NEWS
- Summernats 2008
- Meguiar's MotorEx 2007
- Jon Kosmoski's Trip to Australia
- Meguiar's MotorEx 2006
- Summernats 2006 (Jan 2006)
- HOK partners with Holden in the creation of EFIJY, a mind blowing custom! (Oct 2005)
For media information please call Sandy Ellison - 02 9907 7774 or 0419 383 807
House Of Kolor Shines at Summernats 21!
Summernats 21 was arguably the best and most diverse display of vehicles ever assembled in one place in Australia. With all categories represented from Elite and Street, Hot Rods and street machines, Tuff, Classic and competition cars almost 2000 entrants and over 100,000 spectators attending the car festival. The competition for awards was intense with judging being carried out over the 4 days to finalise all results. House of Kolor painted cars picked up several of the major awards including:
- Grand Champion - Robert Godfrey (1972 Holden HQ One Tonner)
- People's Choice - Joe Lore (1971 For XY Sedan)
- Top Special Effect Paint - Peter Elliot (1937 Ford Roadster)
- Top Standard Paint - Peter Vella (1971 Ford Capri)
- Top Mural - Phil Mizzi (2003 Ford Cobra)
- Top Graphics - Keith Hakanson (2006 Honda Odyssey)
This year House of Kolor was a stand out with our giant wall of kustom kolors and our display vehicle owned by Andrew Spira - A Black 2007 Holden VE GTS featuring a Cobalt Blue overlay with custom graphics. As we quickly discovered, our collection of vivid and unique colours had no trouble capturing the audiences gaze.
This was the 7th MotorEx in just over 6 years of being staged in Sydney and is now unconditionally recognised by the public and trade as being the most prestigious enthusiast motor show in Australia.
Staged at Sydney Showground on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd July 2007 the weekend conditions were warm and sunny with little else on in Sydney apart from the normal football and other regular sporting fixtures.
We had on display the ultimate in vehicle customisation, modifications, restoration and preservation! The show covered everything from the top Hot Rods, Street Machines, Custom Motorcycles and HiTech Tuners to the finest examples of timeless classic's, American Muscle, high performance speed machines and sports racing vehicles!
Meguiar’s Superstars 2007 - 23 Finalists from around the country competed for the most sought after Showcar prize in Australia. These are the best of the best showcars hand chosen from other shows across the country all converging at MotorEx Sydney for the Grand final to find the best car in Australia! Each year these awards grow in stature, while the bench marks in design, build, finish etc just keeps getting higher and higher. Being so popular, this award attracted many times more entrants from across Australia than end up making it into the final 23 that came to MotorEx. It’s a hard job for our judges and its getting harder!
The 2007 Meguiar’s Street Machine Superstars “Best of Breed” was Ditch Jones' – 1967 Holden HR Ute, followed by runners up Aaron Fitzpatrick’s – Datsun 1600 “510”, and Laurie Seguna's - 1983 Holden Gemini
The 2007 Meguiar’s Hot Rod Superstars “Best of Breed” went to Les Lawry's – 1932 Ford Roadster "The Roadstar", with runners up going to Chris Bitmead's - 1932 Ford Coupe and Paul Bennett's - 1941 Willy's Coupe.
The 2007 Meguiar’s Hi-Tech Tuner Superstars “Best of Breed” was awarded to Darrell Leemhuis' - 1990 Holden Rodeo Spacecab "Boosted". The runners up were Mohammed & Bakr Ibrahaim's – Quad Rotor BMW M3 E46 Drag Car and the Osmans – Subaru WRX Ute.
With HOK Inauguration now in it's fourth year, we saw the next generation of blockbuster cars and bikes unveiled. The line up chopped and changed throughout the year as build schedules and deadlines were made and missed.
4 cars and two bikes were revealed for the first time. These vehicles that have been designed and built over the past 12 months were never seen, photographed or displayed before their unveiling on the Saturday morning of MotorEx. This part of the show was a real crowd pleaser as the covers came off in a frenzy of camera flashes and the moans of appreciation from the huge crowds that gathered around each car and bike. Each year this part of the show attracts more and more attention from the public and press. Builders now see MotorEx as the only show in which to debut their creations to the world!
