In this edition we interview Kalen Ziflian, General Manager of Club 4X4…

First car? – 1976 Fiat 131 Superbrava – a cheap runabout that I bought with my own money off a mate that turned into a very expensive obsession. It got written off funnily enough – still trying to find it to buy it back, theyre worth a pretty penny nowadays!

First camping experience? – We used to go camping a lot when I was growing up, something I am enjoying sharing with my young kids at the moment. My first memory was of a caravan park at Port Macquarie. I would’ve been about 8 and I recall riding my pushbike all day and hunting for hungry possums with the Eveready Dolphins at night. I can still smell the canvas of the tent we used to sleep in! Back then my old man’s HZ Panelvan was the rig of choice – my kids are lucky as they’ll get to do some free camping where the old pano couldn’t get too.

What do you drive now? I’ve always been a gearhead so I’ve got a few projects, but the most relevant is a 2013 GU Patrol – the Club 4X4 MobileHQGU.

What’s it got on it? Pretty much everything! Darche gear including a roof top tent and awning with all the annexes when i need more room. REDARC gauges, Inverter, Amorphous Solar Blanket, BCDC charger and dual battery setup. ARB barwork and roof basket, Intensity LED’s, OME 2 inch lift, rated front recovery point. Steinbauer module, Cross Country Ultimate Intercooler/catch can and a Redback 3 inch exhaust.

What is your favourite mod? I hate choosing, but at the moment I love seeing my EGT’s nice and low following some recent mechanical work. So it’s between the Cross Country Intercooler because I just like looking at it and my EGT gauge because it means I know what’s going on with the old ZD.

What is your favourite track/drive/campsite? – Favourite campsite at the moment is Newnes campground because there’s lots of room and wildlife to keep the kids entertained, but recently we camped at Cadelga Ruins on the way to the Big Red Bash and that’s a pretty special place. Can’t choose a track as any time on dirt is a real treat lately!

What are your future plans for your setup? – I’d love to have a set of Recaro’s as I do a lot of driving! Other than that I’m tossing up drawers and cargo barrier, but I can’t make up my mind as we use the truck to cart around gear for shows and events and the barrier will reduce carrying capacity. Other than that, if I could buy some time to take it on the dirt where it’s meant to be, that would be nice too!