Vintage Vanity

There’s a saying: Old is gold. And then there’s the saying: To maintain Old it takes Gold. This stands true for timeless cars like the ‘34 Bentley, the ‘32 Packard, Cadillac’s etc.
We’ve all been lured by the classic chromed beauty, we’ve dreamed of the miles of pleasure behind the wheel, the places we’d go and of course all those admiring looks! But nothing comes easy.
Be prepared to invest your time, money and effort to keep your mobile treasure in mint condition. Take it from me, learnt the hard way…
To own and maintain a vintage car needs passion and thorough knowledge on the subject. Restoring a classic can be time consuming, but immensely satisfying and fun. Most classic car collectors/owners love the process of restoring a car or keeping it running.

The best buys in vintage cars are the ones which come with their original body and engine, no matter what condition
Re-painting, fixing parts and putting the body together takes time, it is best to stick to original parts and accessories. Looking for car parts is the tough part. Finding original chassis, bumpers, wheels etc is rare which adds value to the cars.
In Mumbai, spare parts of the Beetle, Mercedes, Rolls Royce P-1 and P-2 and others can be found in Chor Bazaar or the Kurla scrap yard. Most owners however import parts, because they’re usually more authentic.

“I looked for a 12 part, 7.2 liter cylinder for my 1971 V-12, E type Jaguar convertible for 2 years and finally had to get it imported from Dubai.” says Mr. Vivek Goenka who owns 15 vintage cars, including the Humber, the ’46 Cadillac and a Mustang (that he is re-painting in bright orange) among many others.

The prices of vintage cars differ on the make and the condition of the car, not merely by year of manufacturer. For example a 1971 E-type Jaguar will probably cost more than a 1940’s Rolls Royce. Then again, same car Jaguar can be bought at half the price of a Rolls Royce if its condition is not as good. Maintaining these babies can cost anywhere between Rs.50, 000 to Rs.2 lac annually depending on the model and amount of work it requires.

Other than tons of cash, make sure you have a garage to keep your expensive classic.
“The less moisture the better for your little vintage baby, so having blowers in and around your car, to keep it from rusting, is a great idea.” says Mr. Sunil Shetty, who restores and maintains all of Mr. Goenka’s cars in his garage at Lower Parel.



Vintages need to be greased and oiled from time to time. The less these cars are used the more you need to oil them. Also the more common the car, the easier it gets to restore it. For example, Mumbai has about sixteen 1968-69 model Beetles. So owners exchange information about upholstery, running and spare parts.
Beetles are the easiest to maintain, the fuel consumption is also relatively lower than other cars, like the Jaguar Mark X, Jaguar E type, the 1950 300 series Mercedes Benz which are fuel guzzlers.


Mr. Burt Masceranes from Bandra who is the proud owner of two ’69 Beetles and a ’47 Ford V-8 model says, “It takes skill and experience to drive a car that old. You can’t afford to rip the car as soon as you get behind the wheel, patience is required. Most people make the mistake of opening up the cylinder valves (by accelerating to much) too quickly while driving and this could damage the entire engine. It is very important to get the feel of the car, these are not just cars for showing off, and unless you have true love and knowledge about the car it shouldn’t be driven by you. These are classic beauties; you need to treat them with respect.”

Although these are not everyday use cars, you can’t miss a chance at entering you car at the Annual Vintage Rally held by the Mumbai-based Vintage and Classic Car Club of India (VCCCI).
All the effort you put into your mean machine will pay off, when you make all those heads turn!