Here’s a story of the great circle of life - a man who was inspired by the Bobby Nitro column to do up his car, is featured in that very same column today.
Shameeg Kinnes, 25, hails from Portlands, and says he decided to get into his project car after reading about other koppe lowering and modding their cabbies on these very pages. There’s a certain feeling of history and a legacy to it.
One thing you can say about this 1995 Toyota Corolla GLE is that when you look under the bonnet, is that it’s neat, very clean. With a complete wire tuck and all the extras removed, such as the aircon and heating system, Shameeg has gone for a clean and crisp look. He comments that to do this a person must “suffer for beauty”.
Shameeg is a Toyota nut, saying he’s owned five altogether, going from Tazz to Corolla and back again, because “they are reliable, parts are inexpensive and easy to get hold of”.
This owner sits on the side of the fence that values original looks over hectic mods, and as such the exterior is clean, but for air suspension and original Toyota rims with low profile tyres.
Shameeg says: “I bought this car from a friend who was about to turn it into a racer, and preserved the original look.
He did use the Toyota as a daily drive but, if you look carefully you’ll notice trumpets in the engine bay which, he says, caused enough noise complaints from neighbours that he now takes it out mostly on weekends. He says: “I just love the sound of a tuned engine.”
Intake trumpets or velocity stacks, by the way, are add-ons that smooth the flow of air into an intake, allowing the movement of the most air possible through the given volume of the intake. More air equals more power, and Shameeg’s Toyota he says is good for 119kW. So it’s quite nippy.
Shameeg would attend park-offs and charity runs but that has dropped off a lot due to work commitments. He is not part of a club.
Asked about his dream car, Shameeg replies: “It’s hard to say, I like them all. But if I had to choose it would be something from the Toyota stable, perhaps an imported two-door Conquest.”
All the talk about Toyota got Bobby thinking of his first car, a lekker red two-door, two-litre automatic Toyota Corona with racing stripes that surprised many with the Golfie lights. Must be a collector’s item now.
Shameeg has this to say to youngsters starting out on their car journey: “Keep your car stock, but if you’re into the mods then start saving now, way before you even buy your car. It can be an expensive hobby.”
So ja, not to blow one’s own horn too much, but really satisfying to hear that Bobby Nitro has become somewhat of a cultural mover ‘n shaker!