Mileage — that’s the one major thing that people look at before they consider buying a car. Considering the price that petrol is selling at today, it can be heart-breaking to look at how much it used to cost half-a-century ago. According to S Krishnan, a doctor who has been living in Chennai since 1948, petrol used to sell at 56 paise way back in 1951.
“He has jotted down the price of petrol every year since he bought his evergreen Morris-8 for `5500 from a dealer in Chittoor,” said Krishnan’s grandson R Srinivasan, who displayed the classic at the MyTVS heritage car rally, organised by the Madras Heritage Motoring Club on Sunday. The rally was flagged off by actor Soniya Aggarwal.
While the Morris-8 was one of the star attractions in the rally, it was surely not the only one. Over 100 such classics were paraded on the Don Bosco School premises, attracting hundreds of car enthusiasts.
What makes people get into restoring and collecting heritage car? Ranjit Pratap, who brought 18 such cars to the rally, said it was a passion that had developed ever since he was a child. “From 2004, I took this up seriously and I now own 28 such classics,” he said, adding that he maintains these machines in his own special garage. Some of his cars on display included the legendary Ford Mustang red of 1967 and a 1942 version of the Willys Jeep.
Some members of the club also showcased Indian-made cars, such as the first versions of the Ambassador and a Fiat. However, the rally was not confined to cars alone. Also on display were vintage motorcycles from the 1960s and 1970s, which brought forth the love that people have for the Royal Enfields. Immanuel, a techie, showcased a 1960 model of the bike that he found in the house of a fellow church-goer, and restored it carefully
“For a long time after its owner died, it was kept without much maintenance. I then bought it and replaced almost all the parts of the machine,” he pointed out. Interestingly, the bike was powered by a magneto in place of a battery - a rarity, given the fact that the device went out of use by the early 1970s.
Other bikes in the show included a vintage BSA 350, Enfield Matchless and a 1938 Wanderer motorcycle that carried a 90 cc engine. Most of the vehicle owners said they did not consider the cars just as a showpiece and took them for a drive at least once a week. Judges of the rally, Raja Mookerjee and Partha Panik, said that the authenticity of the car was the most vital aspect that is looked into.
“Given that some of them are extremely old cars, they are bound to go through some changes. However, what we look for is if they had managed to keep it as close to the original as far as possible,” said the judges. Also taken into account is the condition of the machine.
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