The Team Thai office in Calicut was already designed to catch the eye of those passing by. The exteriors and interiors are unlike any other: the open workspaces, the wall-to-wall glass windows, the hanging conference room, the use of real car parts as décor, all meticulously executed. But just when you thought it couldn’t draw any more attention, the office now has a Porsche 911 on its wall.
Not just the shell, but a fully working 911 (oily parts intact) has been put up right at the entrance. It seems like a ridiculous idea but what we do know is money talks, and the only person who can explain this extravagant concept is the man behind it—Ashique Thahir.
The joint managing director of Team Thai, a manufacturing and logistics company, Thahir is a hardcore petrolhead and is popular among car enthusiasts for the fleet of sportscars he owns. Porsche, Lambo, Ferrari; he doesn’t need to think twice before adding one to his garage. But that’s a story for another day. For now, let’s talk about this wall-mounted beauty.
Laying the bricks
The 911 was bought in 2010 and its claim to fame is the 1,00,000km-plus figure on the odo. It has gone on several trips and been through several makeovers as well, including a sexy vinyl Martini wrap. Now 11 years is a long time and Thahir wanted to do something absolutely crazy with the car.
It was around this time that Porsche had on sale limited-edition silhouettes of the 911 Turbo S. With only 30 pieces available in India, the frame was quite exclusive. It, however, didn’t seem exclusive enough for Thahir. With a Porsche GT3 now being his daily driver, he didn’t see the need for two black Porsches and wondered what he could do with his 911. He arrived at a seemingly preposterous idea — to mount the car at the entrance of his office.
He was determined to make it happen. Phone calls, voice notes and messages were exchanged with friends, engineers and architects, and a team was put together. We did hear a few backed out from the project as they thought it was plain ridiculous, but you know what they say, right? Where there’s a wall…I mean a will, there is a way.
Not built in a day
While Thahir had the space for the mounting, doing it on an already constructed wall comes with some risks. You’ve got to think of the weight of the car (2 tonnes), the wall’s load-bearing ability and the long-term viability and, of course, safety.
It was challenging to say the least but the focus was single-minded. Many blueprints were made, and with Porsche Kochi taking over the technical aspects of having a car put up at this angle, in about five months, the idea was a step away from reality.
A trial run was conducted, the strongest mounts were fitted and a cage was installed for safety, and it was done. The 911 was up.
About not getting to drive the 911 anymore, Thahir says he doesn’t look at this as a parting. He’s driven it to his heart’s content, and now he gets to see it every day. It’s a fitting tribute—a far-out one surely—to the time he spent with his first sportscar. Another idea executed, Thahir is on his way to push a few more boundaries.
WHEELS IN MOTION
A car enthusiast who is all about recognizing opportunities, Ashique Thahir is also a hodophile, always on the lookout for a new adventure. So when a chance to produce a show came along, he made a go for it. He teamed up with Deepak Narendran to produce and present a car travel series called Car & Country that is available on Amazon Prime UK. The show is about exploring cultures and building relationships while driving the best cars in the best locations in the world.
So what’s next for the duo? In the pipeline is a brand-new adventure travel series that’s going to be worth the wait. There’s not much revealed at the moment but what we do know is that joining them will be professional racing driver Freddie Hunt, son of legendary 1976 F1 champion James Hunt. Buckle up.
Image Credit: Nithin Nambiar and Ashique Thahir
