I bought this vehicle in 1987 as a daily drive after selling my XB Hardtop when the kids came along. At one stage, we had 3 baby seats harnessed in the back seat. Then another one (the 4th) arrived and we then put the oldest in the 'Dickie seat' between the driver and passenger with a lap seat belt. This was all good until our 5th child arrived in 1998 when we had to buy a van. There were definitely no more seats available in the Fairlane!
In 2005, we moved to Micronesia for 4 years doing volunteer work and the Fairlane waited for our return. It had suffered severe rusting in many areas, including ant and spider infestation - much to the horror of my daughter while driving down the M1. After 3 months, we were able to get rid of the ant nest which must have existed in a wall cavity somewhere and in 2014, I started a 2 year restoration project which was more frightening than anticipated as I removed panels and discovered the true extent of the damage, which had been occurring for a very long time. I felt disheartened many times as I felt that the car was beyond redemption. However, with a new arc welder and a stack of sheet-metal off-cuts, I ventured into the unknown territory below the panels and trim and had to muster new determination every day to see the project through.
Now, the car has a new look and a younger feel with a lot of the rust-promoting trim removed.
Our oldest child is now 31 and has a life-long association with the Fairlane. All the children feel the same - that this car is a major part of our family history and if we had a pool room big enough, that's where it would go.
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