Designer Dope - Custom Art

It makes you feel like Elvis Presley. Clad in one of those immaculate white suits with a black bowtie. Equipped with 40000 watts of sound output, that classic wire-mesh mic under the tight grabs of his hands is like a remote control with which to play with the world's emotions. Chaos is inevitable. It's no experiment for him. He knows that he has the recipe ready for a stampede. Let him loose on Mumbai roads and it'll be madness, mayhem, anarchy...

Story: Amit Chhangani Photography Kunal Khadse

THIS MACHINE IS A SCREAM, IT'S DOPE, IT'S MIND-BOGGLINGLY, ASTONISHINGLY STIMULATING FOR ALL YOUR MOTORING SENSES. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT A SHOT OF DOPAMINE FEELS LIKE? YOU JUST HAVE TO GET BEHIND THE WHEEL

AND I AM NOT JOKING. WHEN YOU see people falling, shoving, pushing, fighting, struggling, ready to kill for a sighting, you come to know what stardom means. It's the closest that a lower mortal like me could ever get to being a superstar. The Caterham Seven replica that Rizwan Ali has made is a metallic analogue of the all time legend if the number of turning heads is anything to go by. No less charismatic and flamboyant. Just step in and you'll know what one means by 'shortcut to fame'. It's the most chic thing that you'd ever some across on wheels on Indian roads. A thorough roadster, squat and aggressive, that hugs the road in a very stylish manner. For the driver who beholds it, it's the automotive equivalent of a Russian supermodel, oozing with lust - alluring, inviting and oh so desirable. There are no doors, so climb in, treat yourself to the custom made, all-enveloping bucket seats which don't leave any stone unturned in making you feel like a born racer from moment one. Now if you, like me, are a newbie to proper racing machines, bring that fake smile on you face trying to exhibit that you know it all. Try tinkering around with whatever switches, buttons and lights you have on hand. It won't help though, even if you have the key. The slot is invisible. It's under the panel behind the steering wheel. So stop struggling, as you'd never be able to find it. You'll have to banish all your pride and request Rizwan to get the thing into the right slot. Once he does that, Look at the central console. You'll find a translucent red plastic cap. Flip it over. You'll see a chromed switch - push it down. Then you have a red button named 'START.' Don't push it just yet. Sit back and experience the sensation of the power you wield, and the mayhem you can unleash. Even before you've brought the thing to life you know that there's something special about this machine. There's a tremendous sense of occasion...

The front headlamps and blinkers are taken from the Pulsar. The K&N pops its neck out from the bonnet to add that touch of exclusivity and aggression to the car Ready? Okay, take a deep breath and push the red button. Don't engage any gears just yet, just rev it in neutral. Hear the divine music. Do it a couple more times, and every nerve in your body will get ready for action. Now engage first, release clutch and floor it. For someone who hasn't much been in close proximity with a racing machine, it's one of the biggest hoots of his life. The sound of the engine coupled with the monster that the 1.3-litre Esteem engine has become in absence of weight, makes the car a howling metallic incarnation of ecstasy. Pedal to the metal, the rear of your head will bang against the roll-bar, and you'll floor it again with more enthusiasm, while your head bangs into the bar again, more ferociously, more painfully. This machine is a scream, it's dope, it's mind-bogglingly, astonishingly stimulating for all your motoring senses. You want to know what a shot of dopamine feels like? You just have to get behind the wheel.

The steering is purely mechanical, with no electrical assistance. Maneuvering it at low speeds is a chore, but as the speeds rise, the feedback it provides is unparalleled. The suspension is firm, which is fair enough - this isn't a family carrier. You don't want the thing to wallow while taking corners flat out. The ground clearance is low, which, coupled with the extra-long wheelbase, calls for extra care while taking the machine over any surface which is not perfectly flat. The gear lever juts out horizontally from the central console, so it takes a little getting used to before you could shift with confidence. The quality of the gearshift, however, is good. Overall, the car demands your involvement while driving it, and rewards you with tactile feel - the kind you never get in family saloons.

The three young men who've built this machine - Rizwan Ali, Komeil Mukhi and Vivek Quadros - haven't left anything for later. The car is replete with colour coded Sparco steering wheel, gear knob and paddles, four point harness seatbelts from Summit Racing, immaculate handcrafted leather bucket seats and racing style switches and buttons. The neatness of the job is amazingly creaseless and the beauty of the thing as a whole is breathtaking.

Wheels, to a roadster are what legs are to a model. Expensive 195/50 ZR15 Good Year Eagle F1 is the rubber which has been asked to hold the tarmac for the car, with special 15-inch racing alloy wheels chosen to lend that all-important classy touch. The differential has been taken from a 118NE, the 1.3-litre carbureted engine comes from an Esteem, and the 5-speed gearbox is from a Gypsy King. Valko Superlite 1300, as the men behind the gorgeous roadster prefer calling it, has an all fiberglass body, strengthened with flat steel sections wherever necessary. The suspension up front is an unequal length double-A tubular wishbones setup, with height and damping rate adjustable AVO shock absorbers. At the rear, a 5-link system, comprising of four trailing arms and a panhard rod, using height and damping rate adjustable AVO shock absorbers make sure that the rough is taken with the smooth. The car employs front discs and rear drums to bring itself to a halt, with both brake kits picked up from the 118NE. The steering system is taken up from a Toyota Qualis, and works perfectly (well, almost...) with the zero-play Sparco steering wheel.

All of it started as a youngster's dream. The picture of whose fantasy was drawn on an 8'x4' sheet of white pre-laminated particle board one night as an effort to scale the bottom rail chassis layout of what he thought was his dream sports car. A Caterham Seven Replica. The picture adorned Rizwan's room for more than a year. Everyone who came to meet him asked as to what it was. And every single one of them shook his head in sympathy when he left the room, pitying the poor lad who was on the verge of lunacy at such an early age.

Komeil Mukhi, one of Rizwan's friends however had different thoughts. Enthused by his inquisitiveness and interest, Rizwan presented him the copies of his entire research for the car as his birthday gift, but not before taking a promise that the car would not be built without Rizwan as one of the partners. Komeil was keen on the project and wanted to start it as soon as possible. Rizwan however was a bit apprehensive about actually having a go at such an ambitious project. Komeil ran out of patience after seven agonizing months and phoned Rizwan one fine day to tell him that he had decided to go ahead even without him. Rizwan obviously had to give in finally. The duo was later joined by another friend, Vivek Quadros, who decided to share the expenses on the car with Rizwan, while also deciding to put aside his five months' leave for the task.

The clocks are all taken from the Amby, the seats and unpholstery are handcrafted. Oh, and there's a Blaupunkt music system too, with just one speaker - useable only when the car is not moving

After about 8 months of tireless effort, sleepless nights, cut fingers, red eyes and burnt body parts, the trio succeeded in realizing their dream into metal. The immaculate finish of the car shouts aloud to justify every single second that went into the making of this machine.

Everyone wants his dream set of wheels, but there are a very few who go ahead and build it for themselves. Many who try, end up making a mess of things. Rizwan and gang are among the rarest few who build it themselves, and build it with style and panache. For the Rs 7 lakh that they spent on putting it together, I think it's the most exotic piece of machinery that one can drive. For it's not just about money. If there was a way to weigh passion, this one would have been one of the heaviest among them all.

That's where the fun begins from. Flip over the red cap, bring down the hidden chrome switch and push the red START button to hear the best music ever created