Pics by Shahiem Bell
Bobby Nitro never stops being amazed at the ingenuity and plain inventiveness of the Cape car community. After all, what other way to celebrate a gender reveal than with a cloud of pink smoke coming from a burnout done in a Nissan 200SX?
It’s a girl! Here’s how it all went down....
Meet Shahied and Raeesah Hassen, kwaai car fans in their own right. Shahied is also the brother of Ismail Mitchell, renowned for his Nissan 200SX.
Enter the Bad Society crew, also renowned across the Cape for their rides, and professional drifter Abdullah Isaacs from D&A Performance.
Now, it’s always an emotional celebration for a couple expecting a baby, as it is for the family and friends attending a gender reveal event.
Raeesah says: “For both of us there was a lot of excitement involved because we knew it could be 50/50, especially with me thinking it’s a girl and Shahied standing firm on the baby being a boy. So that sort of built the excitement leading up to the gender reveal even more.”
Bad Society, a crew that jumps at any opportunity for a burnout and gets approached on a regular basis to do community initiatives, was called. Abdullah was up for lighting up his tyres, to happily smoke some rubber and make the gender reveal an occasion to remember.
The crew either use colour powder or smoke canisters that mix with the smoke expelled from the tyres during a burnout.
Of course, with the couple not knowing the sex of the baby, either blue or pink was be used to indicate if it’s a boy or a girl being expected.
Raeesah described the day, saying: “The first thing we had to do was set up of course, making sure the decorations were up, food was on the tables, everything was set up for when people arrived. We initially wanted family members to come dressed up in the colour they thought it was going to be.
“Instead we had each family member choose either a pink or blue balloon, then we had the reveal.
“The minute I saw pink I was over the moon, because I knew I could actually provide my husband with what he always wanted which was a daughter. He genuinely thought it was a boy and couldn’t quite comprehend up until we got home.
“It was an amazing feeling and ultimately we are both extremely happy with either, or, as long as the baby is healthy.”
Shahied, who drives a dolled-up, green Nissan Sentra STi, says: “We are car people. We attend as many car shows as we possibly can and are currently in the process of building up a car, which is also why we were attracted to the idea of doing the burnout gender reveal.
“We don’t do the usual pop-a-balloon and there you go, we are part of the extraordinary people, especially when it comes to cars. We live for that adrenaline.”
For Abdullah, the driver and owner of the SX dubbed BAD Company, it was another satisfying day to enjoy his awesome ride, while bringing smiles to the faces of people who also love cool rides.
Oh, and by the way, the second big surprise is this article right here.
Both Shahied and Raeesah had no idea their experience would be immortalised in these pages, right here in Bobby Nitro.
Wishing all the best to the couple, their family and new baby.