This car is special to me, as my dad and I worked on it for over five years to get it to where it is now. Unfortunately, he recently passed away, so this car will always remind me of him, and it’s something I’ll cherish forever.”

Brodie Glendinning – 1990 Nissan 300ZX

“This is my 1990 Nissan 300ZX, which my parents bought me when I was 13 years old to learn how to swing a spanner on it. With the help of my dad, we got it ready for my learner’s test. Once I made it through to my Ps, we decided to take it off the road and transform it into what it is today. Now, it’s powered by a 383ci small-block Chev, with a built Turbo 350 behind it, while a Ford nine-inch diff puts the power down. The car has been back-halved to suit the modifications, and it also features a custom interior. The slick black paintjob finishes it off. Every piece and modification – even the paint – was done by us, which to me is super cool and something to be proud of.”

Adam Cac – 1967 XR Falcon ute

“My 1967 XR ute is running a 393 Clevo, backed by fully manualised C10 auto and nine-inch diff. This car is special to me because it is a product of what I worked for as a young apprentice a few years ago. I’ve learned a lot from it, and I’ve also learned that no matter what you do, someone will always have something to say, so just do whatever makes you happy.”

Blake Attard – 1974 HQ Holden One Tonner

“I have owned this Tonner for four years, and it was originally a factory Cotillion White vehicle fitted with a 253, an M20 four-speed manual gearbox and a 10-bolt Salisbury diff. As it sits now, it has a mild 308 V8 fitted with L34-style heads, while the trans has been upgraded to an M21 four-speed. This ute is the pride and joy for me and my father, a symbol of the bond he and I share and plan to keep.”

Bryce McCabe – 1967 XR Falcon

“This is my XR Falcon with a 393 Cleveland, pushing 675hp. It’s backed by an Al’s Race Glides 800hp C4, and a four-linked sheet-metal nine-inch diff. It’s rolling on Weld AlumaStars. We originally pulled it out of storage where it’d been sitting for 20 years, and it was mostly built in the shed since I was 16 years old. I spent every weekend or afternoon stripping paint, doing rust repairs or anything custom that was needed to get it finished. In 2020, I painted, fabbed and fitted almost everything to it. The interior consists of Kirkey front seats with a modified dash and rear seat.”

Josh Rondon – 1991 Holden VG ute

“This is my 1991 VG ute; it’s the first car I’ve ever owned since my Ps. It’s a factory injected 5.0-litre and auto car, but in my five years of owning it, it’s been heavily modified with the help of my father to become a tough street car we can both enjoy. It’s now running a turbo LS1, a built 4L60E and a nine-inch. It also has coil-overs front and rear, and much more. This car helped me build a unique bond with my father; we have gone through many hardships throughout the build, with countless hours and sleepless nights to try and get it finished for Summernats pretty much every year.”

Matthew Xerri – Ford TC Cortina

“This is my V8 TC Cortina. My dad passed away in 2000 when I was 10 months old, and he had this car engineered and thrashed it all through the 90s. The car sat dormant for me until I could fix it up. I’ve rebuilt the whole driveline and just about everything else: brakes, wheel bearings, wiring harness, the lot! I did the motor with the late Sam Fenech from Westend Performance, who originally did it in the 90s. He was dad’s cousin. Something like this would be awesome for me and the family!”

Zac Aldoplous – 1982 Mazda RX-7

“This 1982 Series 2 RX-7 has been built by Derek from DJZ Engines & Fabrication in his shed, and I can’t thank him enough for his amazing work to make the car what it is. It was tuned by EFI and wired by Whitey’s Wiring. It has the original Canary Yellow paint and interior, with some carbonfibre touches to give it that race-car feel. The trans is a built A340E auto, which runs back to a BorgWarner diff with Truetrac LSD. It has front and rear Viking coil-overs and is mini-tubbed with 255 MTs wrapped around Street Pro wheels. It also has a new rollcage and is ready to hit the drag strip.”

Cam Gilfillan – 1928 Ford Model A roadster

“My Model A was built in a garage with my dad. I started at 13 and finished it on my 18th birthday. I drove the wheels off it on my Ps, and still love driving it to Nambucca Heads, the Central Coast or anywhere I can! My dad and I never had a close bond previously, as he lived on the Gold Coast while I was in Sydney after his divorce with my step-mum. He finished a 1934 Chevrolet tourer, and we spent a week admiring hot rods together. After he moved down to Sydney a few months later, we found a chassis, diff and front end for the Model A. This car is more than cool, it’s sentimental.”

Zac Torrisi – Holden VL Berlina

“This is my VL Berlina, which runs a 6.0-litre LS combo with LS3 heads, topped with a 12/71 Mooneyham blower. It has a Joe Blo hidden EFI kit, with a Shaun’s Custom Alloy intake manifold. The LS is backed by a 4000rpm ASNU converter and 1200hp-rated Powerglide. In the rear is a sheet-metal nine-inch with spooled 3.5:1 gears and billet 35-spline axles. It runs twin trans coolers, an oil cooler and an oil accumulator to help keep it together on the pad. The fuel system comprises a fuel cell and surge tank with twin 460 pumps, with four injectors in the hat and eight in the manifold.”

Jack McHugh – 1966 Volkswagen Beetle

“This is my 1966 VW Beetle that I’ve owned since I was 15. It sat for about eight years, as it was too overwhelming to know where to start! Roughly six months ago, I decided I wanted it on the road. The original plan was to rough it up, but that escalated into a full body-off, bare-metal restoration with all-new suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, airbags and an all-new interior. It was all done at home in the shed with my dad; the only thing we didn’t do was the interior, which was done by my uncle. It’s all painted to have a patina look, but the inside is like new. Thanks for reading and considering my Bug!”

Sarah Hull – 2000 Subaru Impreza WRX

“I have owned this Subaru GC8 WRX for roughly just over a year now. I had an accident in my previous GC8 one-and-a-half years ago, and it was a total write-off as a result. MS GC8 has come a long way since being bought completely stock, minus some questionable 19-inch rims and a turbo-back exhaust. The car was ripped apart, painted, and put back together in my garage, with help from my boyfriend and dad while I was out of action recovering from the accident. This car has been nicknamed Subzilla, a rise-from-the-ashes type build! It’s version two of my dream GC8, and I love it!”

Niko Bakalis – 1966 VC Valiant

“This is my 1966 VC Valiant Regal 225 that my dad bought for me when I was born in 2007. It sat in the garage for 10 years before we finally started work on it. It took 3 years to restore, and we got it on the road on the 26th of November, 2019. The car was put back to original with the 225 slant six in it. The original seats were retrimmed in the original tan colour, with cool vanilla paint. It has a 2-barrel Holley with Pacemaker extractors and a 2.5-inch exhaust. Overall it’s one classic and great cruiser.”

To go into the running for Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year, click here, and remember to use the #ysmoty hashtag on your socials!