[Bulldogji]

The first Maruti delivered was to a sikh couple in Delhi in 1983 by the then Prime Minister of India.
The couple never sold the car and have since passed on.

The family wishes to donate the car to any one who will preserve it in their parent's memory. The car, currently white in colour is lying in green park, new delhi awaiting rescue.

This would be a lovely piece of history in any museum, Tarun Thakral has a museum near delhi, I wonder if he would like to collect this car? No payment is asked for , only request being that the car be restored and in a museum with their parents name being preserved as the owners of the very first maruti to be delivered.

[67Bug]

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

The first Maruti delivered was to a sikh couple in Delhi in 1983 by the then Prime Minister of India.
The couple never sold the car and have since passed on.

The family wishes to donate the car to any one who will preserve it in their parent's memory. The car, currently white in colour is lying in green park, new delhi awaiting rescue.

This would be a lovely piece of history in any museum, Tarun Thakral has a museum near delhi, I wonder if he would like to collect this car? No payment is asked for , only request being that the car be restored and in a museum with their parents name being preserved as the owners of the very first maruti to be delivered.

And the 2nd ever Maruti 800 (red in colour) was gifted to Mr. Sunil Gavaskar after he beat Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by 67Bug

And the 2nd ever Maruti 800 (red in colour) was gifted to Mr. Sunil Gavaskar after he beat Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries.

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

The first Maruti delivered was to a sikh couple in Delhi in 1983 by the then Prime Minister of India.
The couple never sold the car and have since passed on.

The earliest Maruti 800's :





(India Today images)

[vinay kamath]

Deccan Herald 21-04-2015

"The queens who never age"

As a young boy studying in Bishop Cotton Boys School, Pradeep had a great liking towards vintage beauties. He recollects how the old MG Road had many garages which repaired vintage cars and recalls the days when he used to get a glimpse of the antique beauties in these garages. He could not afford the royal machines then.

But he never missed an opportunity to enjoy their sight. Not being able to own a vintage car as a young boy, his interest shifted to the two-wheeled inventions and he took part in various bike rallies around the City.

Completing his engineering and entering the professional world in the 1970s, he came across three vintage cars that kindled him to have a collection of his own. “I saw three cars and I wanted to buy at least one of them. I had the money, but I did not know how to go about it. I asked one of my friends Surendra to help me out and that is when I bought my first vintage car,” says Pradeep. His first antique beauty was the economy car of the 1928, which was — Austin 7. He restored the beauty of this car and this was just the beginning of his burning passion. The next car in his cluster is the Ford Model A of 1928. A silver and black pride, this car came in bits and pieces. The parts were replicated and the elegance was restored.

“It took almost three years to restore this car. It was difficult to get all the parts in place,” he says.

Owning two antique automobiles, Pradeep decided to join a group of like-minded people and became a member of the Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club (KVCC). “I met many like-minded people after I joined KVCC. President Jamal, Secretary Ravi Prakash, are all a bunch of inspiring people. All of them have a huge collection of vintage cars and they are passionate about owning and maintaining them,” he says.

His next possession was the 1940 Sunbeam Talbot. A perfect British beauty, this car takes one back to the long gone royal era. A suicide door, stand-alone headlights, strong wheelbase, this is a perfect example for style with elegance. One more in his collection — the two seater Vauxhall of 1950, stands strong with a willingness to take over any terrain.

While Pradeep wants to own more of these royal machines, he says that space is the biggest challenge. He adds saying, “It is an expensive hobby and it is difficult to get people to do up the cars. It is a dying hobby as youngsters these days do not care much about them. It needs not only money but also a lot of patience.”

What pains him more is when people ask questions about the mileage and fuel type about these cars. “The vintage cars are not valued by the mileage it gives. Mileage and money are least considered when you own a vintage car. They are to be appreciated for their uniqueness,” he says.

He feels that the vintage cars were individually crafted with care unlike the modern cars that are mass produced. “Vintage cars need personal tuning for engines and there is an individual touch to all these cars,” he says. He often takes out his vintage cars for rallies, but laments about the state of roads in the City. “It is extremely difficult to drive these cars on our roads as these cars do not have well-versed brake system. Also, when I take out these cars for a drive, there are people who come right in front of the car to take a closer look and controlling these cars at this time becomes tough,” he says.

Maintaining his cars in a top-notch condition, he wraps up saying, “I will uphold these priced possessions till my end. After that, I do not know what will happen to them.”

the link: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...never-age.html

[KPS]

Today's Deccan Herald Metrolife has an article on us

Attachment 1365062

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...nerations.html

Cheers

KPS

[vinay kamath]

"LIKE MUSIC TO THE EARS"

Bengaluru has the maximum number of bikers, according to Tausief, a member of the RD 350 Club. “It’s the biking capital of India,” he exclaims. And when the members of the RD 350 Club hit the streets, you are bound to agree with him. The roar of the beautiful old Yamaha Rajdoot bike is surely the cynosure of all eyes. As Madan Aditya, one of the members, points out, “It may seem like noise to others but for us, it’s music to the ears!”
Madan was inspired by his neighbour, an Army official, to start riding the bike. “Everyone loves the RD as it is associated with nostalgia,” he says. For Aaryan too, it was the sound that got him in. “To me, RD means pure passion,” he exclaims.
The club was formed in 2009 by Vishal, a businessman, and has around 200 members today. “I saw my father riding an RD 350 and that’s how I was inspired to form the club,” he recalls.

