MCM INDUCTED INTO AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

We love to joke around, putting our heads down and concentrating on building maaaad nuggets in the shed (or overseas building and driving with our mates), so it was wild for us to be told the Australian government were putting us into a special archive representing Aussie culture. 

On Monday, 17 August, Mighty Car Mods has been officially inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) with a selection of their automotive films and videos to become part of Australia's official national audiovisual collection. This means that, having begun on a suburban Sydney driveway in 2008, Mighty Car Mods’ films will now be preserved for future generations as part of Australia's national audiovisual collection.

What began with two mates modifying cars and making DIY videos on the famous driveway (WHICH WE RECENTLY RETURNED TO FOR AN ALL-NEW PROJECT) has now spanned almost 20 years of shenanigans and adventures. Now, the NFSA will preserve a curated selection of Mighty Car Mods content in the national collection for the next 100 years.

The induction is part of Creator Capsule, a global first partnership between the NFSA and YouTube created to formally recognise and preserve the cultural impact of Australian digital creators. Creator Capsule is a global first partnership between YouTube and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Mighty Car Mods is one of 10 Australian creator channels selected for the inaugural collection, with a curated sample of their content entering the NFSA's official national collection and being archived for the next 100 years.

“When we started Mighty Car Mods, it was just the two of us on a driveway, working on cars and filming it ourselves, because we loved doing it,” says MOOG. “We weren't trying to become influencers or start a media company, but to know some of the cars we've built, the places we've travelled, and the stories we've told will be preserved as part of Australia's cultural history is a huge honour.”

“We don’t have any formal automotive qualifications at all, but we're still buying questionable cars, pulling them apart and making videos every week, as we have done for almost 20 years now,” laughs Marty.

Louise Alley from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia said, "Marty and MOOG have inspired countless people to pick up the tools, have a go, and build confidence in their own skills. In the process, they’ve helped transform the way Australians share skills, passion and creativity with global audiences. Preserving their content in the Creator Capsule recognises their impact, plus the important place that digital creators now hold in Australia’s cultural memory.’

We were so blown away by this induction we talked to a few of our friends from the car scene that we've made over the last 20 years, who talked about why they think the Australian Government chose us to be included into this historical record for the next hundred years. 

Grant Wardrop, Top Gear Producer said, “Culturally important and Mighty Car Mods are not two phrases you’d ever expect in the same sentence…. But the National Film and Sound Archive begs to disagree. Bloody well-deserved boys”

David Freiburger, ground-breaking automotive journalist, Roadkill presenter, and all round car-legend knows all about modified car history and culture. So, he seemed like the perfect person to ask "why us?"  

“The Mighty Car Mods guys have had an impact not only in Australia, but also upon car enthusiasts in the United States, Europe, and beyond. Their global influence as pioneers in automotive content creation can’t be understated.”

Nats What I Reckon loves to cook and his WRX, and he said “Mighty Car Mods is original in ways people I don’t think anyone can fully grasp, it’s all them, all in house. They give a massive sh*t and it really shows. MCM is a such crucial stuff in a sea of otherwise vapid egomaniacal garbage.

"Blair and Marty openly share what they know with us all while also doing something not a lot of blokes do… expressing an occasional honest “dunno” then ask their mates for help. Truly an awesome display of community, sending things into their respective bins, original unreal tunes and a of course a few skids.”

Our on-call car journalist mate, MCM book co-writer (and occasional trunk-dweller) Workshop Manuel said, "Since 2008 Mighty Car Mods has made it easier for novices to embrace car culture, no matter their mechanical knowledge or budget. There are no barriers or ego: MCM has always been the benchmark for user-generated content. By car enthusiasts, for car enthusiasts."

If you want to celebrate MCM's first build and all the good times we had on the driveway, you can HEAD HERE TO GRAB A LIMITED-EDITION POSTER. We've even got a special discount on Heritage Pack merch from 2008 with poster purchases!