Jul 29, 2024
Everybody knows me as de Souza. For as long as I can remember, I have never been one to go along the grain of "life." Nothing about me has been normal, and I have always had a knack for standing out. I enjoyed the attention. From odd haircuts to even odder clothing choices, and finally, out-of-the box and incredibly unique cars. I would say my passion for cars stemmed from watching my dad build his own cars and buy my mom all the latest BMWs as I was growing up. I clearly remember the day the spark for my interest in cars was fully ignited. Many years ago, my dad built and fully modified a 1963 Ford Cortina. This car later ended up being my 18th birthday present and my very first car. Before that, we had gone to the WRC, and I remember my dad racing in the Skoda rally car and keeping up with it until the service park. When he got to the service park, all the crew and organizers rushed to surround my dad’s car and were eager to see what engine he had fitted in the old car that made it keep up with an international race car.
As I had previously stated, the car that really sparked my interest in the world of automobiles was my first car, the 1963 Cortina. Having a modified car as my first, however, solidified my love for car modification. Stock cars really have never caught my eye or piqued my interest. After that, I went on to have several different cars that I will provide a list of. The cars are as follows:
1963 Ford Cortina Mark 1
1994 BMW e36
1965 Ford Galaxy 500
1996 Subaru Impreza WRX GC8 version 6
1955 comer pick up
1996 Toyota MR2
1940 Ford Popular
1991 Landcruiser 80 Series GX
1994 Landcruiser 80 Series VX
1995 Landcruiser 80 Series VX
1940 Willy Jeep
1994 Nissan Patrol
2006 Landcruiser 100 series
2004 Toyota Altezza
I currently own the Hotrod.
1940 Ford pickup
1937 Nash Lafayette
1996 Suzuki V6 Buggy
1940 Ford Popular
1958 Austin Healey frogeye
1957 Chevy 3100 pick-up
1993 Mercedes 190E widebody
1948 Morris Minor Series MM
2011 FJ Cruiser
All the stated cars have been modified.
The one closest to my heart is the Hotrod. It originally started out as a 2004 Toyota Altezza that I had an accident in. The car had a 2JZ GT engine that we built initially to learn how to drift. After the accident, I decided the car was too far gone to repair, and this was the conception of the Hotrod. I have always loved the American-style hotrods but never got a chance to build one because those model bodies were not available in Kenya. I decided to build one from scratch with the parts from the Altezza. The Hotrod and I have an unexplainable bond. I have built it over and over again over the years, and till today I continue building it. It is the most fun I have had working on machinery. This car has changed shapes and colours throughout the years and will continue to grow and evolve with me. I don’t think I’ll ever be done with it.
I know every mechanic will tell you that you should know how to change a tire or do a service, but my advice is to learn to listen to your car. Listen to the sounds it makes, the smells, and the way it feels. With this, you can hear if something is broken or worn, and you can smell if something is getting hot, leaking, or burning. You can tell if the suspension or steering components are broken or worn. All this will help you get to a repair shop before you damage it more or risk your safety.
Well, with every advancement in technology, there will be people like me who want to remain as apes and not evolve. As much as I am against EVs, the technology is there to make life easier for us, and having said that, we all can't deny the fact that EVs are now faster than conventional gas-powered cars. They are also just as cool-looking, and now people have started modifying older cars to fit faster electric motors. As much as I dislike it, it’s inevitable that one day I will also modify a car to make an electric motor.
I close with one thing: life is too short to drive boring cars. I have never owned a stock car, and I have never regretted it.