I love vintage cars more than my wife,” jokes K Subramani, the manager director of United International Exports and Imports, who has been collecting them for several years now.
The first car in his collection was the 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster. “It belonged to the Royal Family of Mysuru. It’s a big sedan with six cylinders and has a place for the Maharaja to sit at the back,” he says. The burgundy maroon vehicle is sure a beauty and gets everyone’s attention when it’s out on the road. The story began when Subramani had gone to Mysuru with a friend in the 1980s and came across the vehicle. “My friend was close to the family and when I got it, I drove it to Bengaluru,” he recalls with nostalgia.
The car was custom-made by the Americans for the Maharaja with a special right-hand drive just like all Indian cars. It is still in perfect condition and Subramani drives it regularly even today. “In 1993, I drove it to Hyderabad and back and took part in a rally there. Around 84 vehicles had participated in the rally and Rosaiah was the Chief Minister. In his presence, they suddenly declared my car as the winner. It also won prize for being the ‘Best American Car’.”
The car even went on a flatbed truck in 1997 to Dharmasthala and received great reception. “When Veerendra Heggade, the ‘Dharmadhikari’ of Dharmasthala Temple, saw it, he asked me if there was anything that he could do for me. I said I just wanted to click a photograph of it in front of the temple and got my wish,” he says.
Another car he has is the Morris Tiger 1000, which he got in 1989. The unusual thing about this car is that it’s a four-door Morris unlike the usual two-door ones.
“It’s probably the only such car in South India as these cars aren’t easily available
anymore. It’s a 1950 model with an overhead valve (OHV) and every part of it is original including the keys. Also, unlike the usual Morris cars which have the lights facing down, this has the uplights,” he notes. “It also has the costliest carburettor, called the SU carburettor which gives you the highest mileage. For each litre of petrol, you get 21 kms,”
he adds.
The purple blue Mercedes Benz Classic Armoured vehicle is another gorgeous possession of his, which he got in 1991. In the heavy traffic of the City, it’s like a jolt of refreshing blue streaking through. “The car is a 1994 make with 12 cylinders and people stare at it whenever I drive it,” beams Subramani.
Apart from these three, he also owns a 1948 Willys jeep and 1951 Standard Ten along with a 1962 Volkswagen, which are all in “immaculate condition”. A car that he would love to add to his collection is the Citroen. “It’s a cute car and easy to maintain,” he exclaims.
One would think that the cars require a lot of maintenance but Subramani feels otherwise. “Unlike the cars of today, these are of simple make. So they don’t require as much maintenance. A modern car would leave you clueless when you open the bonnet. However, that’s not the case with vintage cars,” he says.
His love for vintage cars only grows when he gets appreciation from everyone. “I feel elevated!” he exclaims. “All one has to do is praise my collection once and my troubles for all the 365 days of the year disappear.”