Download - Ode To SCT088
The unthinkable, unimaginable,
incomprehensible has happened ……
Danz has a new car ….
The only problem is some silly bugger has put the steering wheel on the wrong side.
Plus, due to the that fact attempting to start the Escort before the sun had warmed her bonnet was a trying experience (thank you 05:00am starts at the Abalone farm for making that apparent) shipping her to Canada was not an option as …
…car owner ship in Canada has it’s little
quirks
It’s an obvious downgrade as you can plainly see. And its time to say goodbye to character, goodbye having to open and close the hood to get the front right headlight to work, goodbye the feeling that when it stalls at the traffic lights will it start again (oh the joys of old 4 cylinder weber carburettor cars), goodbye the 17 different places to tap the dashboard in order to get a variety of different squeaks to stop, goodbye radio that chooses it’s own volume, goodbye blowing all your oil onto the road in one massive blast, goodbye having a car that requires patting the dash to encourage forward momentum/successful gear changes (towards the end)/the ability to idle, goodbye good good times.
But hello being able to run more than one electrical component of the car at once, hello not feeling anxious when you are not adjacent to a pull over lane should you require yet another ‘initiate hazard lights and phone roadside assistance’ moment, hello 4WDing with 4 wheels, hello starting first time and hello sun roof (more appropriately called ‘snow viewing window’ in Canada).
So let us remember the Escort, aka Green
Beast, aka Jelly Bean, aka Kermit Mobile
with some moments of her in her full glory:
** make sure you have sound on**
She was the adventurous type, always
looking for new places and seeing what
was over the horizon
… often the only non 4WD in the parking lot.
Moving Danz and all his worldly
possessions the 2971 km trip from
Adelaide – Lincoln – Perth was an
effortless undertaking
Along the way she was in her natural
habitat, surveying her kingdom while
maintaining 100% effective camouflage
Strike a pose
Final leg to Perth, look out WA.
And who could forget that whales are no longer measured in metres but in escort
lengths. eg. “Wow, that whale must be at least 7.3 escorts long”.
When the boat mast needed transportation
there was only car up to the challenge.
There was some excuse about mast-trailer
overhang and needing a low car but I
didn’t buy it for a second, raw power was
what was on order:
That’s a 12m long mast on a 10m long trailer, that’ll show dad’s big 4WD’s whose
the boss of the garage!!!!
If the Hulk made love with Herbie the Love Bug then the Escort is what their
children would be.
As well as masts, entire boats were towed around Yorke Peninsula and through
sandhills
…. plus other destinations
And who could forget the trip up to Port
Headland, and every where in between …
…. Where two Swedish ambassadors donned the aussie wife beater uniform for a 2 week
road trippin / swimming with whale sharks / sleeping on the beach / diving / no showering
extravaganza?!
… Hangover Bay 1km
What, cyclone flooded roads? No Problem!!! (Well 1 x problem but nothing some
bush mechanic Spinifex grass de-bogging training from a passing 4WD of locals
couldn't fix)
Whose a dirty girl?
Coffee Shop,
….. friend
Bar,
Ocean view table,
The spacious interior
Worst parallel park …. ever
The perfect wildlife hide
Campin’
When it was time for Danz to box up his life
and head to Canada the mechanic said
that she only had about 2000km left before
a complete top engine overhaul was
required …
So we took the train from Perth to Adelaide and then drove from Adelaide to Port
Lincoln
Where the
preparations
began
To create a structure worthy of holding the Green Beast
Testing the fit …
… tucking her in
The shed may have cost more in materials that the value of the car, but that is
only measured in monetary value ………..
…….. perhaps, see even Pope John Paul II had to get push
starts, click here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9864923
And now it is time for her to rest …
And dream of her next adventure
And for those familiar with the coolest car in
the Port Lincoln High School parking lot, a
special guest appearance by the Volvo:
… in her early days
and perhaps more suitable for Canadian living
Until she hits the road again
Green Beast
1978 - ???