It is not only the boys with the done up cars at Summernats. Meet Sydney girls Belinda Peacock, Kathleen Whittaker, Karly Van and Carolyn Tzortzas with their pristine vintage Holden Toranas. Pictures: Gary Ramage Source: News Limited
HORSEPOWER can be girl-powered, it has emerged amid the swirling burnout smoke and wolf whistles aimed at scantily clad women at the Summernats Festival in Canberra.
They might not have packed their bikinis for the Miss Summernats judges but this awesome foursome of female car lovers from Sydney believe they can still put on a show this weekend.
"We're just as bad as the boys, if not worse," chuckled mother Belinda Peacock, 39, a nurse from Bexley North.
Speed thrills: Belinda Peacock, Kathleen Whittaker, Karly Van and Carolyn Tzortzas Source: News Limited
The foursome all met through the Sydney Torana club, car meets and drag racing around the south-western suburbs but are now enjoying the weekend together at Summernats - with some baggage of husbands and children.
Still, Mrs Peacock is hoping to give her husband Matthew a break when they go up against each other on Saturday in the Real Street competition with her pink 1975 LH Holden Torana.
It includes $20,000 worth of modifications such as an injected five litre engine from a VN Commodore Calais and flared drop tank.
"I've love to see him win," she said.
Purple Haze: The burnout competition channelled guitar god Jimi Hendrix’s classic anthem Source: News Limited
Kathleen Whittaker, 37, who owns a Campbelltown carburettor business, was also with her husband and, more importantly, her Blue 1978 LX Holden Torana with a 308 engine quad webber carburettors.
She has spent $50,000 improving her car and was focusing on grass events and the Show and Shine this weekend.
"My hubby has got a better engine but mine looks better," she said. "Some guys ask our husbands to speak to the owner of the car - they don't seem to think we can own a nice car and know what we're talking about. Some guys can be a bit chauvinist."
Everything goes faster in red ... this ute certainly had the rear wheels spinning Source: News Limited
Karly Van, 23, a smoothie van owner from West Hoxton, was attending with her purple 1974 Holden 1 Tonner, with a newly installed 632 big block Chev engine, her car-less boyfriend and her mother Carolyn Tzortzas.
Ms Van has spent more than $100,000 on the car.
"This will be my nineteenth year at Summernats in a row," Ms Van said. "We look forward to it all year, making sure the car is ready." Mrs Tzortzas, 46, who works in spare parts in Liverpool, is attending with her blue 1976 hatchback Torana, with a small block Chev engine, which she drag races around the country.
"We've owned this car for 31 years so we've had many redos and this is the fourth or fifth engine," she said, putting the bill at about $100,000.
It was a crowded house at the Summernats in Canberra today. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: News Limited
Her husband is also here, too.
"It was his car," Mrs Tzortzas said.
"He got a little bit bored and then I came on the scene when he gave me the rego papers at Christmas 14 years ago.
"Ever since then it has gotten faster and faster "He does all the work. He's my mechanic basically."
The burnout competition is one of the biggest crowd attractions during the event. Source: News Limited
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