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-   -   Pics: Vintage & Classic cars in India (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintage-cars-classics-india/2098-pics-vintage-classic-cars-india-163.html)

It was after I came across your thread and read about your search that I put up the Golf pics in the hope that someone else might find it useful. :)
As of now, a friend is interested and might pick it up. Not sure though.

The BMW with the boxer.
I would like that to be on the road soon.

Can someone identify this car ?



Looked more like a standard Coventry

Cheers

I think it is a Morris Oxford (maybe Cowley) ca 1927

A first gen 3 series spotted at a garage in Mysore.

This Morris was hidden deep inside an isolatedish looking shop- In the bylanes of Poona. This one was ex Bombay- Then went to Aurangabad, and is now in Poona.

This one is in good condition, and will be restored pretty soon.

The moment I sat inside.....That 'SuperSelectish' aroma came back! :D

In fact, any old car that I've sat in, has that characteristic aroma inside. Mustyish. I love it!

I was reminded of good 'ol PYS 5775. :)

Note the cranking hole on the front bumper. And the floor-shift mechanism was present. I couldn't help think the fact, that Alec Issigonis must've done a very good job while designing the car, back in 1948. This example dates from the early 'Fifties, and the registration is South Bombay, circa 1960.

'Neways- Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to thee, BMC 9068. BMC is my favorite registration series ever- incidentally.



Note the period 'casted' number plates.



The centrally mounted speedometers. I think they were graded in MPH. Quite advanced for a 1948 designed product- I'm sure you'll all agree.

Keen automotive observers will understand what I mean by 'advanced'. Back in 2009, centrally mounted speedos came back in the Tata Nano, and the Indica Vista. The Chevrolet Spark also had it - IIRC. Some people were cribbing the very presence of centrally mounted speedos. They didn't like it.

And here I was- When I first saw the Nano, I thought that the meter was a very retro touch. You know by now- why.

60 years on.....They copied that design. LOL. Just goes to say- Issigonis was *truly* a design genius.




P.S: Karl, the shifting mechanism was indeed floor-shift. And not column-shift as I previously thought.

Man you are on roll in Mysore. Did you open a classic car Garage in Mysore by any chance?lol: The Beamer looks like Somendar Singh's Place. is it?

I see you have dug out some hidden treasures in Mysore, but did you bag any? The problem there is even if the vehicles are rotting they wouldn't sell :Frustrati

Wonder if Sir Alec mounted it centrally; and had a symetrically designed dash with potential exports (LHD) in mind. Would have saved a lot in tooling if LHD cars were to be produced.

Remember the mid to late 1940's were "Export or Die" days for Britain. And obviously the most lucrative export market would have been good ole U.S.A. - if the products could cut it!

The car had been on sale for a while - is she now sold? A really lovely survivor, and this generation of 2 door is pretty rare in India. I've been seeing the car in regular use my whole life, and the car would visit the same workshop I would for years.

Dear Karl and Fintail - is the garage location something called "Bhapkar Motors"? There is an old austin or some such thing there. It was green in color when I saw it last month. Anyways, there was noting in the shop worth picking up.

Best regards,

Behram dhabhar

Hi Karl.

This was on sale I guess. Sold to a 'used car dealer'. Now- This dealer's assistant opines that he'll start restoring (and I mean modifying it) it sometime, and eventually sell it on.

For now- He's kept it as a static showpiece.

I told him- Wait for 5 odd years! :D

Also gave him some suggestions about restoring. Told him that the tyre size was common with the PP. Asked him about the history of the car.

His response- The car came from Aurangabad. A cock-and-bull story, by the looks of it. I told him- The registration was Bombay. He couldn't believe it. Guess people don't like suggestions from fifteen year olds.

Now- 'Turns out it was a Poona car all this while. As expected.

