Candy flip: Tuned Suzuki Swift

Parked in a sweet spot amidst the roaring engines at the Valley Run 2023, this Suzuki Swift, with its custom Candy Red paint job, proves that it’s more than just a car—it’s a statement. It grabbed my attention quicker than the Nardo Grey BMW M5 parked right next to it and that does speak volumes. The owner of this Swift, Terry, works on a cruise liner, away at sea for almost six months in a year. Upon sharing a conversation with him, he told me that he’s grown up playing NFS Most Wanted and Underground 2, which was enough to make me understand that the bug has bit him hard. This Swift serves as a racecar for the track but also as a ferry to pick his daughter up from school.

The ideation

The bodykit, paint job and exhaust on the Swift would almost make a layman question which car he was looking at. Candy Flip is what Terry calls his Swift. Its metamorphosis, inspired by the globally sold Suzuki Swift Sport, began at Xenon It and Rocket Motors, under the watchful eye of Pratham, the owner and a close friend of mine. From showroom delivery to a month-long transformation, every detail was meticulously curated. The result? A spectacle that caught the eye of enthusiasts and even a young scooter rider who couldn’t resist chasing us while we were taking photographs, for a taste of automotive admiration. Terry’s first car was a DC modified Suzuki Esteem before he moved onto the Mahindra Scorpio sports edition. The Swift was a gift from his older brother, who is in favour of his modification aspirations. Coincidentally, when I was getting retro-fitted laser projectors for my Endeavour, this Swift was parked and ready for delivery after all upgrades. I hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, as I was engrossed in my car’s work. Moreover, the Candy Red paint job didn’t really pop at night, nor did I hear the exhaust note, to make it really grab my attention. But here we are.

The build

The Swift looks swanky and bold, with an upgraded contrasting black bonnet, upgraded Suzuki Swift Sport bumper, retro fitted laser projector headlamps with an eye-lid, silver imitation BBS alloys, Audi design aftermarket taillamps with sequential indicators, full system straight-piped exhaust by MPE and a huge GT wing at the rear. Terry’s 5-year-old daughter’s approval is the ultimate badge of honour, even if his father disapproves of the modifications and the extravagance. Terry’s personalised touch extends to the engine bay, where a hand-painted design resides. It gets a Stage 2 ECU remap by Autohelpers that provides increased 22bhp and 40Nm of torque, making the figures 110bhp and 143Nm at a kerb weight of just around 900kg. Mated to a manual transmission, redlining is in this Swift’s inherent nature. Being a Suzuki that it is, the car returns a mileage of 11kmpl, even after the tune. The upgraded bonnet is made of fibreglass and helps with weight reduction, while looking really sick. The headlamps are custom retro-fitted high-intensity laser projectors with colour-changing DRLs that can be operated via a mobile application. The imitation BBS alloys look just as classy as the original and really bring out the sporty design. I don’t know if that massive wing really helps with downforce or just adds unnecessary weight but what I do know is that it couldn’t have looked any cooler than this. If I had a Swift, that wing would probably be one of my first modifications. In the interior, there are no modifications done except for an Android screen that supports Apple CarPlay and ambient lighting that can be remotely controlled via a mobile application.

Ownership experience

Terry’s experience with the Candy Flip has been no less of a rollercoaster ride. On one hand, he gets a thumbs up from people on the highway and compliments from onlookers, while on the other, he gets pulled over by cops at every junction. Once a cop pulled him over, and was not ready to let him go because he wouldn’t accept the fact that the car is a Suzuki Swift. Candy Flip also receives tasteful compliments from enthusiasts who own supercars that even cross the one-crore mark, all thanks to the popping Candy Red paint. The car also gets priority service at the authorised Maruti Suzuki service centre with two dedicated supervisors. Safe to say, Terry got his hands on one of the last peppy, responsive, and high-efficiency engine Swifts. The buttery smooth 1.2-litre, four-cylinder engine, loved by millions, may bid us farewell, to allow the Swift to be replaced by the three-cylinder nat-asp petrol engine. Terry, being the petrolhead he is, mentions that because there’s no work left in the Swift, it’s no longer interesting for him. He wishes to purchase the last-gen Honda Civic and convert it into a Type-R Civic, with a tune, an exhaust and bodywork.

This Suzuki Swift has been modified and repainted by Xenon It and Rocket Motors. They can be contacted at +91 9920078111.