Custom car culture: it's raucous, it's rebellious and it smells of burnt rubber. Photographer Simon Davidson took one whiff and was enchanted by the unity of man and machine, the melting pot of subcultures and the wonderful characters he met along the way. Whether you're interested in cars or not, his photographic series Burnout is a sensuous and spectacular collection of observational photography from custom car events across Australia.
A rev-head himself, Davidson was just 17 when he bought his first classic car, a 1961 Volkswagon, which he drove to school. During his early years working in advertising and fashion photography, an invitation to watch a friend drag race was the start of a long love affair with photographing custom car culture. He's now been documenting various facets of custom car subcultures, from drag racing to burnout competitions, from Shepparton to Los Angeles, for 12 years. 
"I love meeting the diverse Australians at these events. Young and old, working class to elite. They're all united by their passion for the cars ... The burnout scene is full of beautiful people who work hard. They're quirky, they have tattoos, they have mullets, they have families and businesses. It's a unique subculture of Australia. 
"There are the Lebanese boys, the Greek boys, the Italians, the Anglos, the girls. The little tribes of Chrysler drivers, Ford drivers, Holden drivers; the boys who go to the gym a lot."
To do a burnout, a modified car that  has no rear brakes is used. The driver floors the brakes at the same time as the accelerator and swiftly moves up gears, forcing the wheels to spin as fast as possible. According to Davidson, a burnout lasts from 60 to 90 seconds. By the time it's over, there is no rubber left on the rims of the wheels.
"I am ready, waiting for the wind, the light, the car and the smoke, all the elements to come together," Davidson said.
The muscle cars used are thirsty, petrol-guzzling high-performance vehicles, adapted from classic models from the 1960s-80s. Drivers pimp them out with gleaming paint jobs, mag wheels and plates like 'LITMP' (lit 'em up) and 'UCSMOKE' (you see smoke).
Davidson manages to capture a tranquility amid the violence of the burnout. In some photographs, the cars seem suspended in air, as if in flight on their own clouds of smoke.
"It's very rough, very dusty, very loud and the crowd can be very obnoxious. I wanted to see if I could find the zen moments, the quiet", Davidson said.
"When you freeze smoke there's something soft in contrast to the immense horsepower and energy of the cars."
In some of the works featured in Burnout, coloured smoke engulfs the cars in sugary clouds, almost like they are wrapped in cotton candy. The surreal scenes are purely observational - a hot new craze in the burnout scene is 'coloured burnout tyres'. The coloured smoke comes from a dye which is implanted in specially designed exhibition burnout tyres, released when the tyres spin at high speeds.
After 12 years of documenting custom car events and building networks across Australia, Davidson has become a member of the community.
"It's imperative to build friendships, to have that trust. I want to do the work to celebrate these people, I want them and their cars looking strong and proud," he said.
 Burnout is on until   October 16 at the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney.
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