Brand new front page! Click the Front Page button directly below and check it out!
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Quote from: Paul Jaray on June 22, 2009, 07:49:11 AMQuote from: Paul Jaray on June 22, 2009, 07:32:54 AM
Quote from: Paul Jaray on June 22, 2009, 07:32:54 AM
a brand's project or rather a homebuilt/selfmade car?
ONE ALWAYS associates custom-made cars with maharajahs or cyber barons. But chances are that you're not one. And yearn for that dream car that combines the looks of Ferrari, Jaguar, and Maserati, with the deep baritone of a Triumph engine. If you're A.D. Jayaram, you'd just make it yourself. Well, Jayaram was no maharaja, but was no ordinary mortal either. He was an accomplished motor racer and, as a zoology student, he knew more about an automobile's anatomy than he knew about God's own creation. This was probably because he looked at an automobile as a living creature.It took him a little over five years, some Rs. 20,000, and several litres of sweat. But he dreamed it, designed it, developed it, and now drives it. The singular appearance of the car compels one to stop and check what model it is. The name "Jayaram GT" in steel letters glimmers on the sleek coupe. It is a one-of-a-kind car, made from scratch and entirely by hand, and with just one helper assisting him.Jayaram, now 75, always liked mechanical contraptions, especially automobiles. And the fact that he had not studied engineering did not deter him from his dream project. He began with the premise that if a mere mechanic could handle a complicated automobile, why couldn't he, with college education tame the complex mechanical monster? His stint at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited where he got his pilot's licence and qualified to be a ground engineer helped him along. He then joined the ITC and was engaged in machine development, something that seemed to come naturally to him. With a penchant for motor sports, he constantly tinkered with automobiles and was inspired by books and magazines on cars and motor racing. To own one of those cars in those glossy magazines would have cost him at least Rs. 2 lakh, a princely sum in the 1970s.And then things started to happen. He got an offer to buy a Standard Herald car that was wrecked in a mishap. The engine was in good shape. Jayaram stripped the mangled body off the chassis and he started work on the body gradually, trying to achieve the design of his dream car, which he marked out on wood on his garage wall.It was not merely the body that he envisioned, but some of the working parts were too far ahead of their time for an Indian-made car. The radiator had three water caps and filled up automatically as soon as the water level dropped. It had disc brakes and independent suspension on all four wheels. It had no belt fan to cool the radiator, but an electric fan that turns on as soon as the engine heat rose.Jayaram was so committed to his pet project that his bedroom had a door that led straight to his workshop. There were times when he got up in the middle of his sleep, and went straight to the garage and work on the brainwave that had just struck him. His garage was in the shop floor which itself was a sight to behold. It was totally self-sufficient with a beautiful seat, workrooms, and all the tools arranged in an orderly manner. It boasted tinkering equipment, a lathe, and welding apparatus.The body took up nine metal sheets, whose gauge was carefully chosen. From 1977 to 1982, the car was painstakingly built, part by part, the body carefully shaped to achieve the right curves.Half way through, the Herald engine made way for a 1600 cc Triumph engine. Even the electrical fittings, lamps, and windscreens were fabricated in-house. It has four carburettors and a twin exhaust on each side through which a deep growl emanates every time the ignition is turned on.It reaches 110 miles an hour with ease on seven gears, all-electrically operated, and this mongrel of a motorcar naturally had the RTO in a fix over its registration. But this product of years of toil proved its worth by complying with specifications laid down in the Motor Vehicles Act, and the RTO granted him the licence. With this obstacle overcome, Jayaram was overjoyed and fittingly named it Jayaram GT.Since then, every time Jayaram takes the car on to the roads, people flock around and ask him where he got it. Some people even offer to buy it, including the liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who offered him a staggering Rs. 8 lakh. Jayaram, however, decided to keep the prized possession to himself.The car has made trips to Ooty and Nandi Hills. As a rallyist and a big name in the racing circle, he made waves on the racetrack with his car. In fact, one can find scores of trophies and plaques won between 1958 and 1981 in his house. Jayaram has always been adventurous with automobiles. In the '70s, he did up Herald Formula cars in his garage for friends, and seven of these cars took part in Sholavaram, Calcutta, and Mysore. He also made some six to seven cars for drag racing and these little machines reached very high speeds. His son, Pratap Jayaram, also an ace racer, takes part in racing and drags, and has done up a Dolphin, under his father's expert supervision, for racing. It has an Esteem engine and a Gypsy gearbox.Jayaram has also built go-karts as far back as the 1960s. Powered by Vespa engines, the little machines used to cost Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,000. He has now built one such car for his grandson.Jayaram's wife, Shashikala, was also once in the racing circuit and has driven in the Yelahanka races from 1970 to 1972. What is all the more enviable is Jayaram's collection of books on racing and rallies.M. V. CHANDRASHEKARQuote
