As a baby, he learnt how to say ‘car' before he could say ‘mama'.
At three, boy wonder Pranav Pramod can identify 80 different car models already and wants to race in a Ferrari when he grows up.
"I want a car for my birthday," Pranav said.
No surprises there, his mother Poornima added. She and her husband Pramod have been mulling over buying a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado as a new family car, thanks partly to weekly trips to the showroom.
"My husband takes Pranav there while I do the groceries. He has taken a fancy for the vehicle. It's his new pick after our Honda Accord," said Poornima.
Where most adults would stop at common Toyota, Honda or Nissan variants, Pranav's motor mania feeds on designer models like Maserati, Aston Martin and Lamborghini Gallardo.
"You can go to the ATM if you don't have the money for them," pointed out Pranav.
He is just as happy in a parking lot as in a play area.
Arms folded, he does the rounds – supervised by his father – checking for changes over last year's models. Pranav was also at a recent racing event at Dubai Motor City, and could be seen peeping under the hood of the sports cars on display.
"I wanted to see the engine. You have to know these things if you want to race," said Pranav.
He is also quick-witted.
Pranav gave some of his cars to his peer George to sneak in after Geetha Subramanian – his teacher at Kindergarten Starters – said students were not allowed to bring their toys to school.
Is there anything Pranav does not like about cars?
"I hate traffic," he said.
- Pranav's four-wheeled fascination has not gone unnoticed.
- His school, Kindergarten Starters, has posted his profile on its website, www.gemskgs.com.
- At home, he watches Cars before settling into his car-themed bed.
