The Melbourne International Truck, Trailer & Equipment Show (ITTES) has kept on bringing fresh ideas to the transport industry since its inception, and this year was no exception with the introduction of its inaugural ITTES Show & Shine competition.
The introduction of the ITTES Show & Shine, as well as adding an extra day to the iconic Melbourne event, meant more working truckies, suppliers and transport workers could make it to the Melbourne Showgrounds to visit the event.
The ITTES Show & Shine was hosted by Australian Custom Trucks and Bling’d Up Trucks magazines on Saturday, 5 April, and Sunday, 6 April.
Show & Shine Organiser, Chris Smith, said the event was a “very big positive” for the ITTES, as it displayed a wide array of both customised working trucks as well as some magnificent project trucks that genuinely got the crowds excited.
“I would like to give a massive thanks to all the entrants that brought their trucks to the Inaugural ITTES Show & Shine,” Chris said. “I would also like to thank our generous sponsors and all the people that came by to admire all the trucks in the Show & Shine.”
The sponsors put in close to $5,000 of cash and prizes to make the event possible, with the first prize being an aluminium fifth wheel valued at over $3,000, sponsored by SAF-Holland.
The winner of the main category came all the way from Chinchilla in Queensland with a truck named ‘The Thunder Rolls’ – a 1987 V8 Mack Superliner 2 owned by Justin and Loretta Clein.
The ‘Best Buffed Beast’ award was won by Sean Craig for his 2011 Kenworth Big Cab K200 titled ‘Monkey and the Bear’. Sean received a truck polishing kit valued at $540 from Kentweld.
The ‘Best Custom Truck’ category was won by Laurie Read for his International Load Star ‘Big ZZZ’. According to Organiser, Chris Smith, the truck looked “seriously cool and highly customised”; winning Laurie a cash prize from A&I Autogroup.
The ‘Best Paint Work’ award was won by Kutchel Contractors for its 2012 Western Star 4900, winning a cleaning kit donated by Buyparts.com.au. Kutchel also won the ‘Best Over 10’ category for its 1954 Ford C.O.E ‘De-stress Express’ with a cash prize donated by the ITTES.
The ‘Best Interior’ prize went to Andrea Crawford for her 2010 Peterbilt 388 ‘Miss Liberty Bells’. Andrea won a Wright Safety Jack sponsored by Wright Safety Jack, which is worth $300.
The ‘Best Under 10’ and ‘Peoples’ Choice’ awards were won by Anthony Latorre for his K200 ‘Mean Green Machine’. SLS Group and Australian Custom Trucks both provided cash prizes for these two categories.
“Thanks to all the sponsors, the people that voted online on the Australian Custom Trucks Facebook page and at the Show & Shine, and the people that came down and visited us at our marquee,” said Chris.
“Special thanks go to the ITTES for helping us get the Show & Shine off the ground and I am guessing the event will grow substantially in two years’ time. with even more great quality trucks.”