THERE IS NO GREATER FEELING FOR A CAR BLOKE THAN WHEN HE GETS TO FIRE HIS BABY INTO LIFE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

By 2011, it was all go. Raj took the XW to its first outing at the Wanganui Street Drags, then down to Wellington for the Port Road Drags. As he was having so much fun on the eighth-mile tracks, it was only natural that he would have a crack at going twice the distance. Masterton Motorplex and Meremere were frequented, with the big, heavy car cutting an 11.7-second pass at 121mph — not bad for something with a WOF and rego on the windscreen. But, as is often the case with enthusiasts — and a seemingly natural progression over time — Raj decided he wanted a blower, and he wanted one bad. To help fund things, the 429 was removed from the engine bay and shipped off to a chap in Opunake. Through the grapevine, Raj had heard of a suitable engine that was for sale — although, when we say ‘engine’, we mean every part of the engine except the block. The 545-cube rotating assembly, heads, blower, and manifold had been sourced from the UK and shipped to New Zealand. Based on a 460ci big block, the engine had been running sweet — until it had kicked a rod out the side and killed the block, hence the reason that part was missing! A block was sourced and everything required to build a tough short block was chucked in the back of Raj’s car and dumped on Phil Blumont’s workbench at Palmerston North Engine Rebuilders. Four weeks later, it was back west to the river city, so that Raj could fumble his way through the rest of the assembly. With a lot of advice and some educated guesswork, he methodically pieced the rest together. There is no greater feeling for a car bloke than when he gets to fire his baby into life for the very first time. The grin on Raj’s face stretched from ear to ear the first time he heard that glorious blower whine in his quiet suburban Whanganui garage, and we bet the neighbours were stoked! Mission accomplished — Whanganui had yet another tough street car in its fold. With a soft tune on board, the XW took its maiden journey to the 2015 Palmy Swap Meet — and performed flawlessly. With street duties now a success and his new-found enthusiasm, Raj is keen to put the car on the quarter and see what the big old girl can do. We are predicting vast quantities of noise, smoke, and another huge grin on Raj’s face!