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| Edited By: Anoop Chugh |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 17, 2018, 02:28 AM IST
The first day at Pragati Maidan was all about small cars and green cars as most of us overlooked some of the vintage beauties on display at the ongoing Auto Expo 2010. As the dust settled on the second day, glances swirled a little and travelled back in time.
Precisely 75 years. A fighting fit 1934-vinatge Austin Tourer was like a jewel amid a host of other vintage models on display at the bi-annual fair in New Delhi.
Owner KTS Tulsi taught us a little piece of history talking about the car that would make every auto enthusiast skip a beat or two. The Austin 7 was a vintage car produced between 1922 and 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. Nicknamed the ‘Baby Austin’, It was one of the most popular cars ever produced there and wiped out most other British small cars and cyclecars of the early 1920s. Its effect on the British market was similar to that of the Model T Ford in the USA. It was also licensed and copied by companies all over the world. The 1934 Tourer is from the same family.
“These machines are rare, exotic and iconic models, which add to the glitter of any auto show. Auto shows aren’t merely about new launches. How can we forget our roots? Some of these cars are still benchmarks for performance, style and design. These cars are forever,” said Tulsi, president of Heritage Motoring Club of India (HMCI) and owner of over a dozen vintage cars. The 1934 Austin was one among 75 classic four-wheelers attracting visitors with their exclusivity and unique designs.
Other masterpieces on display were a Fiat 1,500 cc Phaelon (1920), a Graham Paige tourer (1922), a Chevrolet Master (1934), a Lagonda M45 (1934), a Dodge Convertible (1939), a Ford GPA Amphibian (1942), a Bentley Saloon (1947), a Jaguar VII Saloon (1952), a Chevrolet BelAir (1957), a Mercedes 230 (1967) and a Triumph Spitfire (1970).
HMCI general secretary Diljit Titus, who is displaying 13 vehicles from his private collection, said that one of the primary objectives of the show is to provide a perspective of how automobile engineering has evolved over the years.
“Indeed automobile engineering has evolved over the years and this is a great opportunity for all car enthusiasts to come and check out past, present and future all under one roof,” Tulsi said.
S B Jatti, vice-president, HMCI, said, “Our dream of attracting young people and telling them about our century-old assets is bearing fruit. Our pavilion drew record visitors in 2008 (at the ninth edition of Auto Expo). I’m sure this time too, it will be a crowd puller.”
