Any one who passes by Abids will notice red shiny open-top cars lined up near the government school. In the good old days, these cars were a symbol of status and were in huge demand, especially during the wedding season. However, the glint of shiny new cars like Audi and BMW have flushed out the appeal of vintage cars like the Impala and Contessa
Along with it, businesses like Radha Kishen’s and Habib Salim’s have also gone out. Catering to clients who hired these cars for the grand ‘old’ entry during the baraat, these men are part of small community that made a living out of renting out such vintage models. But in the past seven-eight years, times have been hard and the cars are now turning into corrugated show pieces by the road.
“There were days when no marriage procession would move without these cars as many people could not afford to buy them but could definitely hire them,” explains Radha Kishen who’s been running his business for 40 years now.
Agreeing to this Habib Salim, who’s relatively new with a 16-year-old company, says, “Times have changed so much and with availability of loans on easier terms, people are willing to buy a new car and pay the EMI than hire one.”
About eight to nine business men like Kishen and Habib have their cars on display hoping to attract customers given that April-May is their usual business season, besides December-January. On an average, each of them own two vintage models. However, with off-season more less stretching across the whole year, they have been forced to go into alternative businesses.
Fifty-seven-year-old Kishen says, “I was a proud owner of the first open-top Mercedes in the city along with another two Impala cars. But now, I have sold the other two as maintenance has become a major issues. There used to be at least 30 to 40 cars in the business but have now dwindled to just 16 cars. Many have shifted to other businesses.” To support himself, the 10-grade drop out drives an auto instead.
What has made matters worse is that business hasn’t actually run out but has shifted its focus to more modern vehicles.
“The value for money has also taken a huge leap where people are willing to spend more on renting branded cars like Jaguars and BMWs; these are the style statements in the present generation,” laments 34-year-old Kishen.
While weddings were their mainstay, these cars were also hired for many a film shooting. From song sequences to fight scenes, movies like Judwaa, Pokiri and Ma Nana Pelli featured these beauties. However, even they have shifted to the much more swanky looking makes (remember Mahesh Babu gifting an Aston Martin to an ecstatic Kajal Aggarwal in Businessman?).
Despite optimistically holding out, these men know that they’re halcyon days are over. Expressing concern, they say, “Till 1998, there was a huge demand for these cars. But with more advancement and exposure to sophisticated living, people no longer bother for these old fashioned cars.”
Which has also adversely affected their pricing. What used to cost anything between Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000, now costs a relatively affordable Rs 6,000 including decoration and chauffeur. Back in the 1980’s, the same would cost between Rs 300 and Rs 400 which drastically jumped to the Rs 1,200-Rs 1500 range in the 1990’s.
With not many options left even when it comes to giving up the vehicles, these men hope that maybe vintage will come in vogue someday. Until then, they continue to polish up their cars and display them with their fingers crossed.