The greatest show car Australia has ever seen will be hitting Motorvation 32 – and this time it will be rolling!

Western Australia’s Chris Bitmead lived out a dream when he built XBOSS, a 1976 Ford Falcon XB Coupe that has been customised in almost every way.

Bitmead is well acquainted with Motorvation, having been a part of the show since its earliest days.

“My history with Motorvation dates back to around 1988 when an FJ Holden I built won the award for Top Judged Vehicle,” he said. “Since then I’ve entered various cars over the years and had some success with a 1932 Ford Coupe that we built. As an event, I’ve seen it transform over the years and I really like the direction the event is now headed and can’t wait to be there.”

When the time was right for XBOSS to make its first public appearance, Bitmead chose a location almost as difficult as the build itself – the famed Detroit Autorama.

“XBOSS scored a place in the ‘Great 8’ and won the CASI Cup. At Detroit Autorama, we were interviewed by most of the major USA TV news networks,” he said. “Detroit was the only overseas showing and since returning to Australia in 2016, XBOSS has won the major award at every major state indoor car show where it has been eligible, a feat that we understand has not been achieved before.

“Today Tonight did a feature story and its had something like 3.3 million views on their Facebook page, so the car has been hugely popular.”

Showing the car allows people to get an up close look at the effort and detail that has gone into XBOSS, but Motorvation 32 will also let people see the coupe driving for the first time at a show.

“Late last year we cruised around Mt Panorama at Bathurst which was an amazing experience because of the actual road and its history,” Bitmead said. “But Motorvation 32 will be the first time it has been driven in front of a large crowd and I am very much looking forward to it.

“For me, the big difference with Motorvation is that we get to show the car and drive it. At previous shows, it had minimal driving as we always wanted it kept pristine for the next indoor show.”

Bitmead does not have a favourite part of the build as such, but the way it comes together as an overall package is what pleases him. He encourages visitors to Motorvation 32 to take their time in looking at each part of the vehicle.

“We have tried to make every part of the car a feature in itself,” he said. “It looks so much like an XB Falcon coupe, yet when you really study it the car is so very different.”

With the amount of passion that has gone into XBOSS, one may wonder if Bitmead has anything left in reserve for another project.

“For most of my adult life I have tinkered with cars and no doubt I will always have something on the go, however I can’t ever see another XBOSS being built in our shed,” he said.

Motorvation 32 runs from January 27 to 28 at Perth Motorplex featuring show cars, burnouts, cruising, trade stands, the Livewire AC/DC tribute band and more. Tickets are available online at results.motorplex.com.au.