Thiruvananthapuram :

A classic Morris Minor or a Standard Herald gliding past you in today’s traffic will revive memories of the past.  Recreating the old world charm, K Ganeshan Asari of  Poozhikunnu, near Pappanamcode, is busy reworking on vintage and classic cars.

The ‘makeover versions’ of the classic cars are remodelled at his small workshop situated by the Museum-Nanthancode road in the city.

‘’I repair the body of any car that is brought to me and reworking on a vintage car gives me extra pleasure as it is something that has to be done artistically. It was in 1982 that I reworked and made a new car for the first time – a red 1980s model Toyota for Dr K M K Nair and it was launched on the road by Sundaram Nadar, the then Transport Minister,’’ recalls Ganeshan Asari. That was quite a news and people even from other districts who were interested in vintage editions began to approach him.

During October last year, Ganeshan Asari worked on a metallic blue Morris Minor for Chittur JRTO Anoop Varkey and right now he is repairing a 1956 model Fiat (Fiat 600) for him.   ‘’I am extra careful when I work on an old model because most of the customers who approach me want cars which  they can use daily and not to be displayed as showpieces. I don’t use any machines and I primarily use my hands for the work,’’ says Ganeshan Asari.

According to him, it is the trust that the customers place on him that brings satisfaction to his work.

‘’I started doing the remodeling  work with motorcycles and later my interest turned to cars and it has continued till this day,’’ he says.  Motorcycle enthusiasts in the city and other districts who could not afford a new model used to bring pictures and ask him to remodel their old vehicle into what was in the picture. For two customers from Kollam, he remodelled a Jawa and a Royal Enfield according to their wishes.  Ganeshan Asari, a primary school dropout, learnt the basics of automobile repair from his elder brother Appukkuttan Asari. It is surprising to note that this ‘makeover artiste’ of vintage cars does not own a car himself and says that driving has never been a passion for him. He has four children and two of them are following his footsteps.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by  Thejaswini Nair / November 17th, 2014