Magnificent vintage machines

Arindam Sarkar

Collecting and restoring vintage cars is a passion of the few. But very few can ignore the magnificent machines when they roll out of the garage, fully overhauled. The city, once the capital of the British Raj, still has a number of vintage cars owned by private collectors.

At first glance, one could miss the black vintage car standing among other period varieties inside the garage of Shrivardhan Kanoria. But the 1933 Ford V-8 B-400 convertible sedan is no ordinary car. Ford Company called it the “Dandy Car” but it is now famous as the “Death Car”.

This is the model, which was being used by celebrated American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow when they were ambushed on May 23, 1934 by the Louisiana cops. Fifty bullet-holes were found in the 1933 Ford V-8 of Bonnie and Clyde.

The car is now kept in the Neveda Museum, USA. And the one in Shrivardhan’s garage is possibly the only vintage model of 1933 Ford V-8 in India. “It belongs to my uncle Naresh Chandra Agrawala. I am restoring it. I am not only a collector but I restore my own cars. In the last two years, I have restored 11 cars which is a record in the country,” said Srivardhan.

Every vintage car has a story to tell both about its owner and machine. In Kolkata there are about 200-odd vintage cars and around ten major collectors such as Shrivardhan Kanoria, NC Agrawala, G Momen, Sanjay Ghosh, Pramod Mittal, Pratap Chowdhury, Partha Sadhan Bose, Gautam Mukherjee, etc. Among the collectors the highest number of vintage cars are owned by Pratap Chowdhury (22, including jeeps), NC Agrawala (19), Shrivardhan Kanoria (13) and Pramod Mittal (10).

Collection, restoration and maintenance of vintage cars runs in the blood say vintage car collectors. Indeed, Shrivardhan’s late father Shashi Kanoria was one of the leading vintage carcollector and restorer. Vintage car collectors and restorers say he was a pioneer in this field and an “artist”.

“It was natural for me to get hooked to vintage cars. It grew on me. From childhood, I saw vintage cars around me. I learnt driving at the eight in a 20 ft long 1959 Ford Fairlene Galaxy. My father inspired me and learning about vintage cars from him is lifetime lesson,” says Shrivardhan.

Thirty-year-old Shrivardhan is India’s youngest vintage car collector and restorer. He says it initially began as a hobby and soon developed into a passion. He got involved in the world of vintage cars at the age of 18 and got behind the wheels of his father’s stable of 13 vintage machines like 1906 Renault Freres, 1931 Chevrolet Big-6, 1961 two-door MGA, the 1923 Rolls Royce, which was picked up by Shashi Kanoria in the Eighties for few thousands and restored, and the 1948 Buick Super-8 which was bought from the Maharaja of Jhargram.

“1906 Renault Freres is one of the running cars in India. In 2012 vintage car rally, it won six trophies highest by any single car. My father restored this car and in 35 years, it won 80 trophies in Kolkata rallies,” said Srivardhan.

Possibly the youngest restorer in India, Shrivardhan learnt restoration of vintage cars to meet the standards of his garage. He says unless he restores them he is not satisfied. “It takes minimum six months to restore a car and give it a new lease of life after getting it from scrap yard. I learnt restoration from my father. I have restored cars like MGs, Fords, Citroen, Rover, Mercedes, etc.,” said Shrivardhan.

Naresh Chandra Agrawala has been participating in vintage car rallies since 1968. Absolutely passionate about his cars, Naresh Chandra makes it a point to drive down to his office every day in one of his vintage cars. A low-profile man, it is only in the last two years that he has been hogging the limelight in vintage circuit. Among his cars are 1936 Skoda Berlina, 1919 Citroen, 1934 MGPA and, of course, the “Death Car” model 1933 Ford V-8. “He is related to us, I am restoring his cars. I expect his `Death Car’ to be on the road soon,” said Shrivardhan.

Sixty-one-year-old former bank employee Pratap Chowdhury got into vintage car circuit very late. His story is very interesting. His grandfather Ishwar Chandra Chowdhury, who was a zamindar of Midnapore, left behind a 1913 Stoeer, a custom-made German car. The Stoeer remained unused in the garage from 1950 to 1998. Then Pratap Chowdhury decided to restore it and bring it to a running condition.

In 1999, Pratap Chowdhury’s Stoeer won prizes in the vintage car rally and thereafter this 106-year-old German car has been winning prizes in vintage races. “I have spent 40 per cent of my life watching and restoring the Stoeer. This is perhaps the only car that has remained with one family for so long,” said Pratap Chowdhury.

Pratap Chowdhury owns 22 vintage cars and jeeps most of which he bought as scrap from Mullick Bazar since 1999. His workshop is situated on Kona Expressway. “This is a very expensive hobby and I don’t know whether in my lifetime I can complete the restoration of all my vehicles. But my love for vintage cars certainly began with the Stooer,” said Pratap Chowdhury.

Pratap Chwodhury owns three military Willy and one Marque jeep, of which one that is made in 1942 saw World War II. His fleet comprises Mercedes Benz, Morris Oxford, Italian Fiat, Autsin-6, 1957 Chevrolet Belair, 1951 Chevrolet Super Deluxe, 1948 Morris Minor, 1913 Stooer, Wagoneer, Willy’s Station Wagon, etc.

“It takes 8 to 9 months to restore a vehicle if not more. And I have to get the spare parts from outside. Restoration is a painstaking process and demands accuracy,” says Pratap Chowdhury.

Between 1919 and 1930, the Big Three of Detroit, General Motors, Hudson and Chrysler changed the automobile landscape of the world. The cars produced by Big Three soon found a place in the stables of Maharajas and Nizams of India. The cars of those times and later now form the Classic and Vintage variety. For an average person, collecting cars is a hobby and the antique value of the car is determined by its model and year of manufacturing. “Any car can be a collector car, if you collect it,” said American comedian and avid car collector Jay Leno.

Automobiles have been categorized into three groups. The Edwardian are the cars manufactured up till 1917. Cars manufactured between 1918 and 1940 are of Vintage antique variety. In India, we have around 1,500 vintage cars. The last category is the Classic cars manufactured between 1940 and 1970.

“In India, most of the vintage and classic cars have been purchased by Indian collectors from the Maharajas. In Bengal, many antique cars have been bought from the royal families of Coochbehar, Burdwan and Jhargram,” said Shrivardhan.

Well-known vintage car restorer and collector Sanjay Ghosh says it takes a Herculean effort and commitment to keep the vintage car in shape once it is restored mechanically. He says most of the collectors don’t keep their car in running condition throughout the year. “It is only during rallies that they spit and polish their vintage machines. My Cadillac drinks at least 5 ltrs of petrol for breakfast. But throughout the year, it takes only a half-crank start to hit the road. It can travel at 80 miles per hour,” said a proud Sanjay.

Sanjay Ghosh owns 1932 Ford V-8, 1947 Chevrolet Fleet Master, 1949 Buick Super-8 and 1949 Cadillac V-8. All his cars win prizes in vintage rallies. “I won’t say collecting vintage car is a hobby, I will say it’s a passion, given the degree of restoration and maintenance involved in keeping the cars in good condition throughout the year,” Sanjay Ghosh.

Sanjay however laments that in the coming days the value of vintage cars could go down because the owners are no longer that passionate and involved in keeping this art on machine alive. “It is becoming a fashion statement and moving away from passion,” said Sanjay.

The vintage cars of Kolkata are part of Raj legacy. It is a symbol of post-colonialism on the roads. But only a handful at present are involved in keeping this Raj relic alive.