As far as rags to riches stories go, they don't come any better than this.
In his youth he eked out the equivalent of 50 fils a month sweeping garage floors.
Today he has indigenously built Dubai's first car – Cobra, named and modelled after the 1960 vintage Anglo-American car AC Cobra, which enjoys a cult following.
Meet Shaji, aka Santosh Kumar, who has shown how a little bit of pluck, loads of passion and strong self-belief can lead you to the road to success. And he has come far.
From doing odd jobs in Kerala, India, to car mechanic and finally car maker in Dubai, 46-year-old Shaji has seen it all.
It took him 22 arduous years to advance from a car mechanic to a car maker. But he never let go of his dream. "This is like a dream come true for me," Shaji said. Even though the first Cobra hit the roads in September last year, production is still in the pilot stage.
At present, the six Cobra owners in Dubai are getting used to all the attention they are getting on the road. Shaji plans mass production of the car once technical issues are ironed out.
The machine
The Cobra is light, low-set, and can take off from zero to 100km/h in a tearing 3.6 seconds. Made of fibreglass, the two-seat roadster runs on a Mustang engine with an odometer which has the speed gauge set anti-clockwise.
Weighing just 900kg, the car is super-fast and is difficult to control, said Dr Imran Butt, one of Shaji's first customers. Dr Butt drives a sunset-orange Cobra.
"It can beat a Ferrari any day. It is so fast, if you don't know how to handle it, it can skid and spin out of control in second gear. It's like a loaded gun in disguise," said Dr Butt.
The name
"A vintage Cobra costs over Dh1 million. I have been after one for years and was going to buy it in Houston, US. So, when I found out they were being produced locally and at a much cheaper price, I immediately contacted Shaji and bought one.
"Apart from the engine, pretty much everything you see in the car was built here," said Dr Butt pointing to his registration card showing it was ‘made in the UAE'.
To keep it close to the original, Shaji bought a Cobra from the US, stripped it apart and built it from scratch at his Al Quoz-based garage Capital Manufacturing.
Almost everything is made and assembled at his garage – body, chassis, the super safe five-point seatbelts, trims and accessories.
As one of the very few Cobra owners in Dubai, Dr Butt enjoys all the attention he is getting. "I get women and men at petrol stations jumping into my car taking pictures. I think this is the most photographed car in Dubai. I am even stopped by policemen who want to know where I bought the car. I've been offered twice the original price but I have no plans to sell it," said Dr Butt.
Rough ride
But there is a twist to this Cobra story. Dr Butt points out that although he "wears" the car as "an extension of his personality", the car "isn't for those looking for comfort. It doesn't have an air-conditioner, it doesn't have a roof, it is very loud, has small seats, there isn't enough room for the left hand and it is a gas guzzler".
Although it takes six weeks to build the car from scratch, Shaji is sure a proper assembly line might help roll out five to eight cars a month. Orders for the car have already started to swamp him.
"Apart from those in the UAE, I have huge orders from the USA. HSBC will be offering mortgages on the car," he added.
An HSBC official confirmed loans may be offered if the car meets the bank's criteria.
All technical issues will be sorted out before Cobra's mass production starts. The official launch is slated for June, said Shaji.
Asked about his target customers, Shaji joked, "With only two seats in it, my car is for honeymooners."
Who's the first?
A 150-horsepower, double cabin pick-up, produced in a factory in Abu Dhabi was introduced in the market last November by Gulf Automobile Industry Corp. Priced between Dh36,000 and Dh60,000, its 2.4 litre engine is from Mitsubishi. Parts have been sourced from Japan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, China and Thailand, and 40 per cent of the vehicle's components are from GCC and Arab nations.
Man and machine
Dubai Shaji came to Dubai 22 years ago to work as a car mechanic and support his poor family back home. He never knew then that one day he might be worth Dh25 million.
His fascination with cars began when as an eighth-grade drop-out he took up a job at an automobile workshop in Kerala for a salary equivalent to 50 fils a month. At 14, he worked up to 16 hours a day.
Three years at the garage taught him the tools of the trade.
Eight years of auto work in Kerala and another three and a half years in Delhi prepared him for his first overseas assignment at an automobile workshop when an old friend brought him to Dubai in 1986.
He earned Dh600 a month and sent all his savings back home to support his family.
In 1991, he decided to set up his own garage. "I used part of my gratuity to open a garage. My loyal customers from my previous job started coming to my garage and, with their support, I started growing." The rest is history.
Today, he has 172 employees working at four businesses in Dubai and Ajman helping him run a Dh10 million venture, in addition to a transport and real estate business back home worth Dh15 million.
Shaji admits it was a long, laborious journey rife with loneliness and hard work, but also with hope and tenacity. His success mantra is simple: "My real asset is my workforce. As long as I look after their interests they will look after mine. I know what they want. I was there once myself."
Your comments
Thank you for this nice article. Please be so kind to give me his contact numbers and web site.
Anonymous, Switzerland
Posted: July 18, 2008, 12:53
I have always wanted a Cobra. How can I get in touch with Shaji?
Anonymous, UAE - Dubai
Posted: July 16, 2008, 19:30
An inspiring story of an interesting man with my dream car. Carol Shelby's legend lives on. How does one contact him?
Bismarck, UAE - Dubai
Posted: May 04, 2008, 15:49
This is a very interesting article. I am very much tempted to buy one of Shaji's Cobras so I need to know how to contact him to proceed with the purchase. I need your help in contacting him urgently. Thank you for your informative articles.
Dr. Mohamed, UAE - Abu Dhabi
Posted: April 28, 2008, 10:26
This is an inspiring story about a man with a vision and an automobile with a glorious past.
John, USA
Posted: April 25, 2008, 03:34
