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1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Restomod Engine and transmission: 351 CI Windsor V8 engine Edelbrock 4 barrel carb with automatic electric choke Electronic ignition 4-1 tubular exhaust manifolds Custom 3” dual exhausts Upgraded to electric fuel pump with safety cutout Custom built air conditioning system for Gulf climate 3 speed FMX automatic transmission Chassis: Monocoque construction Uprated shock absorbers Lowered 40mm in front on springs Lowered 40mm in rear on modified spring hangers Polybushed Front strut brace connected through bulkhead Power steering conversion with uprated pump Brakes, Wheels and Tyres: Billet alloy wheels Kumho Ecsta LE Sport 245/40 R18 on front Kumho Ecsta LE Sport 265/35 R18 on rear Vented discs all round SSBC Force 10 twin pot calipers front and rear Additional SSBC Force 10 handbrake calipers on rear Bodywork: Full respray in custom gun metal grey HID headlights Front chin spoiler Bonnet pins Hood scoop Sequential direction indicators fitted in scoop Chrome bumpers and trim Shortened radio antenna Vents on rear quarter panel Interior: Original vinyl low back seats Custom colour changing dashboard Dashboard plastics painted to match exterior colour Springalex style steering wheel Kenwood DVD head unit Boston Dynamics speakers Reversing camera screen hidden inside rear view mirror, only visible when activated I have been looking after this car for around a year now, doing maintenance, repairs, restoration and modifications along the way. Now I know you’re thinking it doesn’t look like any Mach 1 you may have seen before. That’s because it doesn’t. The previous owner had left the car with a bit of an identity crisis. It was a weird Mach 1/GT500 Eleanor hybrid. Eleanor bodykit complete with front bumper, arch spats, side skirts with holes for a side exhaust and random fake vents stuck all over the body. When you walked to the rear of the car it had the original Mach 1 rear window louvre and ironing board spoiler. Now the car has been restored to a much cleaner look with all the Satwa spec stick on parts removed. It’s finished in a beautiful gunmetal grey with deep lacquer for a high gloss finish. The first thing that hits you when you get into the car is the smell. Vinyl and petrol. It transports you back in time to a place where no modern car can ever take you. When you turn the key, you are greeted by the illuminated dashboard which can change colour at the touch of a button. If the car has been sitting for a while, it’s best to turn the ignition on/off a few times to fill the fuel bowl which facilitates easier starting. In this hot climate, the fuel will evaporate from the carburettor if the car hasn’t been used. Turn the key further to engage the starter motor, pump the accelerator a couple of times and the engine fires into life assaulting the senses. The first thing that hits is the noise and vibration. The 351 Windsor V8 with 4 barrel Edelbrock carb and 3 inch exhausts sounds like thunder and will rattle windows half a mile away. Engage D on the 3 speed FMX slushmatic box and you’re ready for the road. The Windsor engine produces 250 BHP in standard from. This example produces an estimated 275-280 BHP with the modifications. Being an almost 50 year old car it isn’t going to set the world on fire but it can hold its own amongst modern traffic. The suspension modifications help the car to corner flat and level and the wide, low profile tyres help it stick to the road. The car is equipped with an open type differential and would greatly benefit from one of a limited slip variety to add some tail out and donut action. The car originally came with drum brakes all round. The change to a modern system with vented discs with twin pot calipers makes a night and day difference to stopping distances and inspires confidence in hard braking situations. One thing to remember about old cars like this with carburettors is that they will need tuned twice a year to ensure maximum performance, once in winter and once in summer to account for the difference in intake air temperatures. The old points type ignition system has been changed for electronic ignition which leaves the car a lot more reliable and easier to service. The new modern sound system performs well but let’s be honest, when you drive a car like this the only station you need is Exhaust FM. This is an extremely long car and the reversing camera with disappearing screen concealed in the rear view mirror is a huge benefit. Other little touches like sequential LED turn indicators in the hood scoop, the HID headlights, all add up to make this a car you can drive every day. If you don’t mind the fuel bill that is. If you liked my review, don’t forget to hit the like button, share it with your friends and get them to hit the like button too. If I get a good response, I will review more classic and high end cars.