Let's see if I manage to bag it, after a while. In pretty much hopeless hands now. But restoration won't start for a while. And it is anyway a static showpiece. :)

But this was the dealers assistant anyway. God knows what the dealer is actually thinking.
This was at: https://plus.google.com/116213010581...ut?gl=in&hl=en

'Saw a nice Millecento (aka Dukkar FIAT) after what seemed like absolute ages. This was at Veldeep's parking slot.

Okayish condition, overspray evident everywhere, rear bumpers and front grille were painted silver (and were NOT in chrome), the FIAT monogramme in front was on the verge of falling off, the instrument cluster was also sprayed blue, when it should've been black (or white?).

Headlights seemed the larger, non original ones to me.

However- The interior smell was nice. :) Just the way a classic should smell. XD.

The car looked lovely- Inspite of all the flaws I pointed out above.

Ladies and gentlemen, MHJ 8497. :D

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Don't you just love seeing the rear of the Dukkar? Those lovely boot hinges, small windscreen, and of course, the well rounded boot.

The well-rounded rear of the Millecento reminded the Bombay Taxiwallah's of the Fifties, of the pig's rear. And hence, the car (in slangish terms), came to be nicknamed as the Dukkar FIAT, or the Piggy FIAT.

Unfortunately, the nickname stuck. Note the original 'anda' (or egg) type taillamps on this one.

I think, I like the number-plate font. Pretty good, wot?



Noticed the moped beside the car? Has been discussed here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...aha-75-cc.html

My very recent comment : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...ml#post3604987

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Whitewalls. Note the drilled wheelcap. These wheelcaps used to have some sort of clips to fit them onto the rim. However, as these clips wore out, these wheelcaps were very crudely drilled through, and were mounted to the hub, using a lug nut.



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Note the chromed front bumper, and the painted front grille. Bigger, non OE headlamps. Minus points-IMO. Yes- notice the lack of a cranking hole in the front bumper. The little FIAT was pretty advanced for 1954, don't you think?

However- The engine design dates from 1934. 20 years older- Than previously thought.

The main competition, the Ambassador (Or the Landmaster)- used to have cranking holes, well upto the 'Eighties. Very primitive, no?



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Don't you love opening that door handle?


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The glasses were of TUFEX Make. Original ones were branded as 'Securit'.



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The previous colour was turquoise. Many FIAT 1100 103G Select's bore this colour. Used to be a pretty popular colour, back in the day. Karl, remember MHP 121? Even that car had this particular shade of turquoise.

Wait- Even our 1100D, PYS 5775 used to have this shade once. Lovely, no?



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Holy moly!! It had the original, utterly rare ''Millecento'' Dash monogramme. Or so I thought.

This one was a home-made jugaad, made on a veneer sheet. With a permanent marker, it was handwritten-

Millecento 1100. Pretty sweet, I thought.



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The original dash monogramme looks something like this:

This one is BHPian Farhan's Millecento, in Delhi. Flawless car.

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Before I forget, this car is MHJ registered. This would be of the Poona Central RTO, of sometime in 1966. MHJ 7281 is a 1966 FIAT 1100D.

But this car is itself 1954/55ish. Must've come from somewhere, and would've been reregistered in Poona, circa '66. @Karlosdeville's VW Beetle, which came from Germany, was first exported to East Africa, in 1954/55. This car came here with an Indian expat, and was reregistered in Poona, in the MHJ series, just like this car.

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If you've managed to read so far, well- thanks for reading!

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He he.. Haven't been that lucky yet, Amrth! ;)

The Bug was at Yesgeor's (Hari's) garage. His friend owns it and it was there for a "tune up".

And, yes, you are right. Sadly, the owners/mechanics would rather see the car rot and fall apart than sell it and give it a new lease of life. Frustrating attitude!!

This car seems to be a mix of both, early and later Minor features- has the split windscreen and smaller rear window but the grille and centrally mounted speedo are of the later (post 1955) variant!

Open to correction.

Spotted this very nice Golf in Mysore today!