[vinay kamath]

My heart goes out to the owner of Ford Model A 'BMW624' whose front windshield was damaged during violence at Mahalakshmi Turf Club Mumbai yesterday.

Two pictures in PDF attachments.

The Ford's picture appeared in print edition of Deccan Herald newspaper. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ation-cup.html

[vinay kamath]

Press photo of PM Nehru's Pakistan tour

[vinay kamath]

Deccan Herald today reported that there was a Vintage Car rally at New Delhi

[vinay kamath]

Published in Economic Times March 9, 2015 :


7 March 2015

"One millionth Morris Minor auctioned in Surrey"


the link: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-31769707

The one millionth Morris Minor ever built has been sold at an auction for £25,760.

The classic British-built car was sold earlier at the Surrey auction house, Historics at Brooklands.

It was one of 349 "millionth" Morris Minors built in 1960. However, this car was the actual one millionth built.

Stewart Banks, from Historics, said there had been an "awful lot of interest" in the car, which had an estimate of between £22,000 to £26,000.

He said: "There were 349 made but this is the only one with the million mark on its chassis.

"The Morris Minor has a very loyal fan base - people have them for years. This particular car has been owned by the vendor for 19 years.

"It is just the quintessential British motor car."

[vinay kamath]

Bangalorean Buick Super Eight " M Y B 4 7 5 2 "
(please see a nicer picture in the .pdf file below)

Deccan Herald Bangalore Metro Life section - March 9, 2015 :

the link : http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ing-queen.html

The Reigning Queen

She was untouched for almost 25 years and her beauty had faded. But she was back on the roads of Bengaluru with a shocking makeover.

She is the queen who once ruled the roads of old Bengaluru and she is ‘Buick Super8’, a vintage car that was manufactured in 1949. And owning this beauty is Balachandra A Yadalam, the Managing Director of Skanda Retail Private Limited.

“My grandfather Yadalam Subbaiah Shetty bought this car in 1949. I have a strong memory of my childhood attached with this car. I haven’t seen my grandfather, but after he passed on, my uncle used to drive this car and we went out for drives with him. We had a disciplined driver who was dedicated to maintaining the car,” says Balachandra.

The car was the identity of the Yadalam family he says. “It is a royal car and it had become the identity of our family.” But she was forgotten amidst the busy life and was lying still for over two decades exposed to the sun and the rain.

“Ours was a joint family, and we were 40 to 50 of us in a family. After we moved out, in 2005, I got hold of this car and the restoration of the grand-old lady began,” he says.

She was ripped off her spare parts and engine. Her paint had faded away and so had her royalness. But the magical hands of mechanic Gopal, brought her back to life again.

“Gopal has restored many cars. But this was the first classic car that he had worked on,” he says. A faded body, ripped-off interior, dried-up fuel tank.... “The mechanic got the whole car down. The chassis had to be brought down. She was reborn,” he says.

The emblem which is the identity of the car was missing and her beauty would be incomplete without it.

“She did not have an emblem and so we had to redesign the emblem. The mechanic also designed jewellery and so he carved out the whole emblem,” he informs. Getting the emblem from one of the other owners of ‘Buick 1948’, Gopal carved the emblem after combining 11 different pieces.
The dried-up fuel was drained out and spare parts put in place. Her beauty was restored and she was back on the roads with her royalness.

“The car was rusted. To get back the original colour, the mechanic referred to the paint that was hidden behind the metal beading inside the car and she was painted with the same colour,” says Pranav, son of Balachandra.

The beauty passed on from generations, this car holds a special place in the hearts of the Yadalam family. “All of us have a story attached to this car. Me and my sons are very passionate about the car,” says Balachandra.

Once the car was restored, it took over the NICE roads of Bengaluru and the attention it received was unmatched. “She is a traffic stopper and gets a lot of attention. When we take this car out and when it is stopped at the signals, we get a lot of queries about the model, mileage and so on. There are people who slow down and take a long look at the car. They give thumbs-up sign and it is a great feeling you get when you drive this car,” he says smilingly.

The technology of the car too is unmatched and the performance is not less than the present-day modern cars, he says.

Maintaining this vintage beauty is expensive and takes a lot of effort. But it is a passion for the family.

“Everyone shares a special attachment with the car they own. But with this car, the bond is ten times greater and the passion is incomparable,” adds the impassioned owner of this vintage beauty.

[vinay kamath]

the link: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...last-past.html

(with three large vintage car photos in the print edition today)

" Blast from the past "

Prajna GR, Bengaluru: March 24, 2015, (Deccan Herald) DHNS:

He lives in a quaint mansion inherited from his father. But it is not just the mansion that he inherited. He has gone a step forward and acquired his father’s passion too. That is the passion for vintage cars.

