Letting go, for some, can be the hardest thing in the world.
Many of us are all too keen to snap up a new model at the car showroom the moment it arrives, trading in our old jalopies for newer, sexier, more expensive models.
The Malaysian Automotive Association figures for the number of cars sold in 2014 seem to lend credence to this point of view. Last year, a total of 588,341 passenger cars were snapped up compared to 576,657 cars sold in 2013.
And yet, there are still some of us who find it hard to let go of old faithful. You can see this manifested in the many classic cars from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s that are still pottering this country’s motorways and country roads.
The state of these cars range from seemingly near-mint (an indication of the tender loving care lavished on the vehicles) right down to old hulks that are more rust than metal. In the case of the latter, many hold on to them because they cannot afford a new or used car.
For others, like a former colleague, it was love.
Said fellow held on to a first generation Proton Saga dubbed the “Blue Monster” for close to three decades. It was only after it died of “natural causes”, i.e. when every single mechanical and electrical component underwent a massive shutdown, did he buy a new car. He calls it “Blue Monster 2”.
And then you have those who get a little creative once their cars can no longer potter around. A case in point was Hyundai Motors’ recent “Brilliant Memories” campaign.
The Korean car giant collected stories from drivers who had planned to sell or scrap their old Hyundais. The company then engaged 14 of South Korea’s top artists to transform said cars into sheer works of art that would highlight “the emotional aspect of driving”.
Both artwork and transformations were then displayed at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. Note that the owners got to keep their transformed cars while the artwork was retained by Hyundai Motors in its own art collection.
According to the report in The Korea Herald, some of the owners got more than what they bargained for. Veteran taxi driver Kim Young-gyui, 66, found his taxi – which he had driven for 750,000km (16 hours a day for 30 years) – converted into a living room couch by artist Khan (see video above; it's in Korean but you don't have to understand the language to feel the emotional impact).
The couch, which has Kim’s portrait engraved on the polished surfaces of his old taxi, also came with the car’s old cup holder and car stereo system, which still works. There were even LED lights installed underneath the couch’s metal panels.
Another outstanding transformation featured in this campaign was by artist Yang Soo-in. Yang literally created a “car swing” where a mid-sized Sonata II was placed in an installation that could rock the car backwards and forward gently while people sat in the cabin.
Lest one thinks that such “car” creativity is confined to our East Asian neighbours, we cannot forget the arty engineering masterpieces of French artist Benedetto Bufalino.
Bufalino is famous for converting an old police car into a functional chicken coop.
He was also the same man who converted a Seat Ibiza into a working Jacuzzi or hot tub that allowed users to soak up the sun while lying back in bubble-infused hot water comfort.
What Bufalino did was to remove the Ibiza’s roof, windshield, seats, steering wheel and other components before adding in a watertight liner and the full working components of a hot tub. The pictures shown online seem to indicate that he gave it a new coat of paint as well.
Aside from art installations and Jacuzzis, there is also another use for old faithful and you get to save the environment too.
As you are all aware, there has been a recent movement to make cars more environmental-friendly. One such way is to use a car that runs on electricity.
However, going green can come with a hefty price tag. A top of the line Tesla Model S – not available here yet – can set you back more than US$100,000 (RM360,000).
Even Nissan’s Leaf, which was introduced in Malaysia in 2013, can set you back RM168,000.
There is an alternative, make your own.
Apparently, in the US (where else?), people are converting old cars into electric ones... at a fraction of the cost of buying a new one.
Take the case of 14-year-old Ashton Stark (no relation to Tony of Iron Man fame, we think) who spent US$14,000 (RM50,400) to convert a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle into an eco-vehicle. The car is “fuelled” by nine golf cart batteries and can travel for close to 50 miles (80km) on 10 cents (36sen) of electricity.
Top speed for this electric Beetle? A respectable 45mph (72.5kph).
Not bad for an old jalopy that should have gone to car heaven many, many moons ago.
As Ashton’s father Noel told the Argus Observer newspaper, anyone can build an electric car.
“I think any vehicle can be converted to electricity. It is so simple to get one. I do not know why more people do not own one.
It does not have to be a Bug, it can be any lightweight vehicle: a Porsche, Toyota or Honda. It would be a great neighbourhood or commuter vehicle and would save a fortune on gas.”
Mr Stark’s advice is certainly food for thought. It is also probably a better idea than what UK farmer Dave Issac did. In order to honour the memory of a departed favourite sheep dog (named Floss, no less), Issac converted the family’s Peugeot estate car... into a sheep dog car.
It cost him £2,000 (RM11,100) to modify and cover the car in fur so that it would look like Floss... a Floss that could go at 40mph (64kph) and can even herd sheep.
As Issac told the Daily Mail, it was a tribute to a beloved dog.
“We loved her and as a family we all missed her terribly. So I got together with a friend and we built Floss the sheep dog car in my barn, copying as closely as I could every last detail of my old dog.”
I suppose you could do worse things to an old car.