At 83 years of age, Chakravarthy is definitely the star of the club and probably, the entire biking fraternity of the City. “I have a passion for everything — be it flying, horseriding, truck driving or hill climbing. But biking is my main passion,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. “And the RD 350 does something to you. The chemistry you share with it is just something else. You feel like you are gliding when you ride it,” he adds.

This is mainly because of the bike’s two stroke engine, feel members Ruthvik and Sreedhar, who is fondly known as ‘Kacchu’ Sreedhar. “The feel of a two stroke is definitely better than that of a four stroke,” says Ruthvik while Sreedhar proudly flaunts a tattoo that says ‘Lord of Twins’ (referring to the machine’s two stroke engine).

“It was my brother who introduced me to the bike and I slowly developed a passion for it,” says Sreedhar. Rajan, a businessman, also has a tattoo of the Yamaha symbol. “My wife was quite disappointed when she found out that the tattoo was not of her name,” he laughs.

The bikers go on many trips across the City and to places outside. For Satish Rao, who is associated with many bike clubs, this is the best part about the club. “I have really enjoyed our outstation trips so far, especially the ones to Hampi, Kerala, Ooty, Sakleshpur and Wayanad,” he says.

While for Sathya Keerthi, it’s the fact that he can take his family along on the rides that is special. “I specially enjoy the Independence Day rides,” he notes referring to the club’s signature ride every year. For Thejormoy, the ‘official photographer’ of the club, Chakaravarthy is an inspiration. “I am there for every ride as I get to learn a lot from each one,” he notes.

They have even conducted many rallies for social causes — some of these are to promote safe rides, the importance of using a helmet and animal safety. Keerti, a young biker, recalls the first ride he went on with the club to Yercaud. “I rode on a Bullet then. It was only later that I started riding the RD,” he says. Though the members say that the bike can be ridden on the roads of Bengaluru on a daily basis, Bharath Venkatesh likes to take his prized possession out on Sundays.

“The bike has so much of respect that it gets a thumbs up from all the other bikes,” he notes. With the club’s tagline being — ‘Drop a gear and disappear’, the members term the bike as “the superbike of India”. As Chakravarthy sums up, “The bike is just an inspiration. That’s why even the rich people take to it and forget their class to enjoy it.”

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...usic-ears.html

[vinay kamath]

"For car buffs, a museum of old beauties!"

COIMBATORE, APRIL 26:
You would have come across philatelists (stamp collectors), numismatists (coin collectors), labeorphilists (individuals collecting beer bottles) and many more. But have you come across one who has a collection of veteran cars (built before 1904), vintage (between 1904 and 1931) and classic cars (built between 1931 and 1979)?

Well, Coimbatore-based industrialist and philanthropist the late G D Naidu, who was an ardent automobile fan, started collecting rare and technologically unique cars during his life time. His collection includes the first ever automobile made in the world — the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, Hispano Suiza H6B car (owned earlier by the Maharaja of Mysore and the only Hispano B series car in India) among several exotic, massive and outstandingly impressive cars.

Naidu's son G D Gopal continued his father's hobby by not just adding to the collection, but maintaining most of the cars in motorable condition. Pointing to the tri-cycle-like vehicle, Gopal said, "We recently drove the world's first automobile — the 1886 Benz Motorwagen — on Delhi roads and covered close to 40 km".

He is now ready to fulfil his father's dream by displaying the collection at the Gedee Car Museum, located within the Gedee Technical Training Institute premises on Avinashi Road.

This private car museum is all set to be inaugurated on April 27.

The descriptive details of each of the 60-odd cars on display highlights the technology transformation in the automobile industry with due respect to the inventors behind these inventions.

"We are not just showcasing the collection but explaining the technology transformation in the automobile industry from the engine, shaft, body construction, seating, tyres and so on. The objective of this museum is to inspire young minds to think differently and challenge themselves to innovate," says Gopal.

The collection has been categorised into few sections. The unique car section has five cars which revolutionised and influenced automotive technology such as the Benz motorwagon (the first ever car in the world), Ford-T (the first mass produced car in the early 1900), the Volkswagen Beetle (first rear engine car), Hitler's people car, and the Morris Mini (the forerunner of today's cars).

The cars have further been classified on their country of origin such as the British cars, German cars, Japanese, French, Spanish and American cars.

Gopal has established a restoration shop to restore cars which require refurbishing. To a query on spare parts for the veteran and vintage cars, he said "it is difficult, but we don't give up."

