This is a 1993 Ford Orion LX with a 1.8 liter 16 valve "Zetec" engine and 5-speed transmission. It didn't stay stock for long, as I prefer to make my vehicles a little different.

I'm not a great fan of huge bodykits, which is a good thing as there aren't many available for this year Orion. I used my imagination and made some more subtle changes.

The biggest change was with the suspension. I replaced the stock parts with a Jamex kit of springs and struts that was intended to lower an Escort RS2000 by 60mm, but on the Orion brought it down by 80mm front and 70mm rear. Wheels and tires were replaced with a set of Valbrem 941, size 7x15" with a 38mm offset. Tires are V-rated Bridgestone Potenza RE720, size 195/50x15 on the front and 205/50x15 on the rear. I also replaced the stock spare wheel with a 6x15" steel rim from a Ford Mondeo (european equivalent of the Contour) with a 195/50x15 Goodyear Eagle NCT2.

Body mods are simple. First, I modified the stock windshield wiper linkage to give a single wiper. By modifing the linkage, the wiper covers more of the screen in each sweep. I also added a silver sunstrip to the top of the windshield. Lighting modifications are limited to a set of blue-tinted fog lights in the lower air intake, and I relocated the parking lights from the headlamps to the turn signals. I also used some "blue" H4 headlamp bulbs that give a bright white light, but make roadsigns show up in a rainbow of colors as you pass them by.

Looking at the back end, I removed all the stock badges and added another silver sunstrip. To help with the overall smoothness, I removed the stock two-tone blue stripes that ran the length of the car. What you may just be able to see is the LED center brake light. When this car was made, center brake lights were not a UK requirement, so I added one at the bottom of the rear window, where it blends in until I step on the brakes. Also visible from the rear are the dual tips of the Janspeed cat-back exhaust. This exhaust has a nice deep tone that never gets raspy like a lot of systems do. In the attention-to-detail category are the smooth licence plates. Instead of make holes to screw them on, I used a combination of double-sided tape and clear silicone adhesive. Only a small change, but I felt better for knowing I'd made the effort. :)

Under the hood changes are limited to the K&N intake system that replaces the restrictive stock intake pipe and airbox. The filter also makes a nice sucking, snorting sound when the throttle is opened, which goes well with the sound of the Janspeed exhaust. Unfortunately 100,000 miles of heat and weather have taken their toll on the exhaust heat shield, and it has started to break up. The bolts that hold it on are also rusted solid, and will take some work to get out.

Inside changes have been limited to the sound system. Behind the rear seat is a 28 liter sealed sub enclosure, with the electronics mounted on the front, behind the flip-down rear seat. The amplifiers are a pair of old DEI 225's pushing 2x25watts RMS each, one to the sub, the other to the door speakers. The equalizer is an Audio Control EQL, and cabling is a mix of brands. The amps perform far better than their rated power would suggest. Source units are a Kenwood KDC7080 CD/tuner with the MASK front panel and a KDCC710 changer, in the trunk. The amplifiers are lit with blue neon, although it doesn't show well in this picture.

What you can't see, because I forgot to take pictures before I sold the car, are the Momo Top Power steering wheel and Competizione shift knob. Also in the neglected category are the front stage speakers. I mounted a set of MB Quart 5.25" co-axial speakers in the stock door locations, with the crossovers mounted behind the door pockets.

In the trunk you can see the back of the custom fitted subwoofer cabinet, along with the 10" HiFonics Zues subwoofer. The CD-changer can be seen on the left, in another custom fitted enclosure. I can still get the spare wheel out with this setup, and I can fit two full-sized suitcases in the trunk; important when I go on vacation. For illlumination, I used another blue neon tube, wired in place of the stock trunk light.

This was the last vehicle I owned before I moved from the UK to the US. Unfortunately due to EPA regulations I was not able to import it, so I sold it on to someone who wanted it for the custom parts.