It all begins with an idea
Welcome to our website! We are Neil and Ruchin Kansal, builders, innovators, car enthusiasts, and travelers at heart. Our shared love for cars has always brought us closer together. In 2020, during the global shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we seized the opportunity to fulfill a long-held dream. Neil learned to drive a manual car, and we embarked on a journey that would transform us forever.
Purchasing a beat-up 1998 Acura Integra, we transformed it into a stunning lime green masterpiece within the confines of our garage. We then set off on a memorable adventure, driving it 5000 miles to and from the breathtaking summit of Mt. Evans, Colorado, the highest motorable road in the US, to celebrate Ruchin’s 50th Birthday and Neil’s high school graduation in 2021.
Along this remarkable path of repairing the car and navigating the unknown, we unearthed unexpected parallels with life's journey. Our trip taught us that much like the winding roads we traversed, life requires resilience, adaptability, and the willingness to push beyond our comfort zones and that success requires the right mindset, skillset, and courage to act.
Returning home fueled by an insatiable appetite for new challenges, we wasted no time seeking our next restoration project. Our latest endeavor brings us to a remarkable 1983 Alfa Romeo Spider. Determined as ever, we set our sights on driving 4000 miles to and from the picturesque Cape Spear in Canada, the easternmost point in North America, in August 2023.
Neil Kansal
Neil is a rising junior at Washington & Lee, the principal cellist of the University Orchestra, the VP of Health and Safety of the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Member Education Chair of W&L Remote Area Medical, and is an aspiring surgeon. His love for cars stems from his earliest years, when he would refuse to eat a meal unless seated behind the driver’s seat of his parents’ car. He grew up enthralled by everything automotive and dreamt of one day modifying his own car. This dream brought rise to The Kansal Clunker, a father and son experience that allowed him to learn various automotive repair techniques and enjoy the fruits of driving a vehicle he put hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, and tears into.
Ruchin Kansal
Ruchin is an educator, a C-suite executive, and a leadership coach. He enjoys working with leaders and companies to enable change and build a better society. He is a Professor of Leadership & Innovation at Seton Hall University. Prior, he spent 10 years at EY, Deloitte, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Siemens Healthineers. He is the author of Redefining Innovation, Editor of In The Lead, and a TV Show host, and his work has been featured in multiple mainstream media outlets.
Starting his career as an architect lodged a deep passion for building useful things that people love interacting with. A dreamer at heart, Ruchin’s dream growing up was to participate in the Himalayan Car rally. The Kansal Clunker has allowed him to realize his dream with his son, albeit in a different format. It is more than a dream come true.