Heres the 1960 Fiat 1100 103, commonly known as the Select in the Indian market (beats me why, theres no mention of the name anywhere, not even in the books, ads and manuals).
Maj. Jamshed
Jimmy Daruvala got this car in July of 63, from his brother in law who was using it in Delhi (old number DLF 2468. I quite like it, am thinking of reverting to it). Hes always had a second car right from 83, which he changes every 3-4 years. As a result, the Fiat was very sparingly used, mainly just to potter about town on weekends for groceries and the like. The good Major has been my grandmothers neighbour for 35 years now, so I did know him a little bit. One Sunday morning I saw him fiddling with the carb of the Fiat, meticulously cleaning the jets with a wire, and I went over to him for a chat, asking him if he wanted any help. We got talking about the car, and he told me he wanted to dispose of it, and whether I would be interested. I was only too happy, though I had no place to park it. "Oh, you can leave it right here in my Garage. Im not using it". Now this was getting tempting, considering he lives 100 meters from me. Great. "How much would you want for it, Uncle?" He had this puzzled look on his face, and thrust the keys in my hand and said "Dont be silly. She's yours". By the time I recovered, and pleaded with him to take a token amount, he said "Go make a donation to a charity of your choice." Sigh, where do we see such people today?
The car was looking rather shabby back then. Hardly used, engine oil last changed in 84 (!), and with his old age, had taken a fair amount of knocks and scratches on the paint, last done in the 70s. Trims were missing, indicators broken, wheels changed to later type, but the body was fairly clean (doesnt look so in the pics).
Note dented bumers, terrible tin work done, missing trims, petrol cap and the like.
The car had covered around 60,000 genuine docmented miles, and I dug up all the old log books, documenting all work done over the years. The engine is very healthy, needing practically no major work. I did however change the distributor and coil from the Magnetti Marelli system to Lucas, as points arent available for the first. Have managed to get an orginal working unit though, only for shows. Also bought a mint Delloroto carb for the car, and a friend has a brand new repair kit as well, so im safe using it. Note the ventilation duct on the bottom right corner of the pic below. Very rare to see it intact and functional, though I have to fashion a pipe connecting it to the dash.
First on the agenda was all oils changed, new plugs, points, condensor, tune up, and new engine mountings. Gearbox bushings were changed too, and got new liners, new brake pipes etc. My drums are on their last legs, but im hanging on till I find another set of finned aluminium Italian drums.
Also, for novelty puposes I put on wheels and hubcaps from a 55 Fiat, with lesser ventilation. I will revert to the originals once the car is restored. Also sourced an orignal petrol cap, near impossible to find. Its such a beatiful system, when locked, the cap spins non stop on bearings. When opened, the inside of the cap clings onto the pipe, and the threading is actuated, and the cap opens.
Next up, I got minor denting and paint touch ups done, mainly on the door bottoms and below. Also found a new set of side trims, and indicators, though those are yet to be fitted. Have recently also procured the original grille. Got a good set of bumpers as well. All these will go on later when I do major work on the car.
The interiors are original, though the front seat is in very bad shape. The rear
Dunlopillo seat is mint, never having been sat in. (No kiddies to mess it up). The door panels are stained, though have always been wrapped in protective plastic, so Im trying to salvage those. Headliner is perfect, am trying to salvage that as well. My steering wheel is badly cracked, have located a good one, plus I fitted this horn ring, along with a pair of period Mitsuba power horns, made in Japan, assisiting the Rootes pair that came with it. The speedo, wiper motor, all switches and lights work perfectly, though the fuel guage has packed up. Have located a good original float, made of cork, for when I get this repaired.
Next on the agenda is a set of new white walls, which Ive located in Bombay, as and when finances permit. Any recomendations for a paint sheme?
Cheers