Karachi: It looks like a cute toy or buggy, but Mukhtar Asim’s rickshaws, converted into reddish-orange, tomato-colored jeeps, are nothing like that. It’s a labor of love.
Where did the idea to convert a rickshaw into a jeep come from? “My son, Fawad Asim, is an automotive engineer. I couldn’t find a job.
He said that besides Fawad, his two other sons, Faraz and Fahad, are also part of their team.
“we [Mitsubishi] Lancer at home. Equipped with a 1,300CC engine. One day my son told me that our Lancer is a big eater and fuel prices are rising so we need to come up with another vehicle.
“We were thinking of a 70CC or 200CC bike. This was four months ago,” he told Dawn.
From blueprints to actual work, the father and son have so far converted three rickshaws into jeeps. They named them Tarzan I, Tarzan II, and Tarzan III. The first Tarzan I was given another wheel and is no longer a three-wheeled rickshaw.
One of the jeeps modified by Auto Boffin sold for Rs500,000
“We gave the first one Suzuki Mehran rims and wheels. Then the second one was fitted with Suzuki high roof wheels,” said Mukhtar.
He got his first rickshaw for only 75,000 rupees. “It took me two and a half months to build my first jeep out of a rickshaw. I approached various rickshaw drivers on the street and asked them if they knew anyone who wanted to sell their rickshaw, which led me to acquire two more.” He said.
“I learned from some of the mistakes I made on my first attempt. A second Jeep that I built in less time while correcting the mistakes I made on my first Jeep. It sells for 10,000 rupees.
“Modified jeeps go 80-100km/h. I drove the first one from Karachi to Hyderabad where my in-laws live. I could do 30km on a liter on the highway,” he proudly says. announced.
“Our slogan is that instead of buying an expensive car costing 20 rupees or 40 lux, you will be able to drive 8km to 12km on 1 liter of petrol in this era of inflation. Economy like a jeep. Why don’t you try something like that,’ he said. .
A rickshaw only has three wheels, so in order to add one more wheel, father and son worked on all the suspension. It has Suzuki high roof suspension, new steering wheel, brakes and clutch.
“For Tarzan we have been to Shershire, Garibabad, Mangopil and many spare parts shops here and there. But it was all worth the effort. It’s a rickshaw,” he says, adding, “It’s still small at six feet by four feet. Considered to be excellent.”
“I’m a middle-class fellow. We don’t have a proper workshop or showroom for Tarzan. I live in a small corner house on Abul Hasan Isfani Road, with a downstairs bedroom converted for a Jeep. I took down the wall and put in a big door,” he said.
Posted in Dawn on January 29, 2023