The Cortina chronicles of a classic-car fan
Mechanic’s dream car is highly modified
JOHANNESBURG
mechanic Selvan Sathiyavan can thank his dad for his love of classic cars.
Sathiyavan, 35, whose 1984 Ford Cortina XR6 is his pride and joy, said his late father Tommy, who was also a motor mechanic, was the reason behind his passion for cars.
“My dad always made sure his cars looked and sounded good. I grew up on a farm in Darnall, KwaZulu-Natal, and whenever we’d go to Stanger [KwaDukuza], my dad would clean, polish and shine his car until he could see his reflection in it. I guess that has rubbed off on me, because I won’t take my Cortina out unless it’s clean and shiny,” he said.
Sathiyavan owns a motor workshop in Windsor West, Randburg. He first fell in love with the Ford Cortina XR6 when his older brother, Deena, bought one many years ago. His Cortina is the same model as his brother’s.
“Since Deena brought home that car, I have dreamt of owning one. In August 2005, I finally found a Cortina in Roodepoort. The car was in excellent condition, so I bought it, but I kept it in my garage for a month without driving it — I had big plans for it. And when I was ready, I drove it down to Stanger and this is where the transformation began,” said Sathiyavan.
The first stop was his brother’s workshop, where the car was stripped down to the shell. It was initially white, but Sathiyavan had it resprayed black.
It went back into the workshop, where it was fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine, among other modifications.
“Apart from the colour change, the exterior maintains it original specs,” said Sathiyavan. “I didn’t want to change the appearance of the car. There is a Pioneer sound system which is drowned out by the engine. I prefer it that way — the sound of the engine is music to my ears.”
The interior of the car is factory standard except for the rev counter and other monitoring gauges. “The gear shifter is a B&M QuickSilver ratchet shifter. The engine has had some work done on it, which I did myself,” said Sathiyavan.
He is not exclusively loyal to any specific make of car, but he enjoys driving classic models. He bought his first car in 2002 — a limitededition 1983 Ford Cortina XR6 TF that he sold because it was a “gas guzzler”. He has also driven a 1992 BMW E30 325i and a 1998 Golf 3 GTS.