RI students in Perth revved up by souped-up cars

RI students in Perth revved up by souped-up cars

Prapti Widinugraheni, Contributor, Perth, Australia

A shiny black Lexus emblazoned with racing car stickers glided
into the car park, its body almost scraping the asphalt. The
driver's eyes, nose and forehead were visible over the dashboard
and all noise was drowned out by the deep rumbling of its engine.

At every road hump, the car slowed down almost to a stop, the
driver being ever so careful not to scratch the road with the
front bumper -- or the whole undercarriage for that matter.

It seemed an arduous and pointless task compared to driving a
standard vehicle, since cars could run just as well without
having their wheels and hubcaps changed, bodies lowered, engines
revved up or audio systems made hi-tech.

But when you have a bit of money, you are allowed to find joy
in the most exceptional of things.

M. Razi Abdullah, the 18-year-old owner and driver of the
slick Lexus, says he has always liked modifying cars since his
high school days in Jakarta.

"I get together with like-minded friends here and continue the
hobby," said the student of Curtin University of Technology's
commerce diploma course.

Razi is one of many Indonesian students in Perth who are
passionate about modifying their cars. The students own the
latest classes of Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Audis, Hondas and other
cars whose similarity lies not only in price terms (give and take
several thousand dollars), but in the amount of time and money
spent modifying them.

Like Razi, most of them bring the "hobby" to Perth from back
home and -- thanks to deep-pocketed, generous parents -- they are
able to continue it here.

Agus, who does not wish to be known by his real name, is a 20-
year-old student, studying for a marketing degree at Curtin. He
has been living in Perth for two years and now owns a Mercedes
CLK.

Since buying his Mercedes a year ago, he has modified it to a
tune of A$10,000 -- a sum taken out from the pocket money his
parents send from Jakarta.

As a teenager in Jakarta, he belonged to an auto club called
Solid. Shortly after arriving in Perth, he started a club with
the same name along with six other friends. The club's main
activity, he added was "hanging out".

And because it's not the type of club with a formal structure,
the only real benefit from "hanging out" is that members can be
up-to-date with the latest modification trends.

Solid is one of about 15 auto clubs with Indonesian
connections in Perth. Others have names like S1MPL3, Team
Stealth, Mobil, Unknown and Xklusiv; they have anywhere between
five and 20 members.

Despite the big bucks involved, Agus denies there is any
oneupmanship among the modified car owners.

"I don't think there's any competition in terms of type or
degree of modifications. There are so many things you can do to a
car and so many cars with which to do it."

Razi could not agree more. Since his arrival in Perth 18
months ago, he has spent between $15,000 and $20,000 (excluding
the cost of the brand new car) to modify his Lexus. He lives in
his family's home in the city's northern suburbs with his older
brother, who is also a sucker for modified cars.

Razi claims he is so attached to his car that he has little
interest in anything else. The former Global Jaya student does
not like Perth -- or the rest of Australia for that matter -- and
considers the place boring. Jakarta is home and that is the place
to be, he says, explaining why he has gone home eight times since
living in Perth.

The only time he has been outside of Perth for some touristy
sightseeing was when his parents came to visit. At the time, they
also went to Sydney. He doesn't see the point in going there
again.

"Why go to Sydney, which is six hours away, when I can go to
Jakarta? It's only 3.5 hours away, there's a house, car and
places to hang out."

Razi cannot wait to finish his course and return to Jakarta.
In the meantime, he knows he will have to kill time by finishing
his diploma course and, of course, modifying his car.

Agus and Razi, like most other Indonesian modified car owners
here, do up their vehicles in auto salons or commercial garages.
Thus the hobby is, curiously, not so much in doing the
modifications as in admiring the result of someone else's work.

Razi says he would sometimes leave his Lexus at the garage for
weeks or months at a time to get modifications done.

One of the biggest incentives to modify a car is to be able to
participate in auto shows. These shows, which happen once or
twice a year in Perth, are the ultimate opportunity for car
owners to show off their pet projects and win titles like "That's
a Sick Body Kit", "Look What He's Done to the Engine Bay",
"Bachelor of Babes" and "Driver with Attitude".

