Ford Fairlane 2006 News

A charity auction ended in disappointment when the last Fairlane to leave Ford's production line failed to realise even its list price on Sunday afternoon.Disappointing for Ford perhaps and the National Breast Cancer Council that was due to pocket the proceeds.But not for Melbourne boat dealer Simon Miller, 43, who suddenly found himself the proud owner of another car.“I don’t I think I could have got one that cheap even if I’d haggled,” he said.Ford had anticipated “strong interest” in the event, but the Fairlane, a six cylinder Fairmont Ghia that retails for $58,625, managed to raise only $48,100 – and that's a driveway price including 12 month's registration.Ford enlisted the services of cricketers Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden to promote the event, but the current one day international series must have been more interesting.Perhaps the auction would have attracted more interest if the car had been a V8 model?Yes, concedes Ford, but the trouble is that it stopped manufacturing V8s some time ago.A Ford spokesman, however, confirmed the car is literally the last Fairlane to leave the line.“It's a nice collector car and a very good price at that,” a spokesman said.In the lead-up to the auction, Ford described the car as the final example of more than 250,000 Fairlane and LTD vehicles manufactured between 1967 and 2008.Early last year, Ford decided to pull the pin on the Fairlane as well as the more luxurious LTD model in the wake of falling sales.A total of 12 bidders registered for the auction which ended at 5pm on Sunday.It attracted 40 bids in total, with the winning bid coming just seconds before the end in typical eBay fashion.As the auction drew to a close there were some anxious moment as the eBay site refused to accept any further bids.At the time Miller was out on a boat enjoying the sunshine off Frankston, with a friend keeping him updated on proceedings via text messages.The father of two revealed his own father had owned five Fairlanes over the years but said he had no plans to give him this one.Miller might however cook up something with his beloved Geelong Football Club.Other than that, he has not decided what to do with the car yet.In fact, the boat dealer has just taken delivery of a new turbo-diesel Landcruiser which he uses to tow boats. 

But he says it is too early to write off the Fairlane nameplate. With a strong history over 40 years, he is confident we may see the name rise from the ashes in the form of an imported model.

Setting off on a driving holiday through Victoria and South Australia, the 1991 film sprang to mind, but any comparison evaporated rapidly. This was no case of "wild girls on the run" – despite the cowboy hat which featured throughout. Rather, it was a mother and daughter holiday.Instead of a low-slung '66 Thunderbird convertible our chariot was a solid Ford Fairlane Ghia with a six-speed auto. There were no guns, police chases or hitchhikers (much to the relief of both Ford and my mother). But there were thermal hot springs, wineries and the pleasure of driving the length of the Great Ocean Road.And the Ghia was the perfect vehicle for such a trip.As a large car it held the road beautifully. It also had grunt.Overtaking on the open road can be a fraught business in an unfamiliar vehicle. There is nothing worse than putting your foot down and finding you are at the wheel of a gutless wonder, but this sedan had plenty under the hood.Cruise control ensured speeding tickets did not become an issue on the open road and another road trip bonus was the satellite navigation system ... which I am sure would have enhanced the chances of Thelma and Louise actually winding up in Mexico rather than over a cliff.For someone unfamiliar with Melbourne it was a breeze to get from the airport to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula simply by listening to its directions.And for the map challenged it was helpful to find it could be orientated in a similar vein to turning a map book around. It coped with finding a spa and even the ferry trip across to Queenscliff.From there other features made their advantages known. The leather-trimmed seats were a delight for long hours behind the wheel, the boot contained enough room for suitcases and cartons of wine (no visit to the Coonawarra is complete without a purchase or two), and there was ample leg room in the back if we had found a dreamy hitchhiker along the way.The downsides all sound like quibbles – but for the record the centre console (which the manufacturer says is "liquid metal") looks more like cheap, shiny black plastic.The doors were heavy – and usually took more than one attempt to close. And I'm glad I was never faced with the challenge of trying to park this car on a busy city street – even with reversing sensors it could pose a challenge.LOVE IT LEAVE ITFord Fairlane GhiaPrice: $58,625LOVE ITA delight on a long road trip. Comfortable, roomy, great stretchy shopping holder in the enormous boot.LEAVE IT No good for anyone who struggles with parking – even with the help of park sensors this is a big car.