Asked how he managed to collect some of these exotic cars, he smiled and said "importing such stuff has not been easy. The rules are archaic and expensive."

(This article was published on April 26, 2015)

the link:-
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle7143423.ece



------------------------------------------------------------

"Car museum in Coimbatore to display vintages and luxury cars"

COIMBATORE: There's some good news for Coimbatore, well-known for its passion for fast cars and racing. The city will soon boast of a car museum replete with vintages and latest models. From a replica of the first car in the world to recent sports cars, the Geedee Car Museum promises to be a car lover's delight.

All set for a gala opening on Monday, the museum would display more than 60 cars collected from across the world. It is named after the late G D Naidu, the well-known scientist and politician of Coimbatore, for whom such a museum had been a dream. "My father could not accomplish it. So, I created it in his memory," said his son G D Gopal Naidu.

The love that Naidu senior had for cars was evident in his collection. Of the 60-odd cars that shone under bright yellow lights, almost 30 are from the G D Charitable Trust's collection. "We worked on the museum for more than two years, sourcing cars from across the world. While countries like Germany and United States are contributors, we have cars from Delhi, Kochi, Goa and Kolkata, donated by industrialists and doctors," said museum director Akila Shanmugam.

While the owners of the museum spent more than two years to collect the exhibits, a lot of research has gone into designing the museum and arranging the exhibits. The museum is located underground in a sprawling cellar aglow with soft lighting inside the Geedee Technical Training Institute on Avinashi Road. "The cars are arranged from the oldest to the latest in sequence. This shows how technology progressed," said Chennai-based car collector and museum guide C S Ananth.

There are models of Ford, Volkswagen, Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Ambassador, Fiat, Porsche and many more. As you walk down the cellar, a Morris Bullnose Cowley catches your eye. The company produced only 1,140 cars, and one of it stands gleaming. While most of G D Naidu's collection includes vintage models, there are some recent makes too. A limousine, traditionally used by the American President, is on display. It came from Kochi, another car loving city. A Cadillac donated by a collector in Delhi also finds place.

The racing car section has the second model designed by S Karivardhan, the legendary Indian racer from Coimbatore. The McDowell 1000 was designed after the success of Formula Maruti. C S Ananth said, "We have some racing cars here because the research and development of the automobile industry happens on race tracks. Power steering, air bags, disc brakes and several other technology came from racing."

A Rolls Royce 20 owned by the Mysore Maharaja can hardly be missed. There is some trivia behind this exhibit. The Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV always purchased cars in batches of seven. As for Raja Jai Singh of Alwar, the story goes that he was shoed away as he visited the showroom in London dressed in casuals. To avenge the insult, the king reportedly purchased a set of Rolls Royce 20 and used it to collect garbage in Alwar. The company later tendered an apology.
the link:-
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/47055330.cms

[vinay kamath]

"A college teacher with a passion for old two-wheelers"

S T Beuria , Bhubaneswar, May 10, 2015, dhns

When Gahar Abedin, a resident of Bhubaneswar, developed a fascination for old and vintage two-wheelers nearly 15 years back after he received an old motorcycle as a gift from a close friend, he had never imagined that he would be able to come this far.

The 46-year-old college teacher is now the proud owner of over 60 vintage motorcycles and scooters and about 40 of them are in road-worthy condition. His prized possessions include a motorcycle of the World War II time.

“I had a fascination for everything old. However, I became interested in old
motorbikes when a friend of mine gifted me a 250 CC BSA vintage motorcycle (continued)

for the complete story, please use the link:-
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ssion-old.html

[vinay kamath]

" Mercedes Benz & Porsche museums in Stuttgart an experience to savour for even non-auto junkies "

By Anita Rao Kashi
Economic times magazine's travel guide ,today's edition with several beautiful pictures
By ET Bureau | 10 May, 2015, 05.02AM IST

Germany's Stuttgart is an auto-junkie's dream come true. The streets are showcases to some of the most enviable dream machines on four wheels, enough to make even a non-auto fan's eyes pop. But there are more exciting things to savour. Two of the world's iconic brands — Mercedes Benz and Porsche — have their museums here and even a casual walk-through is an experience like no other. (continued)

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/47216347.cms

(mods, sorry unable to merge posts despite trying - timed out)

[karlosdeville]

This is a part of an article in the latest issue (June 2015) of Classic and Sports Car magazine, covering the Techno Classica show at Essen, Germany.



Does anyone remember hearing of a 1930s Tatra in India, let alone Bombay?

[kasli]

An article for an exhibition in Vashi

[KartikeyaL]

This appeared in Bhaskar online

http://www.bhaskar.com/news/c-58-2536075-NOR.html

[Stanher]

What car this is? Photo'd at Coimbatore, featured in this online article from The Hindu:

http://www.thehindu.com/features/fri...cle1561687.ece

[vinay kamath]

https://in.news.yahoo.com/pakistan-v...064318602.html

[kasli]

In the latest issue of the Classic & Sportscar Magazine an article on the Gem Palace, Jaipur collection

Cheers