The final line up for HOK Inauguration 2006 were Norm Hardinge's - 1932 Ford Coupe, Cameron Brooks' - Custom Bike "Pandora", Brett Gillespie's - 1932 Ford Coupe Drag Car, Steve Boman's - 1969 Camaro, Martin "Lapo" - Custom Bike, Craig Hewitt's - Commodore Walkinshaw, and Darrell Leemhuis' - 1990 Holden Rodeo Spacecab which also took out the Hi-Tech Tuner Superstar Award.
The four Superstars ‘Best
Of Breed’ Champions each received $5,000 cash and a magnificent
‘masterpiece’ billet trophy. The other twenty Superstars Finalists in the three categories each
received $1,500 cash and a commemorative jacket.
Jon Kosmoski's Trip to Australia
As part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations House of Kolor brought the company founder and creator of custom painting, Jon Kosmoski to Australia. During his visit Jon conducted a series of Workshops and Seminars across Australia. In his workshops, Jon shared his trade secrets and wealth of experience that has earned him the reputation as one of the leading custom painters in the world. The seminars were as equally exciting with Jon explaining his views of the custom painting industry. The Workshop & Seminars were both extremely well received with a combination of Australia's best painter, beginners, hobbyists and media all attending. Jon also appeared at Meguiar’s MotorEx on the 1st and 2nd of July at the Sydney Showground, to give a series of short talks on current painting trends in the US as well as giving his opinion on the developing custom painting industry in Australia, which was amazingly positive. Jon complemented Australia's show car builders on both the build quality of their work and also their craftsmanship. At MotorEx, Jon presented his own ‘personal choice’ Jon Kosmoski Award. The winner of this award went to Bruno Gianoncelli for “Mercules”. Jon is confident that “Mercules” could definitely hold its own in the States and could be among top award winners there as well as in Australia, if the car was to travel.
By simply attending one of the workshops or seminars featuring Jon Kosmoski, everyone automatically went into the draw to win this sensational one-off framed artwork.
At the end of Jon's last presentation, which was held in Sydney at House of Kolor Head Office, a name of one of the attendees was drawn from a tin - the winner was Simon Gruar from Firefly Creations in Melbourne. Congratulations Simon!
This was the 6th MotorEx in just over 5 years of being staged in Sydney and is now unconditionally recognised by the public and trade as being the most prestigious enthusiast motor show in Australia.
Staged at Sydney Showground on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd July 2006 the weekend conditions were warm and sunny with little else on in Sydney apart from the normal football and other regular sporting fixtures.
We had on display the ultimate in vehicle customisation, modifications, restoration and preservation! The show covered everything from the top Hot Rods, Street Machines, Custom Motorcycles and HiTech Tuners to the finest examples of timeless classic's, American Muscle, high performance speed machines and sports racing vehicles!
Meguiar’s Show Car Superstars - 26 Finalists from around the country competed for the most sought after Showcar prize in Australia. These are the cream of the showcars hand chosen from other shows across the country all converging at MotorEx Sydney for the Grand final to find the best car in Australia! This year once again, Meguiar’s included the custom bikes in the Superstar awards. Each year these awards grow in stature, while the bench marks in design, build, finish etc just keeps getting higher and higher. Being so popular, this award attracts many times more entrants from across Australia than end up making itinto the final 26 that come to MotorEx. It’s a hard job for our judges and its getting harder!
The 2006 Meguiar’s Street Machine Superstars “Best in Breed” was Bruno Gianoncelli’s – 1950 Ford Mercury “Mercules”, followed by runners up Laurie Grima’s – 56 Chev Coupe "Pro Neat II" and Aaron Fitzpatrick’s – Datsun 1600 “510”.
The 2006 Meguiar’s Hot Rod Superstars “Best of Breed” went to Mark Course – 32 Boydster II “Jucetr” with second and third place going to Peter Olver – “Lethal” and Joe Italiano – 34 Chev.
