We have seen several videos of workshops that make replicas of sports cars and supercars using regular models available in India. We have featured many such videos on our website as well. However, Rakesh Babu from Kerala is different from them, as he excels at making miniature models of classic and vintage cars. His first creation, a miniature version of a Volkswagen Beetle using a Suzuki Samurai engine, had gone viral on the internet. After that, he made many more miniature models, mostly electric. Here, we have a video where he made not one but two Land Rover Series I SUVs after receiving an order from clients.
The video has been uploaded by Sudus Customs on his YouTube channel. The vlogger mentions that this is an old video and the car was already delivered to the customer. Just like all his other models, this one is also an electric car. The body panels and frame were all made in his workshop. After building the frame, the car even got a working suspension at the front and rear. The suspension was taken from a Bajaj Platina motorcycle, and the wheels are from an autorickshaw.
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Once the frame was built, Rakesh and his team worked on the body panels. The car’s design was inspired by Land Rover Series I SUVs. With the limited resources he had, Rakesh made the replica look like the original car, only smaller. The headlights are from TVS XL100, and the tail lamps are from a Bajaj autorickshaw.
The steering is also a custom-made unit, just like the seats and the dashboard. It has forward and reverse switches along with a horn switch. The car has a 48V battery placed under the seat, and it is connected to a 750W electric motor. The car is suitable as a toy for children. He has finished two Series I SUVs in the same spec, only in two different colors.
When the customer came to the garage, he told them about the charging time and also gave them a demo of how the car functions. He drove these mini Land Rover SUVs through narrow village roads, and they performed pretty well. However, it is suitable for children only. If you load the vehicle too much, it would affect the electric motor’s lifespan in the long run. He doesn’t mention anything about the range; however, it is expected to have a range of around 30-40 km with fully charged batteries. The batteries would take around 6-8 hours to fully charge.
Rakesh has also installed a port to connect the charger, making charging the car an easy task. A circuit breaker is also installed next to it so that the electricity supply cuts in case of a short circuit. After loading one of the SUVs in the back of a pickup truck, he takes the other Land Rover for a short spin near his area. He was satisfied with the overall miniature model. One of the recent projects that Rakesh worked on was a classic Porsche 911, which is also powered by an electric motor.
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