Where are they now: Frank Rejtano’s 1993 SMOTY-winning Corvette Stingray

Frank Rejtano’s 1964 Corvette Stingray won just about every trophy there WAs to win, including 1993 Street Machine of the Year. Thirty years later, it’s still going strong

Street Machine of the Year 1993; back-to-back Summernats Top Judged Street Machine awards; two-time Street Machine cover car – yep, Frank Rejtano’s incredible 1964 Corvette Stingray has been there and done it all. In the early 90s, street machining royalty like Owen Webb and Ron Barclay declared Frank’s ’Vette the best build they’d ever seen – and they oughta know.

Happily, this now 30-year-old build is still in Frank’s care and as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as ever, so we thought it was high time to catch up with him about the history of his legendary Corvette.

First published in the December 2023 issue of Street Machine

The last time the ’64 was shown was at the 2017 Corvette Nationals. “I got Stitched Up Custom Trim to redo the interior for that show, which we won,” Frank says. “I’m too old and cranky to get involved in local clubs and local shows. I much prefer just taking it out for the occasional cruise down the esplanade”

The car still looks fantastic! What’s your secret, Frank?

I’m pretty much retired now, so I have plenty of time to look after it. Because I don’t like using car covers, I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to keep the garage dust free, which is a big help. And being right on the water [in Hervey Bay, Queensland], I also keep a container of moisture-absorbing crystals in each car, along with another big tub of the stuff in the garage itself.

Ever contemplated selling it?

No! It’s my baby. My current cars are like my children to me. Even STING [Frank’s earlier show car, a trophy-winning 1972 Stingray] is still registered in my name; I just wanted to give it to my son David for his 50th. You’ve got to enjoy life as much as you can; I enjoy my cars too much to sell them.

Despite being a 30-year-old build and the body being fibreglass, the Stingray is still straight as an arrow. And while touched up in a few places, it retains its original paint. The biggest change has been the new interior. “It was a bit old-fashioned,” says Frank. “I wanted to update it, make it more modern”

How long did you show the Corvette for?

Around three years. [My wife] Robyn and I did a lot of shows. We took it everywhere – across to Perth twice, down to Melbourne a couple of times, plus Adelaide and up to Brisbane. It won every show it went to, pretty much the maximum number of trophies every time.

Which, as you can imagine, upset a few people at the time. But we also made loads of friends; Robyn and I really enjoyed travelling around. I’ve really got to thank her for putting up with all my car stuff for so many years. Especially when we were building the ’64 – that was two years of mayhem.

The 350 TPI mill is still running strong and looking as sweet as ever. “When I moved to Hervey Bay, I had to find a new mechanic,” says Frank. “The first time I drove into A Grade Mechanical, [the owner] Ian freaked out – ‘I know that car,’ he said. We’ve become friends; he lets me use his hoist”

What are some of your fondest memories about the car from back then?

Our first Summernats – Summernats 7 in 1993. We won Top Judged and six or seven trophies all up. It won Top Engine Bay, Top Undercarriage/Driveline, Top Engineered, Top Coupe and Street Machine’s Top 10! About the only trophy it didn’t win was Top Interior. We came back the next year and won Top Judged again, which was incredible.

Why a ’64?

I wanted to do something very different. Originally it was going to be a resto. But after the success of STING, I wanted to build an even better Summernats car. Everything was smoothed off – the engine bay, the underside, the chassis, brakes, suspension, engine, gearbox and diff!

I spent countless hours deburring and smoothing it all. John Abbott came over four days a week for two straight years to finish all the fibreglass bodywork. I’ll never forget it; I itched the whole two years.