Car Magician Leepu: World famous Bangladeshi car designer
Published Mon 9th November 2020
Born in Bangladesh, there are many young Bangladeshis who have been and still are acclaimed for their work in the international arena. Such a Nizamuddin Aulia. The name may seem unfamiliar to many. His nickname is Leepu. Through a US reality show called ‘Leepu and Pitbull’ which is known to almost all car lovers by one name.
Leepu is a car automotive engineer and designer. When you hand over an old car to him, he redesigns the car in such a way that he can’t recognize his own car. There is no pair of Leepu when it comes to giving a sophisticated look to an old car. And that is why he has become internationally famous. Worked with big car designers and engineers.
Leepu was born in Bangladesh in 1968. Leepu, a son from Dhaka, studied up to 9th class in a residential model school. But then he left Bangladesh for Saudi Arabia due to his father’s job. There, for the first time, he went on a motor show at the age of 16. Seeing all the dazzling cars that day, his thoughts and dreams were just cars and cars. He was most attracted to Ferrari cars and all the great racing cars that day. I began to think if I had such a car! But at that time he could not afford to buy such an expensive car.
So he nurtured the dream of automobile engineering and car designing from his adolescence. He has been steadfast in realizing his dream with this firm conviction of making and designing his own car. Dreamed of making a Lamborghini.
Leepu Lamborghini’s dream came true in 1989. Lamborghini Countess smashed a sedan and made it his own. But Lim-Bill named the car. Even then his knowledge of automobile engineering was not so strong. But he got the right idea about his abilities. So he started dreaming of making Bangladeshi limousine! Without knowing any auto mechanism, just looking at a Lamborghini poster can make a Lamborghini car model stand out. It is possible for him to see such a dream.
About the year 2000. Back in Dhaka, he started his own business. The limousine was made in his own design with a pair of old cars. With the help of a 2.8-liter diesel engine, his younger brother Dipu helped him build the car in just 40 days. Just as the 2800cc limousine he built was interesting to look at, so were the luxurious features of the limousine. Made the car with intercom, TV, water storage cabinet. Seeing his limousine on the streets of Dhaka, people’s foreheads would rise!
Leepu used to work with a car in the garage of his Jigatala house. After building the limousine, he went back to his first love Ferrari. In late 2002, Ferrari began work with four mechanics. Borrowed only a pair of lights and monograms from the original Ferrari design. The rest of the design was his make. The metal sheets he used to make this car are mainly used in rickshaws in Dhaka. Name the car ‘Swadhinata-71’!
Originally, after making Swadhinata-71, his fortunes changed. In 2003, a report on him was published on the BBC. After that report, Leepu became famous in the international arena. He was featured on the Ferrari Owners Club’s main website. There his car was introduced as The Bangladesh Ferrari.
He migrated to America to pursue higher education in automobile engineering. Admitted to the General Motors Institute in Michigan. But he got annoyed with the scriptural knowledge and gave up his studies. He came back to Bangladesh. And resumed his workshop. He conducted this workshop for three consecutive years. He used to make cars of people’s choices. The main task of his workshop was to make customized cars. He has already become famous in France. He was reported in the French newspaper Intersection in 2004.
His car M26 was displayed at the Dhaka Motor Show in 2006. The design of the car was so modern that no one could have imagined that the car was made by breaking a 22-year-old Toyota sprinter. This is followed by the spelling ‘The Peace Car’. He made this car by modifying an old Toyota Crown car. This car is housed in the Bangladesh National Museum.
That same year, the US government invited him to migrate. There he was involved with the Car Transformation Project. In this project, he transformed a Ford car into a more stylish design with his own creativity and skill. The car was named ‘Car’. A documentary was later made about this car. The US-made car was also on display at the Rich Mix Center in London.
He then moved to the Discovery Channel screen. Leepu and Bernie Feynman were featured in the program called ‘Bangla Bangers’ about making customized cars in Dhaka. The show shows how Leepu builds stylish cars without modern equipment. From Discovery he was tied up for 8 weeks to make two cars. He made the cars in 3 weeks with Bernie Feynman.
In 2007, Leepu built a car called The Angel Car. The car was on display at the Baishakhi Fair in Brick Lane, London.
Leepu and Barney Feynman were also present at the sequel The Chop Shop London Garage on the occasion of the Bangla Bangers. The main challenge of this reality show was to provide customized cars at low cost as per the demand of the clients.
It’s not that Leepu makes cars just for himself or for celebrities. He has built many cars within the reach of common people. Returned to the country in 2011 and built a car called ‘Suruj’. He named the car after his grandfather. This car will run on gas, oil and even electricity. And the price will be only two and a half lakh takas.
In 2015, he appeared again on the History Channel. The world sees a Bangladeshi car magician. At the touch of his hand, the old broken car became a sophisticated supercar! The History Channel hosts a reality show called Leepu & Pitbull with Steve Pitbull’s Trimble Garage. Bangladeshi Leepu was with Pitbull there. At the event, they showed how to convert an abandoned car into a supercar. Which is again sold commercially!
He has established himself in the world by capitalizing on his concentration and patience. In honor of his unimaginable achievement, the United States granted him the highest immigration benefits. He now lives in Long Island City with his wife and three children and continues to contribute to the world’s car industry.
Leepu is a unique example of how one’s own will can take a person to the top. His skill in making customized cars is evident in Leepu’s words. He said
In the fairy tale, Cinderella’s godmother made Cinderella go from a pumpkin to a ball car to a ball dance, just like I did. No matter how old the car is, it’s my job to make it look modern.
The car manufacturing industry in Bangladesh has not yet developed in that way. Leepu, the magician of Bangladeshi cars, may survive in the history of Bangladesh like a fairy tale, even if it is lagging behind due to structural reasons
