THE OWNERMo Bulmer has always loved tank Fairlanes.His first car might have been an EK Holden he had at age 17 but the sleek lines of a classic ‘Yank tank’ was what attracted him most.‘‘I’ve wanted one since my 20s,’’ he said.A welder for 25 years and a plasterer for 25 years, Mo now owns three Ford Fairlanes, one of which underwent an 18-month bare-metal restoration courtesy of Rod Munro at Border Customs.The pride of his fleet though is the 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie Skyliner, which steers his drive into the business of luxury cruise tours around the Echuca-Moama region under the name Flash Fairlane Car Services.‘‘This is the fifth tank Fairlane I’ve owned and this is the pinnacle of the tank Fairlanes,’’ Mo said.‘‘The business came later. I was too old to plaster any more. The body’s knackered.’’
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THE CARMo is quick to point out his 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie Skyliner comes with a retractable hardtop.‘‘It’s not a convertible,’’ he stresses.‘‘With a convertible, the roof is a soft-top but this one is a hardtop. It’s a steel top that retracts into the boot.‘‘There’s only 32 of them in Australia to my knowledge. They were never brought into Australia (when they were first produced).’’The Skyliner was converted to right-hand-drive when it was painted red about 28 years ago.It has a 332 FE motor and a two-speed automatic tranmisission with a nine-inch diff and most of the car is in original condition.‘‘I’ve done some modifications,’’ Mo said.‘‘It now has cruise control, a one-inch sway bar in the front, LED headlights, a four-core radiator and a sat nav under the dash for speedo accuracy.’’
WHERE DID YOUR CAR COME FROM?Mo has owned the car for the past three years.‘‘I bought it off a bloke in Melbourne through a friend of amine,’’ he said.‘‘It was in the same condition as it is now except the roof didn’t work.‘‘The guy I bought it off had had it for 20 years and he got it from an auction in Sydney.‘‘But I don’t know any of the car’s history before that.’’
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THE CAR?‘‘It’s uniqueness,’’ Mo said.‘‘The fact it is retractable. It’s two cars in one,’’ he added, pointing out it is waterproof in the rain with the roof on or an open air cruiser in the warmer weather.‘‘The FE motors in the later models were quite different too.‘‘It has a unique sound.’’
SO WHAT’S YOUR PERFECT CAR?Mo simply gestures towards his Skyliner sitting in the yard.
AND WHAT’S NEXT?Mo started up his Flash Fairlane Car Services a few months ago.‘‘There was a need for me to do something else so I thought I’d try this and make a go of it,’’ he said.Sitting back in the comfort of the spacious Ford Skyliner, passengers are chauffeured around on a historical tour of Moama, or a Torrumbarry Weir picnic or the Depot Car Museum in Deniliquin.Mo is happy to drive people to local wineries, the Great Aussie Beer Shed, the Echuca aerodrome for joy flights and the Kyabram Fauna Park.The car is also available for weddings, deb balls, a romantic evening, an anniversary celebration, wedding proposals or even a birthday surprise for a 20-minute cruise around Echuca.The business is based out of a yard at 1 Radcliffe St in Echuca but Mo is happy to go where the customers are.‘‘I’m available any time,’’ he said. ‘‘Just give me a call and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.‘‘I’d like to thank Dean Oberin from the American Hotel.‘‘This is his yard. He’s helped out quite a lot to get me established.’’Flash Fairlane Car Services is on Facebook and can also be reached on 0421 813 875 or via flashfairlanecarservices.com.au