The review is written considering the fact that a 20 year old car is being driven in the year 2018 with its current main purpose being for offroading Pros - Old School Driving - Bullet proof Inline 4.0 Engine - Light Weight Unibody Construction - Extremely Capable Offroader - Easy to Modify Cons - Basic Features - Famous for Death Wobble - Reliability is a concern - Tends to overheat unless modification is done A car that was initially launched in 1984 as a compact utility vehicle, the Cherokee XJ has grown to be one of the originators and the precursor to the current day SUVs. Its design has been noted as one of the greatest of all time. Popular Mechanics listed the XJ as one of "the 25 greatest boxy cars of all time". It is built on a unibody construction which offers it a light weight body Vehicle Specs - 6 cylinder inline 4.0 engine - Power 190 hp @ 4300 rpm - Torque 305 N.m @ 3000 rpm - Gross Weight of approx 1400 kg - Transmissions are 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic. In the UAE market, the XJ is available in GCC, American (most common) and Japanese specs. One should be careful while buying the American Spec or rather the American import cars as many of them have been in some sort of accident with some of them having serious damage. Traditionally Cherokee XJs do run hot due to their limited size of the radiator, and hence the GCC Spec is the most preferred version. Cherokee XJs come with solid front and rear axles. Though an outdated technology in comparison to Independent Suspension, it follows the principal of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Hence a very rugged design which is useful when one takes this car offroad. Further, modifications in terms of lift kit and installation of bigger tyres is relatively easier compared to an Independent Suspension vehicle. However, saying that, the vehicle in stock condition runs a finely balanced suspension, and any alteration such as a lift can trigger the famous death wobble especially with worn out busing and joints. In current times, most buyers of this vehicle are mainly offroad enthusiasts, who appreciate the the high power to weight ratio (135 hp per ton). However, in offroad the manual version does overshine the automatic version purely because in the automatic version the lowest possible gear that can be selected is a 1-2, and the vehicle does tend to upshift after reaching a speed of 40 km/h which kills the entire torque which is the most critical aspect of steep uphill climbs. While this issue can be overcome by selecting 4 low in the transfer case it does put a lot of strain on the engine as its revving at 5000+ rpms. I strongly recommend to go for a GCC spec manual transmission as that gives one the liberty to choose the right gear for the moment which is especially useful in long steep hill climbs as shown in the below videos: Location : Sweihan Location : Faya (from the right side) Reliability is a definite concern with the Cherokee XJ, and hence I advise those who are interested in this vehicle to get the vehicle properly inspected before doing a purchase. Further, it is advisable to get all the wearable parts replaced with original MOPAR parts instead of cheap after market parts before venturing into the desert. I have been driving this vehicle for the past year both as a daily driver as well as my weekend drives and have thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The vehicle I drive is almost stock except for the following modifications: 1. Replaced the existing radiator with a 4 core aluminium radiator 2. Added extra fans infront of the radiator to improve the cooling under offroad driving conditions 3. 3" inch lift by installing harder suspensions Major expenses in terms of maintenance has been replacement of clutch and flywheel, along with replacements of the track bar and some bushings. Conclusion : Would I recommend this vehicle to others? Would definitely recommend a manual transmission Cherokee XJ if you are able to get a good clean vehicle (which can be quite rare and difficult to find) as its a lot of fun to drive this vehicle. It would also help to have a good mechanic as your friend to help you with the fixes from time to time. I bought the vehicle for AED 11,000 (slightly above the market price), plus I spent an additional AED 5000 to get it to current condition, but I have not yet regretted my decision. P.S. If you like this review, don't forget to hit the 'Like' Button

There’s lots of room but bring your own blanket 😂

I know a few people driving them. Other than the fact that can burn oil at an alarming rate, there are minimal issues other than wear and tear just like any other car. As far as I know the only difference in the GCC spec 993 is that the fan switch and thermostat kick in at a lower temperature so in theory, you could buy a European car and just swap these 2 cheap parts and have the same car, minus the Arabic stickers.

Well if the car is GCC specs and not an import then you shouldn't get worried about the heat as that's what the job of GCC specification to take care about all the extreme weather condition persists in the Middle east arid weather. I had the 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo for almost 2 years and never faced any engine heating or AC inefficient cooling at all, of course, it was GCC specs. If you are thinking of importing your existing Porsche to Dubai upon your move, then definitely it's a very bad idea as the amount of money you will spend on fixing the heat issues will be quite expensive knowing the Porsche and the age of your model. I paid 1500 dhs (410 USD) for one headlight shell from scrap guy and when I asked the reason, I got the reply: "Sir, it's a Porsche" However, if you have some emotional attachment to it then nothing is impossible in Dubai, there are tons of Porsche experts who can modify it to withstand GCC specifications.

Damn I was going to recomend LuLu Hypermarket