Bikes and cars give you a buzz, right?
Yes, I have always been passionate about them both. My first bike was a Ninja 600 that I used as a learning tool. I have since owned a GSXR 750, a Ninja ZX 7 R, a Ducati 999 and a Ninja ZX 10 R.
And what about the cars? Any of your previous ones stand out?
My first car in the GCC was a 1993 Ford Mustang GT convertible with a manual gearbox. I upgraded it completely and then had to sell it when I had my first child as the stroller did not fit in the tiny trunk. I have since owned a bunch of other cars, some were more memorable than others. I quite liked my 2000 model year Land Rover Discovery as it was my first 4X4, my 1998 Jaguar S Type, 1997 Fiat Coupé 16V Turbo, a pair of manual Alfa Romeo 156s, 2002 BMW M5, 2005 BMW 545i and now, with four kids, I enjoy my 2011 Infiniti QX56 with its 400bhp.
All good cars, but your 1982 Chevrolet Corvette is by far the best. Tell us about it…
My love for the C3 started when I was around 10 years old when my family and I went from London to New York on the QE2. There I saw it for the first time and have been in love with it ever since. Six years ago, I started looking seriously and hired a company in the US that specialises in locating and shipping cars. After six years of searching for a good 1982, and 30 years from when I first saw it, I finally found one in Dubai that had only two owners from new.
So rather than pick one up from the US, you snapped this one up?
That’s right, but it took a long time to buy it and there were many reasons for that, such as finding one in good condition for a realistic price. This was hard to do because of the busy Dubai lifestyle. It remained an on-and-off wish until I found this one. But once I bought it, I knew I would be making major changes to it, so I didn’t want to overpay for just a body and chassis.
The next problem was finding a garage you could trust to do a good job...
This was a real hassle. After looking for someone to do it in Dubai, I found out there were mainly two types of garages; the arrogant ones who did not wish to deal with anything but your average run-of-the-mill cars, and other garages that were not in touch with reality. One place wanted to charge me as much as I paid for the car just to do the interior.
It is a bit like that here, unfortunately. What did you end up doing?
What many others tend to do — go to Sharjah. There I found a place called Arfan Ali Garage whose staff do not believe in the impossible. They were super helpful and ready to accommodate any requests that I had. I spent many days and nights in that workshop and got quite close to the whole team, always working with them side by side and getting my hands dirty. It took a lot of understanding from my wife especially; she started to wonder why I was coming home so late and tired at night.
The first thing that we did was take care of the paint; I went for Pearl White from Jaguar and a shade of silver from Mazda for the lower portion of the body. The silver paint looks really good and changes colour, becoming lighter or darker depending on the sun. I also added custom wheels, improved the brakes, replaced the headlights, tuned the engine, rebuilt the four-speed automatic transmission and differential, got a new exhaust system added new shocks and springs. It took two years to complete.
You almost built yourself a whole new Corvette. The garage also helped you out with the interior…
They referred me to a small shop to sort out the cabin. It used to be grey but I wanted to brighten it up and went for a black and red combination. I have to say I think the results are superb.
What else did you get done in there?
I added a custom gauge cluster (RPM, GPS speedometer, voltmeter, oil pressure, oil temperature, transmission temperature, coolant temperature, fuel level) and custom chrome/red leather steering wheel to match the new chrome steering column. I also stuck in a new stereo with speakers and a subwoofer just in case I got tired of listening to the V8 rumble away. I haven’t so far.
Other than the interior, I got every other part shipped over from the US. What is great about the Corvette is that everything is still available from the smallest screw to the biggest of mechanical parts. Just don’t ask me how much I paid for all of this because I lost count a long time ago. But whatever it is, it was worth it.
I fully agree; this is the nicest C3 we’ve seen in a long time.
Thank you. With such a classic, there will always be something to look after, so this is definitely not a project for someone who does not understand cars or the things that might go wrong with them, or who gets upset every time something does go wrong. I mean you have to understand it’s a 30-plus-year-old car; things will go wrong.
Well, we wish you many years of happy motoring in it. It must brighten up so many people’s days when they see it roar past…
It brings a smile to anyone who sees it while my kids absolutely love it and my wife is glad I’m now home in the evenings. But I think my smile is the biggest since I have spent so many hours getting this car just right. Every time I park it somewhere, people take pictures of it — and that makes me happy. It really is a timeless beauty.
