[vinay kamath]

When Betty came home...

As a school-going boy, he saw the Mysuru Maharani’s Daimler pick his grandmother up from his house. Fascinated by the Daimler, the young boy came running out and sat on the compound wall staring at this royal beauty.

He had made up his mind. He was firm on owning this royal machine one day. Now a retired businessman, Ramanna is the enthusiastic owner of a 1951 Daimler Consort, which he has named — Betty.

“It is a Daimler passion rather than a vintage passion,” says Ramanna proudly. Recalling his school days, he says, “When I used to sit on the wall watching the Daimler, the driver of the car came up to me one day and said, ‘Boy...you will become a driver like me if you sit here and watch. Go inside and study,’ and these words thrilled me and I decided that I will own a Daimler one day, instead of sitting in my grandfather’s Austin 7.”

The original Daimler company closed down but Ramanna’s dream was still alive. Years passed, and one day, in 1998, his brother rang up saying, “There is a Daimler for sale, are you interested?” Without wasting a second, Ramanna said yes and there was his dream. “The car was in pieces. There was no wiring, no headlights. But she was a Daimler,” he says. She lay in their house in pieces for four years and the mission of fixing her began after Ramanna’s retirement.

“There were hardly any mechanics who were ready to come and she would not go out of this house. Finally, I got my father’s mechanic, Murthy. He was old and we used to work from morning to noon and take a break,” he explains.

The slow process kickstarted again when Ramanna’s daughter went to London Business School. “I did not know the technicalities of the car. As my daughter was in London, I could get in touch with ‘Daimler and Lanchester Club’ and many other Daimler owners,” he informs.

He wrote about his Daimler dream in the Club’s journal and it is then that he met a British guy who owned three Daimlers. He let Ramanna rip the parts of one of his spare Daimlers and Ramanna says, “He asked me to take all the parts I needed and I sat for four hours removing just four bolts! The British guy then came with a hammer and ripped all the parts and gave it to me,” he reminisces.

The parts were transported to India and he recalls, “My wife Mridula safely trolleyed the parts and no one questioned her at the customs.”

Ramanna’s Betty has undergone various stages of restoration and each part of hers has a story to tell. While Betty’s upholstery was done by a local sofa repairer riding a bicycle, her wiring was done by a mechanic who was a Dubai return.

“I had to pick up this Dubai returned mechanic in my Mercedes car. But later he did not finish the work and I completed it referring to the book given to me by the Daimler Club,” he says. The book was given to him as an appreciation for his passion by one of the British guys.

His strong passion for Daimler has also taken him to Gujarat as he says, “One
of the Daimler club members wrote to me to get the measurements of Maharaja’s Daimler in Gujarat, as he had the same model. I went till Gujarat and took the measurements and sent it to Britain. I did this, also because, I would get a ride in my dream car,” he explains.

Betty has rewarded Ramanna with a lot of new friends in the City and abroad. She has also let them be part of many vintage rallies including the ones in London.

Betty is taken out on Saturdays and Sundays on Sankey Tank Road or Cubbon Park. “We have three cars. One is Betty. The Mercedes we have is Veronica and the Esteem is Lucy. Veronica comes out for clubs and dinners and Lucy for all the regular work,” he says lovingly.

“Our children are abroad and now these three are our daughters,” the couple say. Ramanna adds that it has been a great journey with the Daimler and concludes, “Daimler was a dream and now it has become a reality after Betty came home.”

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...came-home.html

[kasli]

In the latest GQ magazine there is an article of the last Cartier event. Posted here as that thread is closed

Also an article in the same magazine on Ranveer Singh in which a Mortis is shown


Cheers

[//M]

An article about a collector from Ranchi in a local daily.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by //M

An article about a collector from Ranchi in a local daily.

You beat me to that! How come in Pune you got to know about this newspaper story which was published today only? Indeed, you're a true fanatic!

Coming to the topic, I believe you have yourself been to the place and seen these cars in flesh. A Ford, among the other cars in picture, has been supposedly used by Mahatma Gandhi as well. However, some of the cars in the picture look in bad shape. Since, you had the opportunity to speak to the man himself, does he plans to restore those cars to former glory? Any more experience to share about the same?

Regards,
Saket

[//M]

Originally Posted by saket77

You beat me to that! How come in Pune you got to know about this newspaper story which was published today only? Indeed, you're a true fanatic!

Coming to the topic, I believe you have yourself been to the place and seen these cars in flesh. A Ford, among the other cars in picture, has been supposedly used by Mahatma Gandhi as well. However, some of the cars in the picture look in bad shape. Since, you had the opportunity to speak to the man himself, does he plans to restore those cars to former glory? Any more experience to share about the same?

