As a boy he loved The Rockford Files. He decided that when he grew up he was going to have a Pontiac Firebird just like James Garner. Oonagh Charleton talks Firebird with John Farrar.
There are occasions when a German autobahn becomes incredibly desirable. Especially when you are the proud owner of a rare 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 455 whose normal habitat lies among the winding back roads of Wicklow. John Farrar would need a runway at Dublin airport to get the max out of his pride and joy, which not only sports a 7.5 litre engine (four and a half times bigger than the equally sexy but humbler 1600 Laser Capri), but growls from a standard V8.
John, a serious James Garner fan, was addicted to the TV series The Rockford Files as a boy - that where childhood dreams of owning a Firebird began. "I just loved his car," he smiles. "From the time I was about eight I said I just have to have one."
Now, 38 years later, here it is. After two years searching magazines for the car he wanted, he eventually spotted one on the Internet and bought it from a man in east England. In immaculate condition and completely roadworthy with meticulous paperwork, it's also a "numbers matching" car with every receipt from an oil change to an MOT.
Everything from the interior to the "screaming chicken" Firebird logo on the bonnet is original. In 1974 only 1,300 455s were built, making it an incredibly rare car indeed. John may be the only one in Ireland.
An auto-electrician by trade, John Farrar has had virtually nothing to fix or repair since purchase. The car was completely restored three years ago with no modifications and everything has remained factory-standard.
However, one or two things did trouble him shortly after rumbling off the ferry from Britain. Most notable was the fact that the rear tyres - "turbo-vec . . . twice the width of your standard wheel alloys" - were simply far too big. "When you went over a pothole it actually damaged the two rear arches," he says. "That really broke my heart."
The car's 0-60 figure is four to five seconds - by no means a small feat. Its three speed auto-turbo 400 box helps that swiftly along. With air adjustable suspension, limited slip differential in the rear, coil spring shocks and power brakes, the fact that it's bigger than your average bedroom is of little surprise. The 455 Firebird is a 16'6" long x 6'6" wide monster with more bonnet than bag room, but it easily makes up for this in visual appeal.
"I just love the shape of it," says John. "It's the shape that does it for me. I could sit for hours looking at it. In fact, I could sit for a whole day looking at it. My wife has always said that, if I ever left her, it would be for one of these."
John has invested years of research into the 455 and the thrill of actually owning one can be sometimes overwhelming. "For me it's the feeling of driving a big V8 engine but it's also the fact that the car is very smooth, powerful and, I just think, physically beautiful."
What about the attention factor, I wondered as my Dictaphone hopped up and down off the dashboard in time with the bonnet? "When I got it first, I found the attention disconcerting. But as time goes by you become immune to it. I have no problem when people stop me on the streets, but you get the types shouting at you to do donuts and spin the tyres."
Has the car ever him down, I probe. "Never" is the short answer - but he does admit that the Firebird has a few quirks which have left him feeling rather forlorn on occasion.
"There are days that you can take it out of the garage and drive it down the road and it'll feel horrible," he says. "Everything will rattle and you get such a low. You go home, put it in the garage and feel depressed.
"Then you would bring it out a couple of days later and nothing rattles. It's tempramental but nothing goes wrong with it."
John's first car, a Vauxhall Ferenza Viva Coupé, was followed by an Opel Manta.
What would his idea be of the ultimate car? He admits to a massive hankering for a 1970-73 cameo white SD 455 Trans Am with a blue stripe down the middle. He already owns a donor Firebird for parts and is currently restoring a Chevrolet Camero.
The only thorn in the side is the trailer-attached mobile petrol station for your average Sunday spin, and a city drive can reduce you to 12mpg. John is blaze about fuel costs: "You couldn't use this car as an everyday car anyway," he argues. "It's almost 30 years old. I throw in €30 or so, which does me for a month. Look at it this way - petrol is an awful lot cheaper than booze."
A member of the American Classic Car Club, he attends shows and meets regularly with his family. He has made a trip to Dundalk for a show and a cruising convoy with some fellow enthusiasts.