Being a Kolkattan, I have been seen many vintage beauties lying around the city since childhood. Till about 5 years back, a day's outing in Kolkata would fetch you countless views of Amby's, Landmasters, Padminis and 1100s. There would even be the old Bengali doctor put-putting around in a 50s Morris Minor or Austin Cambridge. Question him and he would tell you that the car had been bought when he started his practice, and he was too nostalgic to sell it.
In the last 5 years however, the city's automotive landscape underwent a sea change. A rumour surfaced that the state government was passing a law whereby all vehicles more than 15 years would have to be taken off the road,
unconditionally! Overnight Bengalis all around the city sold off their prized possessions of many years. The prized cars went to collectors around the country, while most unlucky cars were scrapped. Even the Mk2 Ambassador taxis which were soldiering on with minor repairs vanished. From a scenario where classics were strewn around the city, Kolkata has progressed to a city where the modern automobile rules.
Anyway, a few months earlier I saw John do something which we, far younger than him, had written off as a lost cause - go around the city looking for its last surviving classics. Some people may feel his is a lost cause, but I have supported his enthusiasm from day one. Unfortunately, a young corporate banker's life (that too in a recession
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) does not spare that much time to follow his hobbies. Now that I finally have an extended weekend, I have taken an effort to add to John's contributions to this thread in my limited capacity. May the Kolkata vintage enthusiast's community grow.
The first car I found languishing in an apartment garage in South Kolkata. Securely locked in its own small "cage", the car was rusting away. The body is too rusted, headlights and tailights are all missing. However, the overall fastback coupe profile seem to suggest a Ford Capri Mk2 (photo of stock Capri courtesy Wikipedia) of the mid 70s. Note the shape of the bonnet, high on both sides and lower in the middle. However, no Capri I know has those comsetic strips (see the 3rd pic) below the rear quarter glass. Can anybody help me identifying the car?
The owner of the car was not at home. However, the apartment watchman, who has been serving for the last 38 years, seemed incredibly passionate about the car. He claims the car was earlier owned by Kishore Kumar. It is languishing there for the last 2 years, and the owner refuses to sell it to anyone. However, he has seen it doing full fledged road duty before that, and remembers a trip to the airport where he was impressed by the car's speed and silent AC. He has agreed to arrange an appointment with the owner on Monday. Will try to find out more about the car then.