A Vintage Get-Together

"Husbands who are missing will be found under the cars." The comment made by a housewife last week at a unique get-together came not as a complaint of a bad marriage, but more as a summing up of her husband's passion for vintage cars. It not just set the mood and tone for the get-together of vintage and classic car owners of Hyderbad, but just about captured the passion that also drove the 30-odd group along with their vintage and classic collection to the shining go-karting tracks of Runway 9 at Medchel on a bright Sunday for a picnic.

"It's more felt than said," said Syed Amiruddin Mohammed, who owns a '47 Cadillac.

The problems in this expensive hobby are a galore. The turnaround time for workshops is high, so mostly of the restoration gets done at the residence. Getting old experts and mechanics is becoming difficult, the collectors say. The restoration is a long drawn process, time and money consuming. Getting parts for the old cars is difficult. "But, we are becoming even Internet-savvy for the sake of cars," Mohammad said.

"It's a passion that drives us," he added, and the collectors all nodded in agreement, sipping cocktails and mocktails in the shade near the snooler rooms, while their collection lay lazily sprawled on the shining go-karting tracks, an ironical venue!

The collection included a '48 Willy's, '31 Ford Rumble Street, '48 Willy's jeep, '46 Fleet Master Chevrolet, '62 Ford Mercury, '62 Herald, '57 Plymouth, '47 Triumph 2000 Roadster, '50 Hillman Minx, and a '47 Cadillac.

"Restoration requires patience and perseverance to bring it from corroded to sparkling new shapes," says Mohammad's wife.

Patience on the part of the wives and families too, the better half section seemed to agree, with collectors losing sleep, eating schedules etc. when deeply immersed in restoration!

It was nice Sunday out for all of them, including the children, who seemed to be enjoying more a hand at the "free" snooker tables than a ride in the shining, rumbling cars and jeeps! But, obviously this was becoming a matter of concern to the collectors.

The generation immediately next to them did seem as passionate as their parents, trying to continue the good work. "It has to be inborn, you can't inculcate it," says Nupur Krishnama, daughter-in-law of Inder Krishnama, who has a 30-odd collection.

Capt Tapishwer D. Vasisht put it very strongly: "The coming generation has no value for old cars. Rather, anything Old. it's a national wealth, but even the government is not doing anything to encourage us. The mechanics are all liars. There is no respect for time."

So, how best to protect their interests? "We need to meet more often. And do something constructive. Get together the new collectors as well," said Mohammed.

The collectors seemed to agree a vinatge and classic club would be the best. A club, where they could compare notes and help each other out.