The road leading to the Infopark at Kakkanad has precious few sights worth remembering, but on this particular evening, the line of vehicles parked outside the Speedway go-kart track are a vision that is hard to forget. From a dark blue Honda City with large ostentatious orange wheel rims, a Civic with a Mugen performance kit, a two door limited edition Zen with the engine from a Maruti Baleno, and an Audi TT, the vehicles are a sampling of what the enthusiast car modding community in Kochi is all about.
“The reason we make modifications to our cars is an underlying love for machines and how they work, and wanting to improve upon what they can do,” says Bibin Bose Ambat, who owns a Maruti Swift to which he has added side skirts and made performance modifications, like lowering the suspension. A self-employed manufacturer of industrial valve replacements, Bibin used his mechanical knowledge to fabricate a ‘strut brace’ for his car, allowing the suspension to handle more torsion. “Though, with the current state of roads in Kochi, I’ve had to revert back to regular suspension,” he laments.
The state of the roads has not deterred these enthusiasts, and Jos Joy Puthokaran, who owns a first generation Honda City, says the enhancements add a new dimension to the vehicle. “I’ve lowered the suspension, upgraded the interiors and done minor engine modifications. This means I can only carry three passengers at a time but it makes driving down from Bangalore, where I study law, an exciting affair.”
The common factor among car modders is that they usually have a backup car for daily use, with their modified machines used for casual drives. Azrif Rasheed, a managing partner at Oriental Timbers, has a visually modified Honda Brio and has started upgrading his Audi TT, but also likes going off road on his Gypsy. “Off-road modifications are a tough business because of the expenses and regular maintenance required, but there are many people in Kochi and Kottayam who get together and do some off-road driving.” Azrif goes on to explain that Kochi, despite being a smaller city, has the facilities for safe professional modifications. “The best thing is most of these parts are bolt-on affairs where the stock part is replaced with a higher performance one and the gain is immediate, there is usually no fabrication involved.”
While Jos has done his modifications from multiple locations including Bangalore, most of the vehicles in Kochi are modified locally. Vishnudas Narayanan, who owns a Honda Civic to which he has fitted a Mugen performance kit, says that some parts are hard to get locally but can be sourced from elsewhere. “The biggest problem is cheap replicas of popular branded parts, which are enticing to people trying to modify on a budget. Unfortunately, genuine modification is not something you can fix a budget for, but they pay off in the long run.”
This is a point backed by Lal Bharathan, an ex-BMW technician and quality inspection staff, who recently started Lap 47, a performance studio in Kochi that specialises in engine remapping and high end parts. “While there are many fakes, there are also genuine takers who want more out of their machine. Remapping the engine gives a gain of anywhere between 25-40 horsepower and usually does not compromise fuel efficiency or void manufacturer warranty, so it is quite popular.”
What about the legal aspects of vehicle modification then? “While there are certain rules on the topic, the current law is not strictly defined. Visual modifications to the paintjob and anything that changes the particulars mentioned in registration documents need to be certified, and dual tone colours are now mostly accepted thanks to manufacturers like Mercedes releasing vehicles with a dark roof. That said, we still hear reports of vehicles being pulled over by cops for modified rims,” says Lal.
But all these enthusiasts underline that having a modified car does not equate to rash driving or flaunting the law. “One of the alterations on my car is high performance brake pads for safety, and suspension modifications help stability,” says Bibin. “When we remap an engine and give it more power, it does not make it uncontrollably fast, just that the driver has more engine power to use if required,” adds Lal.
Jos explains that automobile clubs in the city cooperate with police when going on drives, and conduct awareness campaigns to promote safe driving. “These vehicles are a symbol of how much we love cars, and people have begun to understand that. There is a lot of potential in Kochi for modified vehicles, just that the roads don’t help lowered cars.”
As Lal takes off in his engine-swapped Zen Steel, referred to as a ‘pocket rocket’ by his enthusiast friends, the other vehicles sit low and serene, eagerly awaiting motion. Their vehicles may be flashy, exotic and loud, but deep down car modders are just a bunch of guys who absolutely love their machines.
