Dental surgeon loves tinkering with his Jaguars

Dr Markandoo Sivakumaran is a dental surgeon who started his clinic 30 years ago. When he is not "doing teeth", he is handy with a different set of tools for working on one of his cars.

- Shreejit Changaroth

The dentist, whom patients call Dr Siva, drives one of the few XJS models left in Singapore.

"I have always admired Jaguars," he said. "Every time I see a Jag, I get so fixated with its sheer elegance and majestic, aristocratic looks. I don't feel that way for any other car of similar status."

The 57-year-old caught the car bug in the 1970s, when he was in primary school. He would build his own toy vehicles with axles driven by winding mechanisms.

His early fascination with cars speedily morphed into a keen and deep interest in automotive technology. "I got a book from my brother, the Reader's Digest hardcover titled Automotive Technology, which taught me everything I needed to know about the engine, gearbox, suspension, brakes and electrics," he said.

However, with advice from his brother-in-law, who is also a dentist, and elder brother, who is an engineer, he chose dentistry for his tertiary education. Both mentors had suggested that dentistry was a lucrative career.