EVERY show and shine Terrence Reiss can attend, he makes sure his 1995 Holden VS SS Commodore is entered.
Mr Reiss found the vehicle around 11 years ago in a Mount Gambier car yard.
“I think I was drawn to it because it stood out,” he said.
“I was looking around for a VT, VX SS and this one just came up for the right price.
“I really like Commodores just because I grew up around them and cars in general.”
A young revhead at heart, Mr Reiss said his passion for high-performance vechicles was inspired by his father and uncle, who were also car enthusiasts.
“My dad and uncle were really into car shows and I now usually enter every car show or show and shine I can,” he said.
“I would enter the Autofest when it was being held in Mount Gambier.
“I also brought it over to the Casterton drags on the weekend and had a ball topping my personal best of 7.7 at 92mph.”
Mr Reiss said the vehicle did attract some attention when it was out of the shed.
“I always get people telling me the car is clean and never dirty,” he said.
“People think I spend a lot of time cleaning it, but I do not think so.
“I must just be fussy.”
Gradually working on the vehicle for the over the past decade, Mr Reiss said the body of the car, with the exception of the rear corners, was repainted in its factory colour.
“I think the colour is what really makes it stand out, which I like because it makes it different from everybody else,” he said.
“There are a couple of custom parts on the body, the red stripes are brighter than standard and the black around the windows is different.”
Mr Reiss said the paintwork was a result of his “fussy” side.
“I redid the paintwork because I had it parked in the backyard and a branch fell off the tree and flattened the drivers’ side pillar a bit,” he said.
“It dented it, but it did not bend or anything.
“That is when the fussy side in me came out.”
Mr Riess said he has done a lot to the vehicle since purchasing it, including a full motor and gearbox rebuild and installing a smooth mover exhaust system.
“It is a standard 5-litre but has been bored out and stroked with a supercharged 355 stroker,” he said.
“It also has a 4-speed 4 L60E transmission which was built by Hayden from Mount Gambier Automatics.
“It has a stock-standard differential because I have not broken it so have not had the need to replace it.”
Mr Reiss said he would usually take the car out at least once a week.
“I try and take it around the block and get it running at the very least,” he said.
“All the suspension has pretty much been rebuilt with a new bush kit.
“The front end is stock-standard but the back end has super lows so it sits on the road nicely.”
Mr Reiss said the vehicle was also fitted with larger breaks which he sourced from a VT Commodore.
“I enjoy driving it, even if it is a bit difficult sometimes,” he said.
“I started working on it and it ended up being a lot and a large project.
“I have worked on it gradually and there are a few bits I want to still do.”
