Cruisin' with Carl

I have been a car spotter for most of my life and have always enjoyed being behind the wheel of something with four wheels, but due to a variety of reasons I had spent many years off the road and more importantly out of the driver’s seat!

That all changed though last September when I decided to finally get back behind the wheel and took delivery of my German made mistress… A Silver Ford Focus XR5 Turbo.

Why an XR5 I hear you ask? There are plenty of other import hatches with more grunt than the XR5 you declare! Perhaps. Then again the VXR torque steers like a V8 on a push bike and the MPS looks like an entry level Mazda 3. The reasons for an XR5 go beyond the stock performance, which can be easily improved with the help of ECU flash from the likes of DreamScience.

For me its more about the comfort of the leather seats, the stirring rumble from the XR5’s distinct exhaust note, the fact that I can put shopping in the boot and also that it make a thirty four year old man feel like a teenager again! It is this last point that sets the scene for this story.

Since buying my XR5 last September I have been a member of a website called “FordXR5Turbo.com”, which is a haven for those who either own one, want one or just love reading about them! It is also the marshalling point for weekend cruises. Every month or so the members within their respective states co-ordinate to meet up at a predetermined location for a day long cruise where they share stories, compare notes and ogle over each others XR5’s.

Last Saturday I embarked on my virgin run with my fellow XR5 brethren and here is what transpired…

Despite a rain soaked working week I awoke on Saturday morning to a promising glimpse of sunshine. I prepared myself the day’s outing. Water? Check. Snacks? Check. Phone? Check. CB Radio? Check.

Everything was in order so I jumped in the car and commenced my journey to the rallying point – a well known burger supplier in Windsor. On arriving I was met with every XR5 owner’s wet dream! A rainbow of different coloured turbo charged Focus’ all lined up in the car park ready for their big day out.

Pleasantries were exchanged and then the owners commenced checking out each other’s cars. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the cars were untouched in terms of body work and there wasn’t a neon light in sight! In fact the biggest exterior modification I could find was that one guy has resprayed his stock wheels black (this looked very cool by the way!)

In fact the only changes made that I could find were ECU flashes and the odd exhaust upgrade.

The time came for the convoy to roll out and so began the adventure of eighteen XR5’s driving through areas such as Lithgow, Bathurst, Oberon and finally the picturesque Jenolan Caves. I encountered a variety of road conditions from sweeping long highways to tight and steep hairpins with little more than chicken wire separating my precious vehicle (oh and my well being) from the precipice of the Great Diving Range.

There was even a touch of “Smokey and The Bandits” to the day with one of the posse coping a speeding fine from the boys in blue, but in his defence I think he was simply making sure the accelerator pedal was in working order!

The best part of the day was driving through the small towns and seeing the look on the local’s faces as this motley array of cars drove through in precession like a bunch of fun loving Hell’s Angels.

The cruised offered me the chance to get to know my car in its proper surroundings – the open road and not the clutter of city driving. Most of all I got to meet lots of characters who all share the same passion.

Will I be back? As long as there is fuel in the tank and rubber on the rims I’m ready for the next XR5 adventure!