Director of Advaith Hyundai, SVS Subramanya Gupta, inherited this interest from his father SV Sreenivasa Setty, who also had a great liking for cars. This passion is alive in Subramanya Gupta who is the proud owner of exotic vintage machines.

Ford Prefect, Humber Super Snipe, Adler, Austin, Citroen, Morris Mini Cooper, and the more giant Ford Grain Truck... the list of his collections go on. A true follower of the phrase ‘old is gold’, he has been successful in preserving them. “Owning and maintaining these old cars is a hobby and a passion,” he says.

Subramanya Gupta says his father, who helped the poor during World War II, was also an affluent person who had the warmth for luxury. “My father was very fond of cars and he owned four cars which were the best imported vintage cars during that time (1942). His cars were spick and span. I did not inherit those cars as I was just seven years old when he passed on. But the fervour for these cars is a genetic disposition and this is the root of my hobby,” says Subramanya.

An impassioned lover of cars, he agrees that his passion is an expensive affair. “I was fond of cars from when I was a boy. But it turned into a passionate collection after I started making money.” It was “somewhere around 1992-93” that he had his first pride possession, which was the Ford Prefect bought from a relative. The next in line was the stylish Humber Super Snipe that was originally owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. The mesmerising beauty and comfort of these cars motivated him to include more to his collections resulting in him owning many more like the Mercedes Ponton, Ford Model AA, Jaguar, Chevrolet Fleetmaster. The Fleetmaster won the ‘Indian Category Award’ at the Cartier Heritage Show in Mumbai. “The Humber Super Snipe owned by the Nizam was in a bad condition. There was a restoration process that took place after which it is in a perfect running condition,” he informs.

A perfectionist, he never fails to keep these cars spotless. A reckoned name in the automobile industry, he has dedicated technicians — Sirajuddin and Suri — who he says “give their heart and soul to restore these cars”.

“I want all my cars to be in mint condition. These cars were meant to be luxurious and I like to maintain that luxury in them,” he adds. An admirer of the technology of these grand-old machines, he is not a big fan of the attention he gets while driving them. He says, “We take these cars on a drive where there is not much crowd as I do not like the attention. We load the car on a flood-bed truck, take them out of the City and then enjoy the drive.” This passion of his is sure to continue as his son Agastya Gupta knows all about these antique automobiles. “I am trying to maintain whatever my family had interest in and the journey has been going on. My father owned a vintage Austin and I am looking forward to adding this to my collection,” wraps up Subramanya.

[kasli]

Owners should get an opportunity to proof read what reporters are going to write before it goes to print

Saw the car in person and its really nice but must be used a lot more

Cheers

Originally Posted by vinay kamath

Bangalorean Buick Super Eight " M Y B 4 7 5 2 "
(please see a nicer picture in the .pdf file below)

Deccan Herald Bangalore Metro Life section - March 9, 2015 :

the link : http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ing-queen.html

The Reigning Queen

She was untouched for almost 25 years and her beauty had faded. But she was back on the roads of Bengaluru with a shocking makeover.

She is the queen who once ruled the roads of old Bengaluru and she is ‘Buick Super8’, a vintage car that was manufactured in 1949. And owning this beauty is Balachandra A Yadalam, the Managing Director of Skanda Retail Private Limited.

“My grandfather Yadalam Subbaiah Shetty bought this car in 1949. I have a strong memory of my childhood attached with this car. I haven’t seen my grandfather, but after he passed on, my uncle used to drive this car and we went out for drives with him. We had a disciplined driver who was dedicated to maintaining the car,” says Balachandra.

The car was the identity of the Yadalam family he says. “It is a royal car and it had become the identity of our family.” But she was forgotten amidst the busy life and was lying still for over two decades exposed to the sun and the rain.

“Ours was a joint family, and we were 40 to 50 of us in a family. After we moved out, in 2005, I got hold of this car and the restoration of the grand-old lady began,” he says.

She was ripped off her spare parts and engine. Her paint had faded away and so had her royalness. But the magical hands of mechanic Gopal, brought her back to life again.

“Gopal has restored many cars. But this was the first classic car that he had worked on,” he says. A faded body, ripped-off interior, dried-up fuel tank.... “The mechanic got the whole car down. The chassis had to be brought down. She was reborn,” he says.

The emblem which is the identity of the car was missing and her beauty would be incomplete without it.

“She did not have an emblem and so we had to redesign the emblem. The mechanic also designed jewellery and so he carved out the whole emblem,” he informs. Getting the emblem from one of the other owners of ‘Buick 1948’, Gopal carved the emblem after combining 11 different pieces.
The dried-up fuel was drained out and spare parts put in place. Her beauty was restored and she was back on the roads with her royalness.

“The car was rusted. To get back the original colour, the mechanic referred to the paint that was hidden behind the metal beading inside the car and she was painted with the same colour,” says Pranav, son of Balachandra.

