Since early this month, Vo Van Trung (25) and his brother Vo Trung Kien (20) have been welcoming visitors eager to see their super luxurious car in Phuc Dong Commune, the central province of Ha Tinh's Huong Khe District.
Trung works in telecommunication industry and his younger brother owns a shop near their house, selling mobile phones. Two months ago, to prepare for his wedding in December, Trung wanted to rent a convertible, but couldn’t.
Work begins on transforming the 1998 Daewoo Cielo into a super luxury car. Photo courtesy of Vo Van Trung |
"Then I remembered my parents still have their 1998 Daewoo Cielo which they bought three years ago. The engine was broken but we asked them if they would let us fix the car and turn it into a convertible for the wedding day," Trung said.
The parents were skeptical, but agreed to let the brothers do what they wanted.
Before starting on their project, the brothers did some researches, looked up some Lamborghini models, and drew up a new design. They bought steel plates, metal wires, bonding glue, L.E.D. lights and other materials. They also borrowed various equipment including a grinder and a metal cutter from neighbors to execute their fantastic project.
Trung in his "Lamborghini". Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung |
Kien said the hardest part was building the frame for the car’s body, which took them more than 2 weeks. Other work like assembling and painting didn’t take long.
"The car’s engine was broken, so we asked the auto mechanics to help. For now, we’ve spent around VND70 million ($2,980). The money was from our savings," Kien said.
After two months, the old car with the look of a new Lamborghini is 90 percent finished. The car has two seats, is 4.2m long, 1.4m wide and 1.2m tall. It gives a mileage of 100km per seven litres.
Several features have to be added, but the car's almost ready. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung |
It needs several other features, but Trung said that since the wedding day is close, he’s temporarily postponed work on the car to focus on other arrangements for the big day.
"My fiancé’s house is about 10km from mine. I feel really happy I fixed up a car for my important day," Trung said.
Since the car has not been registered or passed safety checks, it will only be used for riding slowly on the village road.
People take pictures of the almost-ready luxury convertible. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung |
Le Van Son, head of traffic police in Huong Khe District, said the authorities applauded the brother’s creativity. However, he cautioned that it should not be driven on the street yet and should follow and complete required procedures first.