Vintage cars are for the passionate
Maintenance gets difficult as parts become harder to find with each passing year
The MG TC 1946 remains Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur’s favoured mode of transport within the City Palace. It is a four-cylinder car he began driving in the 1970s. “It is a compact, powerful car that I used to drive in the days when I used to play cricket and polo regularly. Being an open two-seater, it is a delight to drive under the open skies,” he says. This was the first in the line of sports cars introduced by MG in the 1940s. For Shriji, his vintage and classic car collection is another facet of the living heritage of Mewar. “These are not just automobiles, they are an integral part of our history,” he says. All the vehicles that belonged to the Maharanas of Mewar have been painstakingly restored. Some are over seventy years old but are still in running condition.
A heritage well preserved
While royalty is the primary custodian of vintage cars, industrialist families and the Parsi community are equally passionate about them. Says Neville Tata, the 21year-old son of Jimmy Tata and great great grandson of Jamshedji Tata: "Cars have been a passion since I was a child. My current car was modelled off a set of hot wheels I got interested in at the age of three. It was a cultural icon of its time— a pioneer in terms of technology.”
Separate registration
According to Diljeet Titus, managing partner, Titus & Company , Advocates, and founder, The Titus Museum, “At the Heritage Motoring Club of India, of which I am the general secretary, I had obtained a specific blanket exemption from the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal by an order dated December 18, 2017, allowing these automobiles to be used on the roads of the National Capital Region for specific purposes. This permission has since been expanded to many usages.” These cars will soon have a new registration number. "All vintage four- and twowheelers made at least 50 years ago will be registered with a specially allotted alphabet series applicable all over India, VA, or vintage automobile," says Titus.
Vintage rallies
A regular organiser of such shows is
Madan Mohan, managing trustee, 21 Gun Salute Heritage and Cultural Trust. He informs there is a classification of old cars based on the year they belong to: Veteran cars (1886-1908), Edwardian (1909-1919), Vintage (1920-1949), Classic (1950-1965) and Modern (1966-1975). Mohan recently organised the ninth edition of the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally & Concours d’elegance at Karma Lakelands Golf Course, NH-8 Gurugram. “Pink, mint green, red, shades of blue — I don’t think we can imagine getting such headturning colours today,” says Aashna Khurana, creative director at Karma Lakelands.
Ranjit Pratap, managing director,
Rayalacorp Chennai and his 1957 Studebaker won first prize at the rally. He says restoring a car is so difficult that only those with passion should undertake it. Adds Titus: “A full-body off restoration could cost ~25-75 lakh.”
When evaluating participants in a rally, the judges look for perfection in all aspects – engine, undercarriage, bodywork, etc. Says Pratap: “They even look at old pictures to see how it has been done up.” Pavit Libra, whose Ford Mustang was among the first runnersup, says judges look at everything for originality: “Not all the cars made in the same year have parts from that year.”
Outsiders aren't privy to information on who is selling as they happen privately. Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi are key hubs. These cars are valued on the basis of marque (make and model), body style, rarity, coachbuilder, provenance, and restoration quality. Valuation also depends on upkeep.