Articles by Iain Kelly

Iain Kelly
Contributing Journalist

A love of classic American and European cars drove Iain Kelly to motoring journalism straight out of high school, via the ownership of a tired 1975 HJ Holden Monaro. 

For nearly 20 years he has worked on magazines and websites catering to modified late model high-performance Japanese and European tuner cars, as well as traditional hot rods, muscle cars and street machines. Some of these titles include Auto Salon, LSX Tuner, MOTOR, Forged, Freestyle Rides, Roadkill, SPEED, and Street Machine. He counts his trip to the USA to help build Mighty Car Mods’ “Subarute” along with co-authoring their recent book, The Cars of Mighty Car Mods, among his career highlights. 

Iain lends his expertise to CarsGuide for a variety of advice projects, along with legitimising his automotive obsession with regular OverSteer contributions.

Although his practical skills working on cars is nearly all self-taught, he still loves nothing more than spending quality time in the shed working on his project car, a 1964 Pontiac. He also admits to also having an addiction to E30 BMWs and Subaru Liberty RS Turbos, both of which he has had multiple examples of. With car choices like that, at least his mum thinks he is cool.

How to change a tyre
By Iain Kelly · 14 Mar 2019
Learning how to change a tyre is a very important skill to have in Australia so you don't end up stranded by the side of a remote road. While it could seem difficult, it isn't hard to change a flat tyre on your own, so long as you follow the basic principles and remember these safety tips. Before you drive
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Australia's fastest street car isn't a McLaren Senna, but an XW Fairmont
By Iain Kelly · 19 Nov 2018
Most people would think the fastest street car in Australia is the latest hyper-machine from Koenigsegg or McLaren, but it is actually Frank Marchese's full-weight 1970 XW Ford Fairmont!
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Is it illegal to drive in thongs (flip-fops)?
By Iain Kelly · 13 Nov 2018
Driving around with loose-fitting footwear on, like thongs (or flip-flops for our American friends), is not actually against any Australian road rules we can find.
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What is ABS or an anti-lock braking system?
By Iain Kelly · 02 Nov 2018
Thirty years ago, if you had to suddenly avoid an accident it was a terrifying test of driving skill that required something called threshold braking.
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Americans hot rod the world's first supercar - the Mercedes 300SL "Gullwing"
By Iain Kelly · 31 Oct 2018
Renowned car-builder Dave Kindig, of Kindig It Designs, whipped the covers off a controversial new build at the 2018 SEMA Show today.
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Chrysler to sell a brand new 1000hp crate engine!
By Iain Kelly · 31 Oct 2018
Not since the 1960s have we seen Detroit riding a wave of horsepower madness like we're seeing today.
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This electric hot rod is a 400hp hand-made work of art!
By Iain Kelly · 31 Oct 2018
ICON 4x4's Jon Ward has made a name for himself by taking cool old cars and packing as much brand new technology under the skin, all while leaving the outside as it was.
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Chevrolet unleashes the 700hp electric Camaro drag car!
By Iain Kelly · 31 Oct 2018
Chevrolet has ripped the covers off a wild new concept car at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, packing a 700hp all-electric sting.
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Ford unveils even faster GT at SEMA 2018
By Iain Kelly · 31 Oct 2018
Ford's twin-turbo supercar, the third-generation GT, has a nasty new brother thanks to the introduction of the lighter, meaner Carbon Series model.
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Three Blue Oval builds to blow your brain at SEMA 2018!
By Iain Kelly · 30 Oct 2018
SEMA 2018 kicks off in a few hours and the Internet will be awash with amazing builds to drool over.
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