Philip Lewis of Midleton in Cork is a very loyal Ford customer of a type that is becoming very rare in today's world.  Over his 45 year driving career to date, he has only ever bought Ford cars - 30 in total. 

And what is even more rare is the fact that not only has he stayed with the same Ford Dealership for all his cars but for all 30 new purchases, he has dealt with the same salesman, Martin Condon, of main Ford Dealer, Cavanagh's of Charleville.

Philip was recently at Cavanagh's to collect his 30th Ford car when he was handed the keys to a new 141 Ford Focus by, who else, only Martin Condon, Dealer Principal at the Dealership.

"I have known Philip since 1969 when I was a young salesman and, in that time, I have sold him a broad range of our top-selling models down through each of the decades", said Martin.  "It is truly rare to see such devotion to one brand but we pride ourselves on knowing our customers and building a relationship of trust and Philip has certainly been happy with both the cars and how we looked after him down through the years".

Since 1969, Philip has owned several models of each of the following Ford nameplates: Ford Escort, Ford Cortina, Ford Capri, Ford Orion, Ford Sierra, Ford Fiesta and, more recently, Ford Focus.

Philip's first car was a red Ford Escort registration number GZT 307 but when asked about the most memorable models, Philip highlights the Ford Capri which, in its day, was a real head-turner.  The Ford Capri was the first real 'sports car' that ordinary motorists could aspire to owning made famous by series such as ITV's Minder and The Professionals, with Bodie or Doyle behind the wheel only adding to its allure.

"I had one of the very first Capris that were on the road in Cork, registration UZT 857, and with its black vinyl roof it really looked the part", said Philip.  "That was only one of three Capris that I owned including one that was lilac and another that was canary yellow - they were really exciting cars from a time when there were very few exciting cars on our roads".

When asked about why he always chose Ford, Philip is philosophical: "I never had any real trouble with any of the cars I have owned and I liked the look of each model so I didn't see any point in changing to another brand. And I always went to Cavanagh's for my cars because they always looked after me, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

When pressed to pick what would be his favourite car, you might be surprised to hear that he plumps for the Focus: "It is a great car to drive, efficient to run and very dependable - I can see why it has been Ireland's best-selling model over the last number of years", says Philip.



What about his thoughts on the difference between some of the classic models like Capri and Cortina compared to cars of today, Philip says: "It has to be how technology has transformed motoring since when I started driving - just look at how clean, efficient and safe cars are compared to back in the 70s or even the 80s", concluded Philip.