Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent - Tuk-Tuk to the Road

Meanwhile we pondered over a name for our chariot. Barbarella was mooted, but rejected by Jo on the grounds that she had no idea who Barbarella was. Then, inspired by watching too many episodes of Little Britain , I hit upon Ting Tong, the Thai bride played by Matt Lucas. It was perfect. Not only did it have the right ethnic origins, but also Ting Tong and tuk tuk share the same initials. Ting Tong it was.

Over the next three and a half months, six experts would work on bringing Ting Tong to life—Anuwat, his wife Dow, and mechanics Thart, Thung, Doung and Karm. The fact that it would be two girls driving this tuk tuk back to England spurred them on to even greater perfection. The steel chassis was reinforced, a 550-cc Daihatsu engine flown in from Japan, the suspension raised by 15 cm to give it extra clearance and roll-bars added at the sides. As Ting Tong began to take shape, her creators turned their attention to the details. More lights were added for increased visibility, special seats were ordered and, most crucially, her body parts were painted a perfect shade of pink. There was no chance this tuk tuk was going to get lost in the crowd.

Ting Tong’s creation went (almost) seamlessly, and on Thursday 25 May 2006 Jo tuk to the wheel and drove her out of the Expertise factory for the first time. The pinkest, sleekest, hottest three-wheeler in history was ready to be unveiled to the world.

Ting Tong’s vital statistics

Engine:four-stroke, water-cooled 550-cc Daihatsu

Fuel:unleaded petrol

Fuel tank:50-litre capacity

Gears:five forward, one reverse

Cylinders:three

Wheels:three, with 12-inch rubber tyres

Colour:pink

Top speed:70 mph

Electrical system:12 volts

Braking system:11-inch front disc brake, rear drum brakes

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