Dreams now reality as Kogan collects a whole herd of Colts
And one, in particular, is a tribute to his late daughter
SANTHAM PILLAY
IN 1977, Kogan Moodley, then 19, routinely stood outside a car showroom, nose plastered to the window, coveting the Dodge Colt 1600 GS 2 Coupé. Two years later, he bought one.
These days, the 59-yearold is a collector of the vehicles, accumulating five over a 35-year period.
“The youngsters who could afford these cars used to race other cars and, in most cases, won the races.
“When I began my first job, I used to see these cars in the showrooms in Durban during my lunch breaks, but I could not afford to buy one,” said Moodley.
His latest purchase, a blue 1975 model, was one of the cars selected to be showcased at the Top Gear Festival last month.
Moodley considers all his cars — a yellow 1975 Dodge Colt 1600 GS 2, a green 1975 Dodge Colt 1600 GS 2, a brown 1975 Dodge Colt 1600 GS 2 and a white 1975 Dodge Colt 1600 GS 2 — his pride and joy. But it was the blue 1972 Dodge that he chose to display at the car festival.
The vehicle serves as homage to one of Moodley’s three daughters, Preoshni, who died eight years ago.
From her picture on the dashboard to the “bad girl” logo on the boot of the car, Moodley has infused the Dodge Colt with memories of Preoshni.
“I found this ‘Bad Girl’ logo and I remembered my daughter had stuck the sign in one of my other cars.
“Everyone would ask why I placed the sticker on my car and I would say it was my daughter’s idea. When I saw this, I thought it would be like carrying a piece of her.”
Changes to the car have been minimal because a decision has been made to keep the “old-time” look intact.
The interior, high-back seats with built-in headrests and dashboard have been revamped to a midnight black. Moodley also updated the car’s sound system to a
When I began my first job, I used to see these cars in the showrooms in Durban during my lunch breaks, but I could not afford to buy one
JVC MP3 player with six speakers and a subwoofer housed in the boot.
Under the hood is where the biggest upgrade was made.
“The present engine is 1 800cc, naturally aspirated, with a 36DCOE Weber downdraft carburettor. The original was a naturally aspirated 1 600cc. It’s not too big a difference, but one I wanted to make. And everything fits in as it should.”
Although he owns newer cars, it is the oldies that get the comfort of undercover storage.
“I would rather the newer vehicles sit outside. Yes, they are worth a lot of money, but these mean a lot to me and that is what makes a difference.”