KARACHI: It looks like a cute toy or a buggy but Mukhtar Asim’s rickshaw converted into a reddish orange tomato-colour jeep is anything but that. It is a labour of love.

Where did he even get the idea to convert a rickshaw into a jeep? “Well, my son, Fawad Asim, is an automotive engineer. It was his idea basically,” said Mukhtar, who himself is a supplier for mineral water and whose son studied engineering though he could not find a job to his liking.

He said besides Fawad his two other sons, Faraz and Fahad, are also part of their team.

“We have a [Mitsubishi] Lancer at home. It has a 1,300CC engine. One day, my son said to me that our Lancer was a big fuel guzzler and that we should be coming up with an alternate ride as fuel prices are on a rise.

“I was thinking of a 70CC or 200CC motorcycle. But a rickshaw also fulfilled our purpose. My son and I sat around a drawing board to design the kind of vehicle we had in mind. This was four months ago,” he told Dawn.

From drawing board to practical work, the father and son have by now converted three rickshaws into jeeps. They have named them Tarzan I, Tarzan II and Tarzan III. The first one, Tarzan I, has been given another wheel, so it is no longer a three-wheeler rickshaw.

One of the jeeps, converted by the automotive boffins, has sold for Rs500,000

“We gave the first one Suzuki Mehran rims and wheels. Then for the second one I put in Suzuki Hi-Roof wheels,” Mukhtar said.

He got his first rickshaw for Rs75,000 only. “It took us two-and-a-half months to build the first jeep from the rickshaw. It took this long because we were doing such a thing for the very first time. Then when that first jeep was ready and running, I started approaching different rickshaw drivers on the road to ask if they knew of anyone interested in selling their rickshaw. That’s what led to our acquiring two more,” he said.

“We learned from several mistakes that we had made on our first attempt. The second jeep we built in a shorter time while also rectifying the mistakes we had made in the first jeep. The second jeep, Tarzan II, we have also successfully sold for Rs500,000 now.

“The converted jeeps run at a speed of 80km to 100km an hour. I drove the first one from Karachi to Hyderabad where my in-laws reside. It gave me a running of 30kms in one litre on the highway,” he announced with pride.

“Our slogan is that instead of buying an expensive vehicle for Rs20 or 40 lacs, which will give you a running of 8km to 12km in one litre of petrol in these times of inflation, why not try something economical like our jeep,” he said.

To put in an extra wheel, since rickshaws only have three, the father and son worked on the entire suspension. It now has the suspension of a Suzuki High-Roof, a new steering wheel, brakes and clutch.

“We have been to Shershah, Gharibabad, Manghopir and many spare parts shops here and there for our Tarzans. But it has all been worth the effort. It’s not a four-wheel-drive jeep but a 200CC rickshaw,” he said, adding: “The size is still small at 6ft by 4ft. But it is a practical vehicle. Like any other loader vehicle, it is rear wheel drive so it doesn’t get stuck in ditches and thus can be considered as good as a four-by-four.”

“I’m a middle-class fellow. I have no proper workshop or showroom for my Tarzans. I reside in a small corner plot house on Abul Hasan Isphani Road where I have converted my ground floor bedroom for the jeeps. I have knocked off walls and fitted big doors for this,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2023