Held for the first time at MotorEx the 2006 Meguiar’s Hi-Tech Tuner Superstars “Best of Breed” was awarded to Zahir Osman with the Osman WRX. The runners up were Roni Tarabay – RX7 “Lushes” and Danny Hoang – RX7 “Cyber”. The two additional invited finalists of this category were Steve Martin/Queen Street Smash – Nissan S15 “QSR2” and Aaron Kumar – Lexus IS200 “Drempt”. This new category of Superstars at MotorEx was received well by the competitors and crowds.
The Meguiar’s Motorcycle Superstars held for the second year saw some builders exemplify what the Superstars criteria is judged on. GLH’s “Preditor” took the top honour, with Doug Campbell’s – “Croc bike” and Daniel Seluna’s – “Razor’s Edge” in the runners-up positions. Danny’s – ‘The flat black knuckle’ and Steve’s – “Batman Chopper” making the 5 finalists cut as well.
Now in its third year, HOK Inauguration saw the next generation of blockbuster cars and bikes unveiled. The line up chopped and changed throughout the year as build schedules and deadlines were made and missed.
4 cars and two bikes were revealed for the first time. These vehicles that have been designed and built over the past 12 months were never seen, photographed or displayed before their unveiling on the Saturday morning of MotorEx. This part of the show was a real crowd pleaser as the covers came off in a frenzy of camera flashes and the moans of appreciation from the huge crowds that gathered around each car and bike. Each year this part of the show attracts more and more attention from the public and press. Builders now see MotorEx as the only show in which to debut their creations to the world!
The final line up for HOK Inauguration 2006 were Laurie Seguna – “Mr Sik”, Steve Martin/Queen Street Smash – Nissan S15 “QSR2”, Chris Bitmead – 32 Ford Coupe “Deuce Coupe”, Joe Cutelli – Corvette Doorslammer “Smokin' Joe Blow”, The Chopper Shops latest creation and GLH’s Predator. Following in the history of this event two cars Chris Bitmead’s 32 Ford Coupe and Laurie Seguna’s “Mr Sik” have gone on to qualify for Meguiar’s Superstars 06/07 and GLH’s Predator took out the 2006 Meguiar’s Motorcycle Superstar.
The four Superstars ‘Best Of Breed’ Champions each received $5,000 cash and a magnificent ‘masterpiece’ billet trophy. The other thirty Superstars Finalists in the four categories each received $1,500 cash and a commemorative jacket.
When it comes to car shows, they don’t get any bigger or better than Summernats. With the world-renowned car festival now in its 19th year, Summernats draws massive crowds from all round Australia to the Canberra show grounds for the jaw-dropping showcars, awe inspiring events and revving atmosphere! In amongst this huge annual event, House of Kolor left its mark on this car crazy crowd with 7 of the Top 10 judged cars bearing its colours.
Inside the Meguiar’s Judging Pavilion, House of Kolor coatings were everywhere – taking out 1st & 3rd Top Standard Paint, 1st 2nd & 3rd Top Special Effect Paint Award, Winner of the Artistic Impression Award, Meguiar’s Peoples Choice Award, Top Judged Elite, and the much-desired Grand Champion.
Throughout the entire weekend, the Meguiar’s and House of Kolor Stand was overflowing with car enthusiasts keen to gaze at the dazzling colour samples on display and talk to our staff about planning their next project.
Late on the Thursday night, seven never before seen cars rolled onto the judging pavilion floor without anyone so much as getting a peek. These vehicles sat hidden for the whole of a day for an exciting new event to Summernats dubbed “The Great Meguiar’s Uncover”, where they were exposed one by one to the anxious crowd of thousands. Even after the event was finished, the crowd did not disperse as everyone was left wondering who would take out this year’s title of Summernats Grand Champion. With the caliber of cars revealed sitting so high, it was anyone’s game.
Aaron Fitzpatrick’s 1969 Datsun 1600 was the huge crowd pleaser with its House of Kolor ‘Rockmelon’ paint consisting of Spanish Gold (KBC14) over a Lemon Yellow (SG101) base. A relatively unique aspect of this car is under the bonnet. Not only had hundreds of hours gone into the detailing and modifications to the engine bay itself but the late model 4 cylinder SR20-DE which now shared its home with a 750hp supercharger created a rarely seen powerhouse. This awesome “Datto” collected not only the number one spot of Grand Champion but also the Meguiar’s Peoples Choice Award and an honorable 3rd Top Special Effects Paint placing.
