Car-jeep wonder vehicle, Sukus pride

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a rare breed, probably a cross between a car and a jeep. A 1983 model of ‘Trishul’, a country-made, rare and less popular model of a car, is still running smoothly in the city. Automobile enthusiasts  might have noticed a ‘car-jeep’ vehicle with a ‘Trishul’ over the bonnet passing by. The condition of the Trishul Diesel Tourer, owned by city-based mechanic V Sukumaran,  could even surprise the owners of the now defunct Trishul Autocrafts Ltd, Patna. The credit, of course, goes to Sukumaran, who put  years of effort on the vehicle, which he terms a ‘toy car’. “This car belonged to a businessman in Alappuzha. My friend in Alappuzha, who too is a mechanic, bought this car from him,’’ says Sukumaran.He says that Trishul was such a badly made vehicle that its sales nosedived in the initial years itself.‘’Since my friend could not manage to keep the vehicle running, he gave it to me around 25 years ago. I put a lot of effort on it and modified it,” says Sukumaran. The vehicle now has a mileage of 28 km per litre. Sukumaran was not ready to part with Trishul even though some offered even ` 5 lakh for the 28-year-old vehicle. Trishul has appeared in some Malayalam films too. But Sukumaran has stopped giving it for film shooting. “The film-makers don’t even care to give it back after use,” he says.With the modified Trishul, Sukumaran had planned to go to Pune in 1991 to get approval from the Automotive Research Association of India, the nodal agency in automobile research. However, he gave up the plan after fate intervened in the form of an accident.Sukumaran is still confident about developing new models of cars if there is some financial support. “Engineering graduation is nothing before experience. Expertise comes only through experience. I am confident of developing new cars, provided there is financial support,” he says.Sukumaran is more familiar in the city as Suku, an expert in maintaining the ‘Bullet’ motorcycle. His Bullet workshop at Kowdiar has now been shifted to Chettikulangara in the city. His is known for modifications in Bullet too. His two daughters, both in the nursing field, also are experts in Bullet maintenance.