INTRODUCTION
This is not about cars. This is not about speedruns. This is not about family. This is not about Number 22. And yet this is about all of that. Of what people coming out of Number 22 are doing. They have still remained the same. They are still playing the same games. This time real ones. On real playgrounds. Only their playgrounds have become bigger, faster, and with more and real world responsibilities that they are shouldering with as much fun as twenty five years ago!
Lets go!
Sakya has been contemplating buying a car, another one, almost immediately after he bought his first car. You know the biker’s dictum, “More is never enough”? He bought his first car, the Maruti 800 in September 2002. A typical entry level 800CC first car. He enjoyed driving it. Went for long and short drives, to Jaipur, fully loaded with four adults; to the hills, to Uttaranchal, I would not say that he conquered the mighty Himalayas, but he did climb some pretty difficult terrain with it. And that includes the drive to the family G2G during Christmas 2006 at Khirsu.
THE OLD WORKHORSE, THE M800.
He had no qualms nor regrets having bought this car. But this was no car to write home about. As I said earlier, a typical 800CC small car, runs on petrol, takes you from point A to point B, does not break down, decent workhorse with some 30 odd bhp. The only work that he has got done on the vehicle is a total suspension overhaul after 60,000 kilometres.
But then this is certainly not a car that an upcoming successful lawyer would want to be seen in. Not in most people’s opinion. But Sakya is quite nonchalant about it. Until, his state of being successful started showing elsewhere… on his esteemed self, somewhere between the shoulders and his knees. And he had to accommodate that somewhere while driving or sitting in a car (he had employed a driver too, it turns out cheaper to employ a driver it seems than to buy a second car!).
And finally, four years after his first buy, he made a brilliant choice, after a lot of deliberations for more than a year, he went and got himself a really good vehicle. Among the vehicles that he had tested, he had checked the Ford Ikon, liked a lot by Abhilasha, the Indians had lapped it up, I had hated it, a sham of a vehicle with obsolete technology, pleasure to drive and a pretty decent fast car. Ford had fooled the Indians for a very long time with this vehicle, you will see a lot of them on the roads. But Sakya was not to be fooled.
THE BEAST MAKES ITS ENTRY
In October 2006 came his beauty, the Suzuki Swift, at almost exactly the same time when I got my new Black R1. Under the hood, the Swift housed a 1.3L petrol engine, the same as anywhere else in the world, the difference being this; the international version of the 1.3L comes with a VVT engine giving it 93bhp whereas the Indian country cousin gives out a 85bhp and with a lower compression ratio. But we all know that due to the quality of fuel available in our country most engines have to be detuned during homologation at ARAI in Pune. But it is a great car nonetheless, coming straight out of the Paris Motor Show of 2002 as a concept S car and it was rolling in India in 2004!
EYES!
And here Sakya was sitting behind the wheel, with almost thrice the amount of power under his pedals from his previous car, a dream gearbox, electronic headlight level adjusting and a lot of other goodies. He loved it. I loved it. His driver had a big smile on his face!
THE BEAST IN FRONT OF THE MASTER!
THE SWIFT!
THE REAR...
Exactly nine months down the line and after some seven odd thousand kilometres break-in, Sakya came visiting. “So you are done breaking in”, I asked him.
“Yes.”
“And how fast have you taken her?”
“She does not go beyond 140!”
“That is not possible.”
“Listen. I had floored it on 5th and it refused to go beyond 140”
“Did you have enough road?”
“I did it on the DND Flyway.”
I thought for a short while and said, “It is still not possible. It is not a question of flooring it on 5th. It is also a matter of how you did it and when.”
“You see, this is a nice car and all that. But this is not a fast car as it is made out to be.” Sakya had a crestfallen look about him. “I have done 130 with my 800. And this thing just does 140.”
“Ok, I will pick you up on Sunday early morning and we will go on the Greater Noida Expressway. I guarantee you that I will make this car go faster than 160.” I suggested.
“Ok”, he readily agreed. I was surprised at his eagerness to go for the drive. I thought that he would come up with some excuse of work or something and refuse. And then I thought that he would say no the following day and try to wriggle out of the situation.
That happened on Friday. Saturday night we confirmed the drive to each other. So it was happening. I reached his place at 7 in the morning. And we left for the Greater Noida Expressway.
I kept a close watch on the DND flyway. There are speed radars at times. Specially on Sunday mornings, to catch speeding devils. In the meanwhile I had felt the gearbox, the clutch, she was doing just fine. I knew, I was confident that I was going to keep my tryst with destiny. I was going to cross 160 with this car.
We approached the Expressway. I was on 3rd. I downshifted to 2nd and floored it. The car responded beautifully as I saw the Tacho needle move North. This baby redlines at 6500 RPM. The gearing in Suzuki machines is very tall. The French say otherwise for the Swift. I said ‘go take a walk’ as the Speedo crossed 95 still on 2nd and I was still not redlining it when I hit 3rd. By the time I hit 4th I had already crossed 140.
I looked at Sakya. He was not looking at the road, he was not looking at the way I was making the machine respond. His eyes were transfixed on the Speedo. His face lit up into a gleeful smile as the needle went past the 150 mark. I was just on 4K on the Tacho and I still had a gear left!
We went all the way to Jaypee Greens golf course, had a fresh lime soda at the restaurant. There were a few Superbikes, nice eye candy. And then we were on our way back. And this time I even crossed 175 for a short while. A great drive at the end of the day. Sakya summed it up by saying, “Finally I am satisfied having bought this car!” And then we went for breakfast at Sagar.
170KMPH, DRIVER'S VIEW!
TOP WHACK I DID THAT DAY, 175 ON 4th GEAR!
PHOTO BY SAKYA SINGHA CHAUDHURI
Text and Photographs by KRISHNENDU KES (Unless otherwise mentionned.)
