Jasmine Green puts a whole new spin on the term customs when it comes to her international travel.
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Jasmine, a 28-year-old barista-cum apprentice auto trimmer who lives with her partner Michael, a cat named after a pokemon character and — the most recent addition — a husky pup named Balto, has used trips to the United Kingdom and United States as an opportunity to collect specific car parts for her 10-year labour of love.
On her last two trips overseas she has returned with guards for the Hilux — cut into managable sizes for transportation inside her suitcase — to assist in the completion of her LS1 (5.7 litre V8-6 speed manual) powered mini-truck.
In the back paddock of the Graham Rd property which the eclectic group call home are 50 car wrecks that have served as the base of the project — the ground-up build of a 1991 Toyota Hilux, which is now featuring in arguably Australia’s most famous street machine competition.
The DeBeer Rescue Green — a well-known Jeep Wrangler colour — Hilux carries the number plates khaos-1. Khaos design was the name of Jasmine’s graphic design business, which she started after completing a three-year course once finishing her secondary school education at Kyabram P-12 College.
It is among 16 vehicles featuring in the Street Machine publication’s Street Mechine of the Year competition, which carries a $20,000 first prize and $5000 for cash for one lucky pubic voter.
Six Holdens, four Fords, three Mopars, two Toyotas and even a Suzuki Mighty Boy are among the vehicles being judged. To vote people can simply login to smoty.com.au
Only the 12 vehicles that have been featured on the cover of the monthly car lover’s magazine and four especially selected inside cover vehicles have qualified for the Street Machine of the year title0
Jasmine is urging people to scan the QR code and support her nomination.
“Some of the cars are big-dollar builds. I am the only person among those entered that has built the car (as an individual) in my own garage from scratch,” she said.
Jasmine is hoping between the Kyabram community, who will know her well from a decade of preparing their specific coffee orders at Wickedly Devine, and Shepparton — where she is now in the finishing stages of her apprenticeship with Maskell Custom Classics — will register enough votes to challenge the other street machines in contention for the 2022 Street Machine title.
Jasmine has designed, welded, wired, painted, engineered and fitted together every piece of the vehicle — the project allowing her to tick off several modules of her apprenticeship, which she will complete six months early.
“I started work on it when I was 17 and I am 28 now,” Jasmine said.
“It escalated seven years ago and has really been a budget build. It has taken more time than money.”
Jasmine took the Hilux to the 2022 Summernats in Canberra and it was judged in the top 20 for the elite section.
“I didn’t expect it to be judged as elite, let alone finish in the top 20 vehicles,” she said.
The Hilux was the only mini truck to finish among the top 20, amid a myriad of hotted-up Holden and Fords.
Her goal was to show the car, once it was completed, at the Summer Nats and Australia’s second biggest car show — Motorex, in Melbourne.
At Motorex she entered in the Street Elite section and was recognised with second place for the engineering category.
“That award recognised the way the car is put together, from the chassis fabrication through to the drive line,” she said.
During the decade-long project Jasmine has learned how to weld — with a little help from her professional welding partner — to upholster, connect mechanical electronics, paint, design and print 3D parts and do sheetmetal work.
“I wanted to do it all myself and then show it at Austalia’s two biggest shows. That was going to be it, then I would just drive and enjoy it — and tow with it,” she said.
That will not be it, however, as the vast collection of vehicles amid the long grass in what used to be an oats paddock call her to arms once again.
She will soon start work on a 1964 Toyota Stout, the predecessor of the Hilux, picking one of the three Stout shells she has amid the back paddock wrecks as a starting point.
“Half of the cars are mine, half are Michael’s. It was cheaper when I was building the Hilux to buy a whole car (for $200-$300) than buy a part.
“Then I would sell the other parts and make back the money on the cost of the car. Now the Stouts are worth way more than when I bought them,” she said.
It’s not just the paddock that has become party to the project, the upstairs section of the house is dedicated to upholstery work and a three-bay garage at Michael’s parents Wyuna East farm was the site for the development of the “Frankenstein-like’’ construction of the Hilux.
It has parts from all sorts of vehicles, too many to mention, but including a Commodore fuel tank, the guards from England and America, a Renault gear boot, a Nissan Navara back seat and a sun roof from a Toyota Surf.
Jasmine’s Hilux will also feature on Seven Plus in an episode of Garage Dreams (a US television series that started in Australia).
“People can see it now on the Motor Trend channel, but it will be coming to Seven Plus,” she said.
Two years ago Jasmine was given a leg-up on her automative career journey when she won the Laurie Starling scholarship.
“He was a judge on the car scene, particularly of mini trucks. The scholarship is named in honour of him,” she said.
“One of my friends encouraged me to apply, because the scholarship is designed to further an automotive based career.
“I met my boss at the awards night, he (Greg Maskell) was on the same table as me and was recruiting at that stage.
“He found a way for me to do the apprenticeship through his business.”
And Jasmine hasn’t looked back.
Now it is time for Free Press readers to cast their votes for the “green machine’’ that regularly turns heads when it trundles along Allan St at a much more orderly pace than it is capable of going.
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