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Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
Specifications
302 V8 Windsor
4 Sp Manual
Power Disc
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
Specifications
302 V8 Windsor
4 Sp Manual
Power Disc
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
Specifications
302 V8 Windsor
4 Sp Manual
Power Disc
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
Specifications
302 V8 Windsor
4 Sp Manual
Power Disc
Special order Fairmont with nearly every factory option
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
At the age of 17, Theo followed in his father's footsteps & bought himself a brand new 186s HR Holden Premier in May 1967. How does he go from a HR Holden to a Ford Fairmont with all the possible options? “The HR Premier was a typical Holden of the day & unfortunately everything that could go wrong with it, did go wrong, so after a few years I decided to cut my losses & replace the HR with a HT Premier.” Theo vividly describes.
Thats where this story take an interesting turn, Theo walked into the local Holden dealership, grabbed the first salesman he crossed paths with & began to specify the exact combinations he wanted in his brand new HT Premier - “I want it in black with silver striping, M22 manual gearbox, 307 engine” but before Theo could even get halfway through his list of desired options, the salesman butted in. “Oh no, ya can do that mate” Theo in disbelief asked the salesman “What, why can't I do that?” “Oh no ya can do that mate'' repeated the salesman. Theo shook his head & walked out. He headed straight across the road to the Ford dealership.
Still in disbelief of what just happen, Theo was approached by a friendly Ford salesman who asked, “What's up mate, you look troubled” after telling him the story of what just happened, the salesman said “Sit down, so what do you want” as he took out his order book with the list of available options & began “Ok we’ll start with the Fairmont, it's the same as the Premier, manual gearbox, yep $140, what about all the GT mirrors, yep, colour: teal glow, engine: 302 v8, seat belts, power disc brakes, tinted banded laminated windshield, limited slip diff, wide oval er70x14 red wall tyres, rally pack (better known now as GS pack, dual racing mirrors, 4 speed manual transmission, full black interior trim, sports handling suspension.”
After all the options were added to the list, Theo took a deep breath as the Salesman tallied up the cost, “That's $4,485 on-raod. Can you leave a $500 cash deposit” was the salesman's request, Theo quickly agreed & was given the timeframe of 6 weeks for delivery, that's how long the Ford factory needed to build Theo’s special order Fairmont. Guess what, that's exactly how long it took, 6 weeks. Here's what I really love about Theo's' story. I would assume after that 6 weeks of waiting, when the car turns up with all the options & all the excitement, that Theo would be blown away & over the moon with the car, I thought he would say, “When it turned up it was amazing, perfect” or something similar. But to my surprise, “It was terrible,” Theo explained with disappointment from all those years ago still ringing in his voice. I had to put down my rose coloured glasses, which I like to look back on our motoring history with & absorb the truth.
Have you ever heard the saying, don't buy a car that was made on a Friday or Monday? Back in those early days of car manufacturing here in Australia, it has been suggested there was a practice of rushing a car out the door on a Friday, to hit knock of time, then on Mondays, well things didn't go too well either as workers were getting over their weekend & apparently didn't do a good job either. Theo reminded me - “A lot of the workers in these manufacturing plants were migrants & they were treated badly by the organisation, this would often have an effect on the output quality.” I had to laugh when Theo told me, “Well my car must have been started on Friday then finished on Monday, because it was F#@Kin terrible”.
Unfortunately the story continues to get worse for poor Theo & his brand new special order Fairmont. At this point in our conversation I could tell the frustration & the genuine disappointment was still there 50 odd years later, when he continued to detail a long list of things that were wrong with the car when it arrived. The bonnet needed to be adjusted, both front guards had to be realigned, drivers 1/4 window needed adjusting & the list went on.
A few months later Theo was living in Brisbane, he decided to take his Fairmont to the local Ford dealership to rectify all those issues “I had to take it back 4 F^#king times & still they didn't fix it properly” Theo angrily barks down the phone. Left with no other option he contacted Ford Australia central office, they requested he write an official complaint letter & they would follow it up. To Ford’s credit they sent an official representative to the Ford dealership in Brissi, the dealership was given a RED LETTER warning, which meant if they didn't get this issue sorted, the dealership stood to lose their Ford dealership licence.
Theo admits, the dealership did address those issues but it was never done correctly. Totally exhausted by the ordeal & not having the energy to continue pursuing the cause, Theo decided just moved on, he drove the car for a few more years as it was. The Fairmont was then parked in the shed & Theo promised himself, one day he'd fix the car & make it right, just like it should have been when it left the factory in 1971.
So by now you are most probably thinking, what's next, it can't get any worse right? Well thankfully this story does have a happy ending. That one day did come & Theo did restore his very unique Ford Fairmont back to its original, well actually better than original condition. Theos story highlights that sometimes these cars that rolled off our local production lines, were not as good as they should have been. So as we put down our rose coloured glasses & accept, it was humans making these cars back then & things were sometimes pushed along to get the job done. What's most important now is, Theo has one amazing & very special Ford Fairmont with all the bells & whistles, its restoration is meticulous & its been given another chance at life. Happy driving Theo.
Massive thanks to Theo for sharing his story with us.
1971 XY Ford Fairmont
Specifications
302 V8 Windsor
4 Sp Manual
Power Disc
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