All that glitters is this car fanatic’s soul mate
It has been chased, filmed and photographed
IT has been 10 years and 18 sports cars since his first automotive love, but Rajiv Narandas thinks he has finally met The One.
The controversial Durban businessman, who faces a murder charge, is the doting owner of a 2012 Audi R8 V10 Spyder sports car. Its shiny gold wrap — believed to be the first in South Africa — is a sight to behold.
“It’s just a vinyl wrap — the original silver paintwork is still underneath it,” said Narandas.
“I’m the first person in the country to do gold chrome. There is a person in Johannesburg who did a chrome wrap, but not in gold. It’s very popular overseas — in Dubai and that.”
Narandas’s father, Krish, is a jeweller, so perhaps the colour — gold in the shade and a brighter yellow in the sun — runs in his veins.
“Gold is an attractive colour for me. I chose it because it has never been done before in the country and everybody knows me to be an extremist. At least my date won’t need a mirror to touch up her makeup,” joked Narandas who turned 27 yesterday.
Chatsworth custom car-shop owner Donovan Pillay applied the wrap to the car and did “good work in three days”. It normally takes a week to wrap a vehicle.
Although he has clocked many miles in many rides since his first car, a 1992 Toyota Corolla he had at the age of 16, Narandas considers the Spyder a first in its own way.
“This is the first expensive car I bought for myself. I’ve had 18 cars and I’ve never had anything more powerful than this.”
He bought the Spyder for nearly R2-million earlier this year from a Capetonian, who had owned it for 12 months.
And the car had a gratifying effect on his dad.
“My father is the most old-school person you can find. If he sees anything shiny, he’ll just block his face. But when he saw this car, he just said: ‘Wow!’ ”
Narandas has been getting a lot of attention on the road from members of the public taking pictures and videoing him.
“You see whole families with their cameras and it’s just flash-flash-flash.”
Besides the wrap, Narandas has fitted glossy black rims on the car. It sports a square R16 000 GT steering wheel from Audi, two 10-inch JBL subwoofers and an amplifier, as well as a performance software upgrade.
It also has a Lamborghini Gallardo engine in the back and “goes from 0 to 200km/h in 9.2 seconds”.
Narandas is careful to make only approved modifications — so as not to void his motor plan — and Audi was responsible for customising the car’s exhaust system.
Even the wrap was only added after careful consideration.
“This car was all done up without having to remove a single piece of the car.”
So far, the modifications have cost “about R120 000”.
Narandas says the attention he enjoys the most is from youngsters, whom he allows to sit in the car if they ask him for permission.
“When I was a kid, I’d see these cars and I’d wish that I could touch them. So now, even if I see kids touching the car, I don’t mind.”
But he has had some hair-raising experiences with the ride’s young fans.
“When I drive past the schools, I feel like I’m about to be hijacked. I’ve got 500 blazers and socks running towards me and screaming.”