The beauty passed on from generations, this car holds a special place in the hearts of the Yadalam family. “All of us have a story attached to this car. Me and my sons are very passionate about the car,” says Balachandra.

Once the car was restored, it took over the NICE roads of Bengaluru and the attention it received was unmatched. “She is a traffic stopper and gets a lot of attention. When we take this car out and when it is stopped at the signals, we get a lot of queries about the model, mileage and so on. There are people who slow down and take a long look at the car. They give thumbs-up sign and it is a great feeling you get when you drive this car,” he says smilingly.

The technology of the car too is unmatched and the performance is not less than the present-day modern cars, he says.

Maintaining this vintage beauty is expensive and takes a lot of effort. But it is a passion for the family.

“Everyone shares a special attachment with the car they own. But with this car, the bond is ten times greater and the passion is incomparable,” adds the impassioned owner of this vintage beauty.

[Bulldogji]

I am informed that a court in Karnataka has ruled that one time tax paid in any state is valid all India, so there is no need to pay tax again if the car is taken out of state and registered.

Can someone get a copy and post it please?

[kasli]

April 6th, 2015 in the Times of India

Cheers

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by kasli

April 6th, 2015 in the Times of India

Cheers

Attachment 1357539

The article also mentions: Online forums.

None other than our very own T-BHP, of course!

[harit]

Originally Posted by kasli

April 6th, 2015 in the Times of India Cheers

The article contains quite a load of loaded stories, we have all read about the Kota hunting Rolls with a cannon. It was recently for sale with all those embellishments and covered on the Rolls thread. A hunt was organized to hunt and collect game, not to blast it out of existence.
The garbage truck story also has not been documented and validated with photographs.

Here is another interesting article which I came across.

Cheers harit

[srinand]

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

I am informed that a court in Karnataka has ruled that one time tax paid in any state is valid all India, so there is no need to pay tax again if the car is taken out of state and registered.

Can someone get a copy and post it please?

Hi Sir,

I do not have a copy of the ruling, but here is the article that was published in the papers with this regard. Hope it is of some use.

Regards,

Srinand.

[vinay kamath]

"The Wheels Of Glory"
(view the .pdf file - with three large photographs : ) in the print edition today )

A vintage car is a mark of beauty and class and for Lokesh TL, who runs a travel company, collecting them is more than just a hobby. Vintage vehicles bring back a host of wonderful memories for him. “When I was a little boy, I was always fond of the Ambassador that my father owned. He also owned a Jawa bike and had bought the Ambassador in 1978. We still have the car,” he recalls rather nostalgically.

Lokesh started collecting vintage cars in 1999 with his first car being the 1950 Morris Minor. “When I was small, my father had wanted to buy it but couldn’t afford it. So when my mother was about to turn 60, I thought of buying it as a gift for them,” he says. He found the white beauty, which was on a sale in Sadashivanagar, and it has been a pride of possession for him since then.

Soon he went on to collect the 1937 Ford Model Y, 1955 Landmaster and 1990 Mercedes Benz. The most eye-catching among these is the majestic Ford Model Y. With its beautiful red body and massive wheels, it’s straight out of the pages of history. But Lokesh’s personal favourite is the Landmaster. “It came before the Ambassador and is quite similar to it. Since it reminds of my father’s wonderful car, I love it the most,” he says.

Adding the Landmaster to his collection was no mean feat. “It belonged to my wife’s colleague, who didn’t want to sell it. I had asked them many times about it and though it hadn’t been used in 20 years, the family had no interest in selling it. So I had told them to keep me in mind whenever they changed their mind. To my luck, one day, they told me that they were selling it!” Lokesh exclaims. The challenges didn’t end there as the classic beauty had been out of use for a long time. “It took me a year and a half to restore it,” he adds.

Is it feasible to drive these beauties on the traffic-ridden roads of Bengaluru? Why not, asks Lokesh. “You cannot drive them everyday but I always make it a point to take at least one of them out once a week,” he notes. He also actively takes part in the different vintage car rallies held in the City.

No vintage car can be serviced at an ordinary service centre and Lokesh too has a few people helping him out with the cars. “The mechanics are not always available so I have a person who takes care of the tinkering and painting while there’s another one who looks after the repairs. Since I am an engineer myself, I work on fixing them too,” he notes.

Lokesh would love to add a Beetle and a Mini Cooper to his collection in future. But space is always a constraint. “With so many cars, I don’t have enough space in my house to park. So some are parked at a friend’s place,” he notes.

Does he have any advice for budding car collectors? “It’s a very nice hobby but an expensive one at that,” he notes. “But it’s an addictive passion. Once you get into it, it’s very difficult to come out,” he sums up.


the link: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...els-glory.html

[kasli]

Spotted these two cars in a recent travel magazine

Cheers

[manishalive]

This came in today's Deccan Herald paper