Scrap art on wheels! Rakesh powering his vintage dreams

FOR Rakesh Babu, good things come in small packages. And, this seems to be driving Rakesh's passion for building miniature vintage vehicles from scrap.

- BIJU E PAUL @ Alappuzha

His scaled-down creations have been capturing the attention of automobile enthusiasts, social media users, and even entrepreneurs.

Over the past four years, Rakesh, hailing Kalavamkodam, Cherthala and an employee with Autokast (a public-sector undertaking based in Cherthala), has built over 60 miniature models of vintage vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and vans, each a nostalgic tribute to a bygone era.

They are fully functional, fitted with bike engines and auto-rickshaw tyres, and can run 25-30 km to a litre.

Rakesh's journey began in 2020 with a deep-rooted passion for mechanics and vintage designs.

His first major project was a replica of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.