This car is hot!
So it’s no wonder Carramar resident Meredith Belcher gets frequent attention when driving her Lancer - admiring looks, and neighbourhood kids begging her to ‘spin the wheels, spin the wheels!’.
Meredith bought the 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Coupe just over a year ago when she decided to upgrade her Ford Laser for something a little sportier. Her boyfriend and dad are both heavily involved in cars and now she can show them up with the impressive modifications she has added to hers.
One of the first things Meredith did was get a custom number plate – XPLIZIT (explicit). According to dictionary definitions, this word means “clearly stated and leaving nothing implied” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). This very much reflects Meredith’s image as someone who knows who she is and what she stands for, and doesn’t try to hide it. Meredith sees herself as “not an everyday normal girl” – where most spend their money on clothes she buys $1000 tyres.
A unique feature of XPLIZIT is the projector ‘angel eye’ headlights imported from the eastern states which have a ‘halo’ around each light and shine a wider, longer beam than normal ones. Meredith is also proud of the SSA 18-inch rims which are impressively thin. XPLIZIT has a blue-purple gloss overcoat and recent detailing along the sides.
Meredith is the only female member of the “True Awakening Car Club” that her boyfriend and his friends started up. One of her favourite place to go with the club is King’s Park at night with the coloured lights shining on the cars. Cruises down the coast road to Fremantle also give them a chance to boost the volume, impress onlookers and just generally have fun in their cars.
After a quick spin in XPLIZIT, I am more than impressed - I’m ready to trade in my car. The recent addition of a $2500 sound system only enhances the experience. As Meredith says, girls are more interested in the look of the car than the ultimate turbo-charged speed it can go. XPLIZIT has an interior of such quality you’re afraid to move in case you scratch the soft leather seats or custom dashboard. Meredith keeps XPLIZIT in this top condition by meticulously cleaning him weekly with a wax wash and keeping him safe in the garage under a cover.
It’s easy to see this girl is passionate about cars. Already she has plans for future modifications and improvements for XPLIZIT, including setting three gauges in the front dash, reupholstering to match the beige leather seats, and obtaining an expensive diamante steering wheel. She loves customising her car because “it gives such a sense of satisfaction to have saved up for something and be able to see it looking so good...it gets a lot of attention too!” She focuses more on making it showy and emphasising the car’s style and image than its speed.
In 2006, Meredith and XPLIZIT were chosen to compete in Auto Salon, a national car competition for performance and modified cars. Auto Salon is the largest car show series in the Southern Hemisphere and competitors have the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes and ultimately be named “Show Car of the Year”. Although XPLIZIT didn’t win this time, he’ll be back and better than ever in 2008, thanks to Meredith’s devotion to her one-of-a-kind car.
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