Motorex 24, 2026 preview

Motorex 24, 2026 preview

By: Street Machine Magazine

Last year saw Meguiar’s MotorEx get a welcome breath of fresh air, with the introduction of a new ‘Worlds’ concept to better showcase the vast automotive variety on display. This, combined with cruise sessions, the LMCT+ live stage area, a mammoth dyno comp, and a stack of elite unveilings, made the 2025 event one for the history books.

This year’s MotorEx is building on that same concept in a very big way indeed. The 2026 event, which takes place at Melbourne Showgrounds over the weekend of 2-3 May, will debut the new All Japan World next to the outdoor drifting, further adding to that already jam-packed precinct.

It wouldn’t be an unveiling without a ProFlo Performance car in the mix. This one is Brett Fletcher’s HK Monaro, which rocks a beastly single-turbo 427 LS conversion. In typical ProFlo fashion, it’s slammed on some 15×10 rear meats

The Vanz Classic World will be another new addition this year, featuring 27 hand-picked Ford panel vans in celebration of that golden era of car customisation. The hall will be located next to the outdoor Car Builders 4×4 World, where there’ll be 200 offroad-capable rigs on display.

Rob Guljas is no stranger to elite-level unveilings, and his latest for MotorEx will be a 3000hp-capable, Dandy Engines-built, twin-turbo big block-powered CV8 Monaro, aimed at Drag Challenge duties. “It’s a fully tubbed and ’caged build, and it’ll be mocked up to look like a GTO,” says Rob. It’s his second late-model Monaro build, having previously built the GTO seen here (SM, May ’20)

Speaking of outdoor attractions, Real Street will be popping off all weekend, with different cars on display each day. So, if you’re keen to drive your top-grade machine to the event and snag the best value-for-money parking in Melbourne, enter your car in Real Street before spots sell out!

Shannon Nanfro’s ’67 Chevy Nova has been an at-home build with his father and mates, powered by an 800hp, carby-fed, 540-cube fatty. “The car has definitely been built to be driven, but things went a little further than expected,” says Shannon

There’ll also be the return of the MotorEx Supercruises, including a Methanol Madness cruise featuring a bunch of Pro Burnout Series regulars thumping their way around the showgrounds. In addition, cruise sessions for slammed JDM icons and exotic supercars will take place throughout both days, offering punters a rare chance to see some of the insane cars at the event moving under their own steam.

Kirk Schmidt is unveiling an S13 Nissan Silvia, built with a twist! “It’s a muscle car-inspired take on a Japanese coupe,” he says. “I hope this car will earn some respect of older petrolheads and younger alike. It’ll still be SR20-powered, but with a full-steel widebody and plenty of unique touches inside and out”

In a first for MotorEx, a special After Dark show will bring the party on Saturday night, featuring live music, drifting under lights, and a night-time Hot Wheels stunt show with lights, pyrotechnics and the GeeUp bar.

We featured Fekete Fabrications’ Project PRERAN in its build phase (SM, Jun ’24), but it’s now set to be unveiled at MotorEx 2026. Robi Fekete has built a prerunner-style truck around a 1970 F100, powered by a forged, blown Coyote, with every mod ticked off for street-legal registration in Victoria

During the day, punters who enter via Gate 1 at the Epsom Road end of the showgrounds will be thrown head-first into our own Street Machine Custom World. We’ll have a merchandise stand to grab all your swag, as well as two of our old SM giveaway cars on display: VUFORU and the ‘Sony Scorcher’ two-door EA Falcon!

Remember the Sony Scorcher, our two-door EA Falcon giveaway car? It’s still alive and kicking, and you’ll have the chance to check it out in person at MotorEx on our stand in the Street Machine Custom World

As well as being MotorEx’s biggest show hall, with 150 cars on display, our Street Machine Custom World also plays host to the elite unveilings on Saturday afternoon, where over 20 cars will be seen in public for the very first time.

Another Fekete Fabrications build to be unveiled at MotorEx ’26 is a customer’s 1958 Chevy 3100 truck, which has been given a unibody conversion, all-new chassis, airbags, and rear-mounted turbos under the tub to feed the LS up front. It’ll be sitting on one-off billet wheels, and will also be a fully street-legal machine

Tickets and limited car entries are live now at motorex.com.au, so make sure you mark your calendars, grab some passes, and come hang with us at Melbourne’s best automotive show this May!