1st place in the Top Special Effects Paint went to Mark Course’s ‘JUCETR’ with its immaculate House of Kolor paint finish of Tangerine (UK08) over a custom mix Ultra Orange (PBC64). Mark also picked up the High Impact Award along with several other best of category trophies.
Winner of the Top Elite Judged was awarded to the 1950 Ford Mercury known as ‘MERCULES’, which is owned by Bruno Gianoncelli. This is one very special car that is absolutely stunning in every aspect. Although it was impossible to see, we have it on good authority that the undercarriage is just as immaculate. Oh – and it packs a supercharged V10 monster engine, just for good measure. The flawless two-tone HOK paintwork involves a custom mix Midnite Blue (PBC104) around the lower section and a custom mix Majik Blue (PBC37) covering the upper body. This gorgeous looking ride also won Bruno 1st in Top Standard Paint as well as the Artistic Impression Award.
Two cars that have toured the circuit for over a year now are Gary & Debbie Myers 1966 Ford Mustang ‘SILVER BULLET’ and Mick Fabar’s 1929 Ford Pickup Ute ‘SWUOOP’. Even though they have been seen many times before, they were still able to claim themselves some highly sought after awards. Gary & Debbie claimed 3rd place in Top Standard Paint while Mick’s stunner had him walking away with 2nd place in Top Special Effects Paint.
Not only was House of Kolor out in force within the elite scene but the number of streetcars cruising the road outside and participating in the outdoor show & shine was just as impressive. There is no doubt about it – for the koolest kolors on the planet, it’s got to be House Of Kolor.
Our thanks goes to Tony Rabbitte for supplying many awesome shots for this item. Tony has put together "The Official Summernats CD" with all the blockbuster shots of the show. Click here to link to his site and buy this brilliant collection of top quality shots.
Click
photo to enlarge
Click here for more EFIJY photos (courtesy of Serious Wheels)
Holden left all competitors in it’s wake at the 2005 Australian International Motor Show with the unveiling of “EFIJY” an amazing recreation of the famous FJ Holden of 1953.
This knock-out show stopper is the brainchild of Holden Chief designer Richard Ferlazzo who originally conceived and penned the project in 1989, but it has taken until now to bring it to reality.
And when Holden sought the ultimate show car finish for this creation they contacted House of Kolor. Working under the strictest secrecy, Owen Webb assisted the Holden design team in the choice of colour and application of the paint. The final outcome looks phenominal. Holden have dubbed the colour “Soprano Purple” but we can advise that this amazing result was achieved using a custom mix of GALAXY GREY ( BC 03) Base Coat with a urethane kandy, WILD CHERRY (UK 03) over the top.
The pillarless custom Coupe has been built on a stretched Corvette C5 platform and is a staggering 5.2 metres long. The car takes some classic FJ styling cues dominated by the instantly recognisable FJ front grille, and incorporates them into a mind blowing lead sled style cruiser. All brightwork on the vehicle is hand-made billet aluminium, including the huge 20 x 9 front and 22 x 10 rear wheels.
There are pearlescent, Bakelite-look push button controls for the electronic automatic transmission and the hard curved floor is finished in figured maple timber veneer with aluminium inserts.
The slammed stance is achieved with air bag suspension. At a touch of the LCD screen the car can be lowered to just 27 millimetres from the ground or rise to a more practical drive height.
And there’s plenty of go to match the show. A 6.0 litre LS2 with Harrop supercharger puts out a mammoth 480KW (645 horsepower) at 6400rpm and peak torque of 775Nm (560 foot-pound) at 4200rpm. EFIJY's engine is mated to a rear-mounted four-speed automatic transmission with push button electronic controls. The custom designed exhaust is a stainless steel 2.5-inch dual system with customised compact headers and billet aluminium exhaust tips.
Congratulations to Richard Ferlazzo and the Holden design team on the design and building of an outstanding custom. Thanks for letting us be a part of it! And recognition must also go to GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney for letting the design team loose and making it happen.
Holden is planning an exciting show program for EFIJY over the coming year where it’s sure to attract huge interest at a number of the countries top Rod and Street Machine Events. Don’t miss it!