Regards,
Saket

Social media Sir !! News travels real fast these days.

I do have pictures of his collection, most cars in the collection except the Chevy Woodie, Dodge Brothers, Wolseley are in bad shape. However, restoration work is in progress at a very slow pace. The owner also has a few cars in his other residence in Bengal.

[karlosdeville]

This piece appeared in 'The Motor' dated August 1958. It is an account of an overlander's experiences through India in his then brand new Ford Taunus. Of particular interest to me was the mention that Volkswagens were being assembled in Karachi as far back as the 50s.

[karlosdeville]

Who knew Calcutta had a Motor Exhibition as far back as 1921? Here is an advertisement announcing details of the same. On display were many obscure marques, many of whom I had never heard of.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Who knew Calcutta had a Motor Exhibition as far back as 1921? Here is an advertisement announcing details of the same. On display were many obscure marques, many of whom I had never heard of.

Attachment 1382278

Entry was 5 rupees - which I don't think could have been very cheap back then.

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Entry was 5 rupees - which I don't think could have been very cheap back then.

Not a single entry though, 'tis a season ticket for Rs.5/-

[agspins]

Here is a pic of Insurance stall from the motor show..

[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Who knew Calcutta had a Motor Exhibition as far back as 1921? Here is an advertisement announcing details of the same. On display were many obscure marques, many of whom I had never heard of.

Attachment 1382278

At least two Silver Ghosts were shown at the Exhibition.

Ex-Charkhari, Chassis 50UG, Hooper Tourer (rebodied with polished aluminium Barker tourer body); and ex-Bharatpur Chassis 126AG, Barker Enclosed Cabriolet.

I believe there was a disastrous fire at the 1920 Delhi Show. R-R's were saved, others not so fortunate!

[vinay kamath]

Deccan Herald Metro Life 16.06.2015

'I always dreamt of owning the best cars'

(with several pictures of XJ6, w110 & Chevy in the PDF file attached)

Personal diaries have always been around. Confidential and distinctive, personal diaries capture some memorable moments, in the life of an individual. However, VP Manohar.
a passionate hoarder of machines of all ages, has a list of cars written down in his diary!
It allstarted when he was a kid. Manohar would write down the names of the cars that he liked and the ones he saw on the roads. Not only did he know the names of the best
cars that roared on the streets of old Bangalore, but would also write down the information about the owners of these cars. "I always dreamt of owning the best cars," says Manohar, currently the managing partner of Southam and Company. He says, "I remember that my father owned just one car. I made sure I washed it regularly." However, it
was in 1967 that Manohar was gifted his first car - the Triumph Herald. He later owned a few more beauties, including a Ford and a Contessa, after which his love shifted to
vintage and classic machines.
His first classic car was a 1966 Mercedes Benz, a royal blue queen, which ruled the automobile markets for eleven years. "These cars are called classic for the obvious
reasons. They were strong and weighed over two tons," he explains. The second entrant into his collection was the very stylish 1984 Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign. A rare car with
twin fuel tanks, it has the glass headlight cover, which is not to be seen in the present-day models. "The old models ofJaguar are better built than the newer ones. This car has
twin fuel tank with a button that can switch from one tank to the other. The 1984 model is premium when compared to the recent models," he opines. After the 'panthera'
beauty came the beastly wagon - 1946 Chevrolet Fleetmaster. A synonym for luxury, it has a fastback styling, comfortable upholstery and white-walled tyres. A roar of the
car is enough to know its majesty. "I have the original keys for this car. I have the billfrom 1946 with me too," he quips.
A love for these classic beauties has turned his house into a workshop ofsorts. "The Benz was in a pretty good condition. But the other two needed complete restoration. I
would never leave my cars at the workshop. Instead, I would get the mechanics home and my house was altered into a workshop," he informs. His Mercedes Benz has driven
one lakh miles. He says, "The Germans built this machine ahead of technology and hence it has remained intact, without any rust or wear and tear."While most of the parts of
Jaguar were imported from the US, the Chevy's parts were available in the country. "I even have the original petrol cap for my Chevy," he says.
A member of Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club, he takes out his cars every Sunday and says he likes the attention he gets while driving these old cars. He has been a
part of rallies for many years now. Drawing a parallel to the rallies of the old times, he says, "The rallies of the olden times were tougher. Now it is just a 600 to 800 km rally.
But I have taken part in 2,000 km rallies and one had to be a strong driver to take part in them." It is his passion that has brought him thus far and inspired him to learn a great
deal about cars, from assembling to reassembling. He concludes saying, "I want to own a vintage Rolls Royce in future."
Prajna GR

[vinay kamath]

https://in.news.yahoo.com/aca-sets-n...090500087.html

"ACA Sets New Auction House Record With £117,000 Maserati"

