Mitchell performance guru, Jake Edwards, returns to Summernats this week to reaffirm his iron grip on the Horsepower Heroes title he has taken out for the past two years in succession.
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Lurking under, and slightly above, the fibreglass bonnet of his surprisingly stock looking Torana LH SL/R is a mighty 439 cubic inch (7.3 litre) V8 that develops as much power as the 2560 cubic inch (45 litre) Merlin V-12 used in the World War II Spitfire.
Like many of the serious entrants in the motorsport event that is expected to attract more than 100,000 spectators from January 2 to 5, Mr Edwards mixes business with pleasure and treats his passion for performance as a family affair.
Maxamillion, his 15-year-old son, can't wait to get hold of a performance car of his own and Amy, Mr Edwards' soulmate since they met in an LJ Torana on Northbourne Avenue two decades ago, has tried her hand at drag racing in the past.
Summernats general manager Russell Avis said if Mr Edwards took out the prize for the most powerful ''streetable'' car for the third time in a row it would hammer home the fact he was one of the best engine builders in the country.
''He has, back-to-back, built the two most powerful engines we've had at Horsepower Heroes,'' Mr Avis said.
''We are talking about horsepower at the rear wheels - as measured on the dynamometer. When you are on the dyno you can't run and you can't hide; it is an absolute and objective measurement of how much power is reaching the road.''
Mr Edwards, who admits to being obsessed with seeing just what he can do, agrees he is ultimately competing with himself.
This is true in more ways than one. Last year's effort of 1666 horsepower (1242.6kW) at the rear wheels was almost double the power of the next-placed competitor. ''The challenge is to push the technology to see just what the engine can do,'' he said. ''I'd love to have someone roll up with similar numbers to make for a good spectacle''.
The search for the ultimate in internal combustion performance grows more popular by the year.
Summernats managing director Andy Lopez said more than 1700 entries had been received in 2013 and that 2014 appeared to be even stronger.
''The popularity of the City Cruise, which will be held at midday on Thursday, is a good indicator. The police counted 30,000 spectators last year.''
Mr Edwards said that, while his main aim for 2104 was to beat last year's performance, 2000 horsepower (1490kW) was the holy grail of engine building.
His Torana, in many respects an engine with a car attached, is the latest evolution in a course of development that dates back almost half a decade. In its latest form, as the spectators will be able to see it and hear it at this year's Summernats, its specifications are awesome.
They include a Merlin 3 aftermarket 439 cubic inch (7.3 litre) cast-iron big-block Chevrolet destroked down from 496 cubic inches (8.2 litres). The heads are also cast iron and the boost comes from a single GT60 118mm Garrett Turbocharger. ''It's monstrous, this is up from 106mm,'' he said.
At this stage the turbo boost to be used on the hand-built and hand-balanced engine is still up in the air. ''It will get as much boost as it needs to give me more horsepower than last year,'' he said. ''My main ambition is to beat last year's 1666 brake horsepower at the back wheels.''
The Torana runs on the track as well as on the dyno and, despite being the heaviest car in its class, it is one of the five or six fastest ''streetable'' cars in the country. From 0-100km/h takes 1.2 seconds.
''It's like getting shot out of a gun,'' Mr Edwards said. ''You have to really hang onto it. It is a pretty big driving job (keeping it straight).''
The standing 400 metres takes 7.88 seconds with an exit speed of 289km/h.
