[GTO]

The movie "Special 26" has done a commendable job of recreating the car scene from the late 80s . There are innumerable scenes of Mumbai roads & traffic, and it was a total pleasure to see all the cars of that era. Whoever worked on this really knew what he was doing.

Here is a sample. A good old Amby, Padmini cab, W123 Benz, Contessa and some import to show the many Toyota / Honda imports of that time. Even the number-plate colours are a walk down memory lane:




Of course, there are some inaccuracies which only BHPians will notice. Example, there was no Maruti 1000 / Esteem yet in this scene from 1987:


The movie is on Netflix. Be sure to watch it for the cars, and more. It's a 5-star flick for the full family.

[Sridhar C E]

I grew up in Mumbai. I was 11 years old, in 1965 when my Dad got our first car.

That was a memorable occasion for me. One evening when I returned from school my mom had packed a bag for me and told me I was going out of town with my Dad.
The next thing I remember, I was at Santa Cruz Airport climbing the ramp to board a Viscount aircraft of Indian Airlines- my very first air trip! My Dad told me we were bound for Hyderabad. I distinctly remember that first Air trip, with the air hostess fussing over me and giving me some extra goodies!!

We stayed with my Dad's friend overnight. Dad had arranged to buy a second hand Fiat 1100 D from a known seller. I didn't know any of this, till I saw myself upclose to APY 5865 - yes that was the registration plate on the gorgeous light green Fiat, which was to be my obsession for the next few years.

Dad didn't know driving yet, so we got a combo of driver+ car. I sat next to the driver as we took the route to Bombay the next day, early in the morning.

The next 6 months was when Dad learnt driving from the driver. The driver was with us for more than a year. I leant how to drive in the building .

Highway trips by road

Our family of 5 - my parents and my younger siblings- sister and brother, aged 7 and 3 respectively loved the country side. We had family both in Andhra pradesh as well as in Karnataka. Our first highway trip by car was to Bangalore, some time in 1967. Dad had become a member of WIAA - Western India Automobile Association.
We got route Maps from their office opposite Churchgate station. These route maps were meant for specific destinations and instead of a map these had specific route instructions. Typically it would start from a particular point, say the WIAA office and give detailed instructions on where to turn, which road to take, where to find petrol stations, hotels etc. For example:

1. At sion circle- head straight for 3 kms
2. At junction of Eastern Express highway with Chembur road, take straight road ( EEH)
and so on.

Those days there were very few private Cars on highways- mostly trucks and busses and the odd intercity taxis ( Bombay to Poona or Bombay to Nasik)

There was of course no expressway between Bombay and Poona nor was there the Vashi creek Bridge. We would go via Thane and by NH 4, the old Bombay Poona Highway.

Dad was the sole driver with 13 year old me being the eager navigator cum engine temperature watcher!
On the ghats there were points that said " Radiator water"
And many a times we stopped to fill the radiator. After stopping the car one had to wait for a respectable interval before we could open the cap.

The helpful WIAA route maps also indicated the presence of the very few watering holes en-route. We stopped many times for answering natures calls or just for Dad to stretch his limbs.

As night approached we were somewhere close to Kolhapur. WIAA route maps also indicated Government Guest houses- there was an abbreviation, "GH". We pulled up at a guest house and to my delight, we got a nice bungalow all to ourselves ! There was a genie who goes by the designation of "Khansama" who conjured delicious meals for the family. Those days, such guest houses were also open to non Government folks

We resumed our journey sedately the next day. The car was not air-conditioned but the unit polluted wind on our faces was a great joy. The conditions of the roads varied from passable to very bad and one drove accordingly.

When we reached Bangalore late in the evening of day 2, we were given a heroes welcome! After all, not many cousins could claim having traveled over 1000kms by road!

[am1m]

What's I still find pretty awesome is how reliable Indian cars have become in a pretty short time and how much easier it is to do long distances.

Today, you can just impulsively jump in to ANY modern car (assuming you've not abused it and haven't skipped basic service schedules) and just take off across the country on a drive. No second thoughts.

From my childhood memories, there was no way we could do that in the 80s or 90s. The car had to be thoroughly checked, spare fan belts and hoses carried, perhaps a driver/mechanic to accompany the family, the route had to be planned well with fixed halts, enough food had to be carried, money planned and carried in advance, inform everyone in advance and along the route.

Now we have reliable mechanicals, great roads, cell phones, online maps, ATMs, roadside assistance, and enough restaurants across most of the country.

I know I should be nostalgic and all, but I think it's an improvement, I wouldn't want to go back to those days! To me the best road trips are the really impulsive ones, and that's more possible these days. Maybe it might seem like less of an adventure, but now road trips are accessible to a lot more people (only relatively of course, the vast majority of our citizens are not so fortunate).

[Sridhar C E]

Originally Posted by am1m

What's I still find pretty awesome is how reliable Indian cars have become in a pretty short time and how much easier it is to do long distances.

Today, you can just impulsively jump in to ANY modern car (assuming you've not abused it and haven't skipped basic service schedules) and just take off across the country on a drive. No second thoughts. .

I absolutely second that!

Back when we had a Fiat in the late sixties, as a kid I remember accompanying our driver to the friendly repair garage and spend almost half a day watching mechanics do their magic- opening up carburetors or fixing starter motor windings etc. Once I watched as a whole engine got new pistons after getting new bores. It was a heady mix of wandering among different cars and observing kids my age earn a living as assistants to the mechanics!

The 2 Fiat cars in my childhood were second hand cars and needed regular trips to the mechanic. Come Mumbai monsoons, the car would inevitably stall under the Kingscircle bridge or the Santacruz railway underpass! Highway trips needed a lot of preparation- carrying a spare fan belt, ensuring we had a can of water for the radiator and also a piece of bar soap to plug the radiator if it sprung a leak! And also a tow rope in case the car broke down some where. Once our car caught fire inexplicably whilst filling air in a petrol pump in Juhu and I remember the excitement I felt watching the elders extinguish the minor fire under the bonnet!

When I started working and my employer could give a vehicle loan, I bought my first car- A Premier Padmini, only 4 years old . That's the car which made me realize that cars could be dependable, too! I spent my first Mumbai monsoon not getting stuck anywhere. I also lost touch with my mechanic friends as the Premier exhibited no such tantrums!

Ah, those days!!!!

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Sridhar C E

Once our car caught fire inexplicably whilst filling air in a petrol pump in Juhu and I remember the excitement I felt watching the elders extinguish the minor fire under the bonnet!

Same memory as a kid in Bangalore the 80s! Probably 87-88, we were driving from Indiranagar to Malleshwaram, smoke started coming out from under the bonnet. All jumped out of the car, minor fire that had to be put out!