ANGLIA Car Auctions set a new auction house record in its June Classic Car Sale with the sale of a 1962 Maserati 3500 GT for £117,600 including premium, which was more than three times its highest estimate.
With 263 classic vehicles on offer, the matching numbers exhumed Maserati was just one of 72 per cent of lots sold with an overall sales total of £1,955,860 as the hammer dropped for the final time on Saturday 13th June.
Commenting on the sale, proprietor Lyn George said: “It was a great auction with a diverse catalogue and we’d like to thank all the vendors and bidders who came and supported the sale. We still have some outstanding provisional bids, which we feel confident will take the final figure to over £2,000,000.”
Other estimate busters included a genuine 59,000 miles 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth barn find, with an estimate of £15-20,000, which saw the hammer down at £47,250 including premium.
ACA’s success with Mercedes ‘Pagoda’ sales continued with a two-owner 1967 250 selling at the higher end of its estimate at £81,900 including premium, while a 1957 190SL rested at the lower end, selling at £61,950 plus premium.
The limited edition BMW E30 M3 Europameister sold at £38,850, with all but one of the dozen BMWs on offer also finding new homes.
With its biggest-ever Capri offering, the Kings Lynn auction house saw the last off the line 280 Brooklands sell for £14,910 including premium.
Anglia Car Auctions’ next classic car sale takes place on Saturday 22nd August.

[vinay kamath]

"Queen of the highway"

Prajna GR, June 23, 2015, DHNS

She has been with the family for 50 years now. The best selling car of the 30s, she looks as if she is still in her prime. She is the 1965 Austin 10, an affectionate possession of VB Viswanath, proprietor of a 143-year-old printing press — VB Soobbiah and Sons. He loves old machines and the printing press still has the antique printing equipment there. It is also here that the classic beauty, Austin is parked right at the entrance. Along with this small car stands the bold looking Jawa of 1969, ready to vroom around the City.

“We had many cars earlier. But due to financial fluctuations, we had to sell them all. In 1965, we got the Austin 10. It was owned by B Nanjappa, a family friend and a physician to Sri Visvesvaraya. We bought the car for Rs 2,000 from Nanjappa’s son after his demise. It was registered under my father’s name, VBG Shankar, as he was the eldest in the family,” says Viswanath. A family car then, it has taken the uphill roads of Madikeri and even Tirupati.

With a unique body shape, suicide doors, stand-alone headlights; it has trafficators that protrude from inside the vehicle acting as indicators. “The car needed a little bit of restoration when I bought it. After that it was perfect,” he says. This little beauty has taken over many terrains and it was just once that it gave up on them, he reminisces adding, “My father was a fast driver. We were on our way back to Bengaluru from Mysuru and my father wanted to overtake the ‘Janatha Travels’. In the process, the connecting rod came out and the car had to be towed all the way back.”

Now immensely passionate about cars, Viswanath had a great attachment to bikes as a youngster. “I bought the Jawa from the showroom and I have covered nine lakh kilometres on this bike,” he explains. He was admonished and warned for riding the bikes anywhere and everywhere by his father, but that did not stop him. “I still want to ride the bike, but my son forbids me as I might end up with a broken bone,” he laughs.

The two antique beauties are now taken out by his son Raghunath and grandson Shreyas while Viswanath enjoys the bygone drive.

Says Shreyas, “I have the same passion for these machines as my grand dad and I believe that it has been inherited. It is very exciting to drive both the antique machines as it invites waves and thumbs-up from fellow commuters. They attract a gathering wherever they are parked.” The Austin that was in running condition needed restoration a couple of times. Many mechanics came and went, and she was fixed and refixed. Viswanath’s son Raghunath also worked his mechanical hands to get the car back to perfection. It was not an easy task as the parts were unavailable and they had to collectively work their master minds and get many parts fabricated.

“Now I have a set of spares for this car and I exactly know what goes where,” says Viswanath proudly. He also comments on the technology of these antique machines. “The mechanism in these old machines was simpler and they lasted longer than the modern cars. The tyres of the Austin are 20 years old but in perfect condition. The Jawa too is rough and tough till date.”

A man with a youthful spirit, he wants to own many cars including the Chevrolet Fleetmaster, Vauxhall and Somerset. He says, “There was a time when I did not have a penny in my pocket but I still refused to sell this car. They might call me a sentimental fool, but I will never let go of this car and I hope it stays in the family for
generations to come.

the link: ”http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...n-highway.html

[KartikeyaL]

This appeared in the illustrated London news,29th January 1921. The article is about Austin tractors and mentions that India is capable of absorbing 10,000 of these annually. do any of them survive ?