Auto clubs compete for categories that include "Gee, Look at
This Club". Then there are titles according to car make like
"Sexy Suzuki", "Tear-ass Toyota" and "Horny Holden".

Razi says that preparing for an auto show involves a lot of
time and money. A show held last month in Perth required him to
fork out about $4,000 for perking up his car and preparing the
vehicle display at the show. For the same event, Agus spent about
$1,500.

Razi and Agus only go for what they believe are the best auto
salons in town. They take their vehicles to different garages for
different things, whether it is to modify the engine, change the
wheels, decorate and alter the body and interior or perk up the
audio system.

Audio Art is a garage specializing in audio systems
modifications, owned and managed by Bandung-born Perth
businessman Yanddy Limadinata. Agus says he chooses Audio Art
because they do a good job; not because of their Indonesian
connections.

Yanddy has lived in Perth for 13 years and has seen the many
up-and down-trends of Indonesian car enthusiasts. The years 1993
to 1995 were good times; this was when rich Indonesian students
were infamous for flaunting their extravagant, party-going
lifestyle. The 1997 economic crisis saw a significant drop in the
number of car enthusiasts.

"But things have picked up since and now everything's going
strong, although perhaps not reaching the giddy levels of '94 to
'95."

The 30 year old started Audio Art in 1997 after finishing a
commerce and law degree at Perth's Murdoch University. Yanddy
says that starting the company was tough, particularly in terms
of understanding Australian business regulations.

"We were a small company and there was a lot of competition --
in fact, Western Australia has one of the highest number of car
audio shops per population in the world."

Despite the odds, Audio Art has grown to become a well-
respected company in the industry. And Yanddy is happy to keep
the business in Perth, with no plans to expand to Indonesia
though he knows that in many ways, it is easier to make a dollar
in Indonesia.

"People have stronger purchasing power in Indonesia; customers
there would pay the same price I charge clients here for the same
job. At the same time, labor costs and accessory prices are much
lower than they are here -- mainly because there are no taxes.

"But I still feel more comfortable doing business in Australia
because although labor makes up 30 to 40 percent of costs,
regulations are clear and everything is straight forward."

Yanddy charges between $55 and $75 per hour for customizing
vehicles. About half his clientele are Indonesian; the other half
consists of other Asian nationals -- mainly Malaysian and
Singaporean -- and Australian, especially those of Italian
descent.

About one-third of his customers are professionals, including
doctors and lawyers, but the bulk of his business comes from
students and young people between the ages of 18 and 35.

Although big money is spent on modifications, many Indonesian car
enthusiasts like Agus and Razi modify for "artistic" purposes;
they are not keen on increasing the speed capability of their
vehicles.

Agus says he stays away from drag racing on the streets, a
practice that local authorities have deemed dangerous as they
often end in fatal accidents. Rising death tolls from drag races
prompted the authorities to introduce tough "anti-hoon" laws in
September.

"I modify my car for the look; a bit like a fashion
statement," Agus says, making his point.

Razi says he has been to Perth's official drag racing circuit
several times but only to accompany friends. Many artistic
modifications, he points out, actually prove a drag on speed, so
vehicles like his would not be ideal for drag racing anyway.

But the local police are using a blanket approach in
implementing the "anti-hoon" laws by examining all modified cars
on the streets, regardless of the drivers' on-road behavior.

Razi says he has been fined A$52 for having a lower-than-
standard car height. He fixed and standardized the height within
weeks, but after reporting the changes to the police, he lowered
the body again.

"I know about the laws, but I don't care."

He says the police also checked on engine parts and the
presence of a spare wheel in the boot.

"I didn't have a spare wheel because the audio system took up
all the space, but they let me go."

Perhaps the police would not be so worried if they knew that
some modifications were quite harmless and, in fact, could
potentially defeat the purpose of having a car at all.

"If my car was lowered any more, I probably wouldn't be able
to get a jack underneath the body or go up the driveway. Then the
car would be stuck in the garage and I wouldn't be able to get to
my classes," Razi said.