BENGALURU: We hit the road with the custodians of cars owned by Nehru, Queen Elizabeth and lord Mountbatten, right here in Bengaluru
Dr Ravi Prakash and Rupali Prakash
COLLECTING SINCE: 1980, NO OF CARS: 150 (approx)
Dr Ravi Prakash and his daughter Rupali’s love for cars is not just a passion, it’s an emotion. Prakash first started collecting cars in 1980 with a Sunbeam Talbot 1937 model, which was previously owned by Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India. “My vintage collection comprises more than 200 cars. I even have a Lanchester Straight 8, 1928 which was owned by Motilal Nehru,” he says. Some of the other cars in his collection are the 1907 Oldsmobile, Benz Patent-Motorwagon and 1961 Jaguar E-Type. Driven by their father’s hobby, Prakash’s daughters Shefali and Rupali, also began showing interest in cars. In fact, Rupali learnt driving on 1956 Jaguar XK 140. She took up the legacy of her father and established Classic Chase, a platform where people can rent classic cars and bikes for weddings,photoshoots and other occasions.
C Vinod Hayagrivfamily
COLLECTING SINCE: 1920s NO OF CARS: 2
For C Vinod Hayagriv, managing director of C Krishniah Chetty & Sons, classic vintage cars is unending passion. Chasing the history of 175-year-old automobile industry worldwide gives him happiness. This owner of 140-year-old jewellery group, has a 1931 Chevrolet Phaeton and Ford Model A 1930. A constant supporter of culture and heritage of the country, Hayagriv feels the need of the hour is a proper government system for preservation of vintage cars. “It requires an interest in all things old, heritage, designs, mechanics and of course, fondness of history. In that sense, it’s a fascinating journey,” he says.
SVS Gupta
COLLECTING SINCE: 1996 NO OF CARS: 14
SVS Gupta’s quest for vintage cars started in 1996. As the director of Advaith Hyundai, Gupta’s expertise lies in the automobile industry. And it’s no surprise that this business tycoon possesses 14 vintage cars, 10 of which include cars which have been completely restored. Ford Prefect, 1948 Humber Super Snipe, 1936 Adler, Austin, 1946 Citroen, Jaguar, 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster and Morris Mini Cooper are some of the cars in his collection. “These cars are amazing in terms of driving comfort. Their sitting arrangements and mechanics provide ease of driving, which many new models of cars in the market don’t have,” says Gupta, who also owns a car previously used by Queen Elizabeth, and the 1948 Humber Super Snipe, which was once used by the nizams of Hyderabad. His cars have been collected from different parts of the country.
Jayant Gauri
COLLECTING SINCE: 2018, NO OF CARS: 2
Enthused by vintage car rallies and events, 30-year-old Jayant Gauri started collecting
vintage cars last year. He has found this to be a passion. In early 2018, he decided to start looking out for a vintage baby of his own and got lucky with not just one but two Austin Mini Cooper 1976 and Singer Roadster 1950, in October. In these, his Mario the Mini (that’s what he calls Austin Mini Cooper) is a British Racing Green Austin Mini 1000 which was previously owned by veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganeshan. This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. The Singer Roadster is a nine tax horsepower open 2/4-seater sports-tourer automobile manufactured by Singer, UK, from 1939 to 1955. Singer Roadsters competed with the MG T series. He got these two cars from a man in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Currently, his dream supercar is the Lamborghini Aventador and his dream vintage car is the Chevy Corvette Stingray.
Sulaiman Jamal
COLLECTING SINCE: 1979, NO OF CARS: 24
As a schoolboy in the 1950s in Coimbatore, Sulaiman Jamal’s first infatuation was classic cars. While he only dreamt of buying one up to that point, today, he is a proud owner of 24 cars, including a Daimler DE27 1946 model, 1957 Mercedes 219, 1939 Austin 14 and 1947 model MG Y. Daimler DE27 was previously used by Maharaja of Mysore. But the favourite of the managing director of Bengaluru-based Bevel Gears India Private Limited, remains his first purchase – the Austin 14 1939 model. The car he just added to his collection – 1965 Fiat 1200 cabriolet – is now under restoration. His love for vintage cars led him to the position of president of Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club, one of the oldest and premier car clubs in the country.
P S Premnath
COLLECTING SINCE: 2004, NO OF CARS: 2
P S Premnath’s love for vintage cars runs in his family. The chairman and managing director of Ramakrishna Group of Hospitals, owns Morris 8 (1936) and Morris 1000 (1960). The former was gifted by his grandfather Major Narayanaswamy Chetty, who imported this car from London in 1936, for `2,000. It has participated in over 60 events and won the Best Maintained Car title several times. “It was a small economy family car that was produced by Morris Motors from 1935 to 1948. It was inspired by the popularity of the Ford Model Y style and Morris’,” says Premnath, whose last acquisition was the Morris 1000 in 2004. Premnath is the vice- president of Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club (KVCC), which was formed in 1979.
COMPILED BY: Lesly Joseph
PICS BY: Meghana Sastry, Vinod Kumar and Nagaraja Gadekal