From bully dog breeder to classic car connoisseur

When not breeding pocket bully dogs or running Marino Motors Ballito, Ahmed Patel is often pulled over on his way to gym by people wanting a photo of his converted car.

For Patel, owning a little-known classic car became a reality three years ago when he acted on impulse and bought a 1947 Austin England, which now sports a whole new look.

The car has undergone a major makeover since, now fitted with Mazda’s 2.0-litre EGi Turbo engine, and an AR70 turbo added – also boasting a 5-speed Toyota Cressida short-shift gearbox.

The list of what’s left to be done includes fitting a radio, a wheel change, suspension work and wiper blades.

“It has been a childhood dream of mine to own a classic car,” said Patel, who was looking for one that was ‘fast and completely different’.

A week after sealing the deal, work began on reshaping it and giving it more grunt. Three years later, Patel is very close to completing the project.

“The vehicle has a complete custom-built fibre glass rear still on the original steel chassis cab from 1947. We repainted, rebuilt and retuned the motor to suit the reliability needs,” he said.

What he loves most about the car though is the effect it has on people.

“Very few people know what it is, but car person or not, everyone has to take a photo or give you the thumbs up.”

Racing on a superbike is another passion of Patel’s.

He said he grew up never being in the position of owning a nice car, let alone a two-wheel dream machine.

When the opportunity arose a few years back, he jumped at it and is now the owner of a Kawasaki ZX-6R, among others.

“It’s like a disease. Those who ride will understand. I went bike crazy and ended up owning five bikes,” he said, one of which is a 2020 Honda Fireblade SP.

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