To some, this FC might look to be a clean, crisp early Holden sporting nice wheels – and they wouldn’t be wrong. But those of us with a nostalgic lust for history and number plates will know this car as much more than that. David Dowling’s FC Holden, which we featured way back in the March 1994 issue of SM, was at the forefront of automotive technological innovation for its time. Those number plates weren’t kidding – this car was equipped with satellite navigation.

First published in the November 2025 issue of Street Machine

Of course, sat nav is something we take for granted these days – even the dumbest of mobile phones has the ability to point you in the right direction and keep you there. But in an era when young blokes had to sneak a peek at The Picture mag to see some rude bits, a car equipped with sat nav was just about unheard of.

David created the tech-laden FC with his brothers Neil, Gavin and Damien. The plan was simple enough: build a mostly stock-looking 1958 Holden jammed full of the latest in 1990s technology. The Brothers Dowling wanted it to feature a fully digital electronic interior, so they bought a written-off ZL Fairlane – then itself only a few years old – and started surgery.

The Fairlane interior was cut-and-shut to fit, and sported all of the big Fairs mod-cons, such as central locking, power windows, air conditioning and the ‘Star Wars’ digital instruments. And it wasn’t just the fancy ’leccy stuff either; the Fairlane seats, door hardware and tilt steering column found their way into the FC, along with the dash and centre console.

Nestled amongst this was the namesake satellite navigation system – voice-activated, mind you – with its nine-inch Amstrad monitor positioned neatly under the Alpine CD player and the satellite receiver hidden in the dash, all driven by an Amstrad personal computer stuffed into the boot and accessed via the split rear seat. Heady stuff for that time, but for computer programmer David, getting this software all written and set up was just another day at the office.

The electronic theme continued in the engine bay, where a fuel-injected TPI small-block Chev sat under a flip-front, backed by a Supra five-speed and narrowed Jag rear. Convo Pro rims gave the FC proper street machine presence, and the body was treated to some minor changes, including HJ door handles, Falcon mirrors and a hidden fuel filler behind the tail-light. The stark white exterior hue was contrasted with Colorado blue for the driveline and chassis.

The technology packed into David’s FC build blew minds at Street Machine Summernats 7 and 8, nabbing a spot in the Top 10 and the Top 20, respectively, as well as a swag of other tinware. The car was later treated to extra detailing before being sold and it eventually disappeared from the scene.

Fast-forward a few decades, and one avid couple who love their hot-car history took it upon themselves to track SATNAV down and get it back in front of the public. The names Craig and Kristie McKenzie should be very familiar to most readers thanks to their MotorEx and Summernats-stomping, ex-Ditch Jones HR ute (SM, Jul ’23), as well as the collection of sex-spec cars they’ve uncovered and returned to their former glories. SATNAV is the latest classic streeter under their care.

“We love an old show car,” Craig says. “It harks back to being younger and what cars left a solid impression. After finishing the HR, I was keen to sink my teeth into something new, so I wrote a list of cars that I’d be keen for. We purchased the chassis from BLOBAK [Alan Cooper’s HQ ute that won the very first SMOTY in 1988!] and have since bought pretty much everything else for it except for the body – but that’s a long-term project. We tried to buy the ex-Rex Webster FJ at auction, but it sold for higher than our budget, so we went back to the list and started wondering about SATNAV.”

To get the ball rolling, Craig thought he’d do a general Marketplace search for ‘FC V8’, hoping to get a rough guide on what sort of coin he’d be needing and whether it was doable. To his amazement, the first ‘FC V8’ in the search results was SATNAV! “We couldn’t believe it!” he marvels. “If that wasn’t a sign, then nothing was.”

Craig was able to negotiate a fair purchase price that included nearly all the car’s trophies, memorabilia, those ever-crucial number plates, and an amazing book of build notes. “It’s all an important part of the car’s history that needs to stay with it,” he says. “The main thing I don’t have is its Top 10 trophy from Summernats 7, if anyone knows its whereabouts?”

The FC was still a running and driving entity when Craig bought it, so the paint and panel whiz is focusing mainly on detailing it back to its former glory. “It’s pretty average in a couple of areas but is coming up well, all things considered,” he says. “The paint is sad in a few spots, so I will eventually respray it. It drives well, but it feels kind of weird inside – it’s like driving a mini XF Falcon! It even uses Ford keys!”

So far, the response to SATNAV at a few recent shows has been mixed; most people who remember the car love the trip down memory lane, while the uninitiated are usually quick to share their disapproval. “It’s always about the interior, and wonderment as to ‘why you’d bother’,” Craig says. “But to me, it’s no different to Peter Lewis’s Astill-built XC that features an FG interior [SM, Jun ’23]; it’s just an earlier application of this thought process, and a calling card for the build that still makes it iconic three decades on.”

MARCH 1994

A big Summernats 7 feature and a giveaway of the ex-Maio brothers TRIKXY Falcon was where life was at when we featured SATNAV in our March 1994 issue. David and SATNAV had just returned home from the ’Nats with the Top Mild Custom gong and a Top 10 berth.