Red between the lanes: Ou’s Isuzu bakkie is a head-turner of note
Isuzu bakke and matching BMW motorcycle make quite a pair. Pictures: Shahiem Bell
At a car show recently Bobby Nitro spotted the new kid on the block, and it was a beautifully done up Isuzu bakkie, in a flawless candy apple red and sitting there lekker on five-spoke gold rims.
With some cars, you get the impression that they are that way because a lot of money has been thrown at them but with this bakkie, it’s obvious that it belonged to a person who believed in effort.
Luckily, Bobby was introduced to the proud owner, one Abdul Aziz Solomon, 35, from Muizenberg. A quiet man, he told about how the bakkie was a showpiece of sorts for his business, Snap Scratch Automotive Body Repairers, or SSABR.
He says: “This is the very first time I have ever been involved in going public with the things we love and I love to share hard work and this is the result in what we do on a daily basis.”
And Abdul has shared another matching creation, the SSABR motorcycle, a BMW S1000RR from 2010 in candy apple red paint with rose gold wheels and detail.
This 1998 Isuzu KB 200 is running on a Lexus 3uz engine with Spitronics management and a manual gearbox because, says Abdul: “Everyone likes to go sideways.” With eye-catching body lines and colour and those gold rims, this bakkie is a head-turner of note.
Asked about his inspiration, Abdul says: “I’ve had this passion for bikes and cars forever. As part of my efforts to stay away from crime and bad influences I chose cars and bikes, making them unique in my own way. Now, I could never afford an expensive car so all my life I’ve taken vehicles that cost a little and turned them into something that people can look at.
Drawing on his own experience, Abdul has some words of motivation, saying: “In this way I prove that anything can be done in life, it all boils down to how much effort you put in, as they say, ‘what you put in is what you get out’. With dedication and consistency you can do and become anything in life.”
Abdul, being different, says he chose the KB because “everyone I see takes a Hilux with a 2jz, which I do love as it’s a match made in heaven, but it was important for me to be different.”
On that note, he decided to change the pitch circle diameter (PCD) from six to five holes by changing the wheel hubs and rear shafts. The interior was in bad shape so Abdul went for a close to standard look and kept it as clean as possible. He still aims to upgrade the suspension for a comfy ride.
Abdul says: “My passion for anything is to make it a success, and accept whatever blessings are put out for me. Our business started as a mobile business as I was a one-man show with a huge drive to keep customers happy with workmanship. Now I am grateful for everyone involved because we could never have gotten this far alone. Thank you.”