Under the Hood: Rockynats 05 - Anton Duval
Published on 05 April 2025
Anton Duval
Gold Coast, QLD
1971 HQ GTS Monaro – ‘ENVIE’
It’s Thursday evening before Rare Spares Rockynats 05, and the air in the Lawrences Motors Elite Pavilion is electric. Among the gleaming machines and mad-dash final preparations, Anton Duval stands next to his latest masterpiece: a custom-built 1971 HQ GTS Monaro known as ENVIE. As the founder of MCR (Muscle Car Restorations) Gold Coast, Anton is no stranger to high stakes builds, but this moment is special. The car has just been driven into position, its deep, enigmatic green paint shimmering under the lights momentarily before it’s carefully covered in cloth to await its big unveil. The owner arrives, lays eyes on his dream machine for the first time since completion, and embraces Anton in a bear hug, overcome with emotion. The pride in Anton's eyes mirrors the owner’s tears. This is why he does what he does. This is what it’s all about.
Anton Duval is one of Australia’s most elite car builders, a Gold Coast craftsman dedicated to restoring and reinventing classic muscle cars with an unwavering commitment to excellence. His work speaks for itself: two of his builds are showcased in the Elite Pavilion this year. But ENVIE is something else entirely.
“The car was never built to be a show car. It was meant to be a nice streeter for the owner,” Anton explains. “But after he saw the quality of our work, he started getting more excited. He added more and more things, plus a few extra go-fast bits and the build just ended up going to the next level.”
The build took three years, with much of that time spent waiting for parts, refining details, and ensuring perfection. Anton and his team tackled extensive body modifications, including a trim delete, custom rear quarters, a one-piece nose cone, and a smoothed firewall. Under the hood, an LSA supercharged engine lurks, a beast within a beauty.
And then there’s the colour. A custom deep green that Anton personally formulated together with his paint rep. “We went through about 100 different samples,” he says.
“It looks black in most lights but turns into this rich, deep green under the right conditions. The owner named the colour ‘ENVIE871’, probably because we went through 871 different options before settling on it,” he explains with a laugh.
The name ENVIE wasn’t chosen lightly either. It’s a fitting name for a machine so meticulously crafted that it’s designed to turn heads and leaves people speechless.
“ENVIE came about because obviously the car is green, so green with envy, and then when you take out the ‘N’ it also spells the owner’s daughter’s name, Evie,” says Anton.
For Anton, the true reward isn’t about the accolades or the recognition. It’s in moments like this. A client seeing his dream car realised, the rush of finishing a build just in time, the camaraderie of sharing the experience with a like-minded community that shares his passion.
His love for cars started young. “I was probably 13 or 14 when my dad gave me his XB GS panel van,” he recalls. “He said, ‘Here, son. Here’s your first car.’ And I went, ‘That’s great, Dad. But I can’t afford to put fuel in it.’ So instead, I tinkered with it, played around, and that’s how it all started.”
The Rockynats event itself also holds a special place in Anton’s heart. “My wife, my daughter, and I first came four years ago and were blown away. We got our local car club, the Fossil Fuelers, involved, and we’ve just been getting more and more involved each year. The support from the Rockhampton community is unreal. Seeing people lining the streets all day, waiting for the cars to roll past, that’s what makes this event special.”
At the 2025 event, he’s particularly looking forward to enjoying his long-awaited balcony viewing position for the Street Drags at the Heritage Hotel.
“Each year we’ve been jealous of the spectators up there on the balcony enjoying the view,” he admits. “I mean, nowhere else in Australia can you enjoy a beer while watching some of the country’s best drivers battle it out on a street below. So, this year, our car club decided to book out a whole balcony so we can really soak up the atmosphere and the experience.”
Relentless drive and the pursuit of perfection. That’s what defines Anton Duval and that’s also what makes ENVIE more than just a car. It’s a work of art, a labour of love, and an undeniable showstopper at Rockynats 05.