Welcome back to My Wheels, Mohammad. The last time you were here, you were cruising around in a gorgeous 1966 Chevrolet Corvair. Do you still have it?
That was a nice ride, but I don’t have it anymore. However, it is in good hands.
You said your dream ride was a convertible Cadillac DeVille from the Sixties. Are you any closer to making this a reality?
I remember that. However, I think I changed my mind during the last couple of years; I’m looking for something even more exceptional now. I have plans in mind to build a time machine…
What?!
Yes, a time machine, but not out of a DeLorean like they did in the Back to the Future films. I’m planning to base mine on a Sebring Turbo from Sterling Kit Cars. It’ll look like a replica of the one in the movie.
Will it have a Flux Capacitor?
You’ll have to wait and see!
OK, on to your Beetle — it looks like a Bug from hell! What inspired you to do this to it?
Well, once upon a time I was roaming around looking for spare parts for one of my other projects when I found this poor old Beetle lying around. It had been shipped here from Japan and looked very tired after such a long journey and it had many dents and dings all over. I guess it had a rough trip.
I went home with only one photo of it, but couldn’t get it out of my mind. So I decided to go back and save it from the sorry state that I found it in (I’m not sure if I did), but rather than fixing it up back to its original condition, I thought it’d be better to try something new, like removing everything that was unnecessary, and some necessary stuff as well. Who needs fenders or a roof anyway? I think this Bug was getting bored of the cute tag and so I took a different route and created what I like to call The Beast.
You must know some pretty good body shops. What was the first thing you did and how long did it all take to complete?
Well, the credit goes to the professionals at White Planet Garage. They did the major work on it, under my supervision of course. The first thing we did was to remove the bumpers, then we stripped off the fenders and the interior and the rest of the, err, needless stuff. It was a full-time project and we worked around the clock to get it finished. In all, it took just five weeks to complete.
That was a quick turnaround. What was the trickiest thing of all to get done?
It was welding the different panels of the body together after chopping off the roof and the doors, while getting smooth curves all around required precision work as well. Fixing the headlights was a story by itself. Let’s just say this project wasn’t exactly easy.
It looks incredible; there isn’t anything on the road like it. It must blow people away…
It gets different reactions all the time, but it leaves a wide smile on the faces of the majority of people as they drive by. Having pictures taken with it is now the norm; forget daily, this happens on an hourly basis! I like the comments it gets, particularly from kids who seem to think it’s actually a monster! Well, it does have a set of teeth and it can gobble you up, as you can see from the pictures... They get excited by it and like the skeleton stuff on it.
Do you get trouble from the law when you switch the smoke and flame machine on?
No trouble so far; I hope I don’t get any after this! I don’t use either of those when I’m driving, but during car shows and meets, I turn them both on and they create a lot of attention; as if the car needed any more.
You also have the apparel to match the car...
In general, I like dressing up to match the character of the car that I’m driving. When I do this, I feel that I am at one with the car. For instance, I even have red contact lenses to match the headlights of The Beast. If I am not dressed up when I drive it, I feel as if there is something wrong.
Well, you and the Bug certainly look the part. There’s so much to take in but what’s your favourite feature?
I like everything to be honest, especially the small details such as the skeleton heads dotted around the exterior and interior and the matte black paint. But the best thing has to be the slanted windscreen and the buffalo horns — which are genuine, by the way.
Are the engine and gearbox stock or did you modify them too?
It has the stock air-cooled 1.3-litre engine and four-speed manual gearbox; however, the engine compartment has been fully detailed and chromed. I’m thinking about getting a pair of dually tyres at the rear or maybe just a pair of wider tyres to give it a wider stance.
Nice. What’s the funniest thing you have been asked while driving this Beetle?
I get asked all sorts of things every single time I take it out, from questions such as, “Are the buffalo horns real?” or if I intentionally cut the windscreen with a sharp incline or if it was a mistake. But the best thing I have been asked to date is if the car runs on steam!
