Andrew's EL Fairmont Ghia - Affordable Luxury:

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With the price of second hand EL Fairmont Ghia's being not much in excess of that of a brand new Corolla or Pulsar, you'd be crazy to buy the import wouldn't you? And with the Tickford motor thrown in to boot - who could say no? Well, certainly not our man Andrew who has enjoyed the luxury side of life for all of 4 months now courtesy of this particular '98 model Fairmont Ghia.

More than happy with the Falc's power output at a full 162kW, Andrew has just added a K & N filter, no more - no less, adding that extractors may one day be on the list of things to do but "no rush". Making this particular Fairmont Ghia shine from the exterior however is further proof that you don't have to spend a motza to have a mint looking Ford to stands from the pack! Initially Andrew wanted to fit the very same Tickford Speedline wheels fitted to the Fairlane by Tickford, but Andrew was soon put off that idea by a hefty $800 per wheel price tag (rim only!) and the reluctance by Tickford to sell them to anybody short of a 'Fairlane by Tickford' owner!!! But as they say, 'where there's a will there's a way' and Andrew quickly secured himself a set of 17" CSA's fitted with 17" x 235 x 45 Z rated Falcons looking oh-so-close despite Tickford's refusal to budge.

Bringing the whole show down a whole lot closer to mother earth than Ford ever intended are a set of Pedder's springs and shocks, lowering the front by 30mm and rear by a smaller 20mm to keep that all important rake. Although the real thing will have to wait until Andrew figures out how to install an air bag or hydraulic lift kit, Andrew has sent in some computer modified pictures showing how he would eventually like his Ghia to sit - and wouldn't we all! - At least while parking that is... Completing the whole look are a set of painted head light covers which come off for night time driving. Next on the list should be a 'Fairlane by Tickford' grill if Andrew can ever find one - although he is slowly resigning himself to the fact that if ever it is going to happen he is going to have to be the one to make it! Other than that he is now looking for a genuine Tickford body kit to fit - so if you know anybody (one that's not hot that is)...

But the real story with this car begins in the interior where Andrew has gone wild updating the Ghia's already impressive sound system to include entertainment and business options as well. Keeping the Ghia's head unit, Andrew quickly added two Alpine S-Type Subs with Alpine Splits hidden behind the original door speaker grills with extra tweeters sunken into the mirror sails. Balancing out the audio package was left to a set of Alpine rear speakers and 3 Clarion Amps to power the whole shooting match. Kicking off the visual department is an Alpine Television with Sony VCR flush mounted in the rear seat on the drivers side for that true 'surround sound cinema' experience.

And if that's not enough for you there's also a Play Station 2 allowing Andrew to watch DVD's any where, any time he damn well feels like it! But it doesn't stop there - there's a Nokia Car Kit as well as a 12 / 240v inverter so Andrew can power his lap top, printer and scanner which are all connected via a 6210 mobile phone with a Bluetooth communications package!!! A collapsible swivel cradle is set up for the laptop so all in all, Andrew can now print, scan, receive faxes, surf the internet or log into his computer at home while out on the road! If you've read this far you're probably figuring this is all corporately sponsored, but Andrew insists "None of this is for business, just for fun." Ouch!

Now that he's nearly happy with the EL, it's time to move on to the next project which is currently on the water from of all places - England! And what may you ask is his next choice of weapon? "A 1996 TVR Griffith 500 - a British Race car which in standard form (5L Injec. V8) does 0 - 100K in 4.1 Seconds, no turbo, no supercharger." but insists the EL will be staying as daily transport. Well Andrew, we're impressed and while your next ride may not carry the Blue Oval, best of luck and may there be plenty of good times to follow...

Andrew has sent these sensational looking pics of his EL doing duty on the Sydney bay front, and quite frankly we couldn't have found a nicer place to take them! Great work Andrew - keep it up Although this picture is a little cut-off, we think it shows great promise just as it is (although one suspects a little digital trickery!) Never the less a great angle of a great car showing what it could be, some day.... (now where's that air bag kit?)

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