Pranlal Bhogilal Collection - Auto World - Dasthan - Kathwada - Gujarat

[Raja]

Can someone give me more info on exact location, opening times, admission charges, etc...
Is there a website that I can refer to for details?

[67Bug]

Originally Posted by Raja

Can someone give me more info on exact location, opening times, admission charges, etc...
Is there a website that I can refer to for details?

Hello Raja,

As a matter of fact I plan to be there on Monday. This place is about 15-20 from the Ahmedabad Airport on the highway (en route to Baroda). Kathwada is a famous place and is just after the 1st Toll booth on way to Baroda.

I personally know Mr. Bhogilal and have met him and spoken to him on number of occassions. He has shared with me the brochure of this "Auso Museum" will try and scan the same and post it on this forum.

Let me know if you require any further information.

Cheers,
Sid

[C.S.ANANTH]

Hi Sid,
Last time when I spoke to Mr,Bhogilal asking him if I could visit his Museum,the response was not encouraging though I mentioned to him that I was a collector of Vintage Cars. Next time I want to visit his museum, can you please help?

[Raja]

Hi Sid

I am in Ahmedabad next month for a few weeks. My son and I have a passion for old and new cars and it would be great to see his collection.
Can you please let me know what the opening times are?
Is entrance by invitation/appointment only?

Thanks

[67Bug]

Originally Posted by Raja

Hi Sid

I am in Ahmedabad next month for a few weeks. My son and I have a passion for old and new cars and it would be great to see his collection.
Can you please let me know what the opening times are?
Is entrance by invitation/appointment only?

Thanks

Hi Raja,

The timings are from 8 AM To 12 Noon in the morning and 3:00 PM To 6:00 pm In evenings on all the days. It is open for all and there is a nominal fees of Rs. 50/- per person which is donated towards charity.

It is a "MUST GO" for any Vintage and Classic Car enthusiast. Largest and most diversified collection under one Roof. Just saw it today and am still drooling. One has to really salute Mr. Bhogilal. There has been lot of effort gone into getting this one done, which I believe could be one of the biggest "Single Man" collections anwhere in the world. There are about 120 cars and about 4 Motorbikes parked there and quite a few of them are very Rare. Rear Treat for folks like us. It takes about 2 hours for a good peek into the entire collection. My personal favourites were the Maybach and Hotchkiss (French Car). Also the Cadillac of the Kuwait emperor is superb...imagine AC, Powerwindows, Auto Transmission, spring suspensions etc in 1956 timeframes..the car is about 20 Feet long.

Let me know if you require any further information.

Cheers,
Sid

[67Bug]

Originally Posted by C.S.ANANTH

Hi Sid,
Last time when I spoke to Mr,Bhogilal asking him if I could visit his Museum,the response was not encouraging though I mentioned to him that I was a collector of Vintage Cars. Next time I want to visit his museum, can you please help?

Hey Ananth,

No dramas, the museum is open to all and sundry. Mr. Bhogilal is an excellent person, not too sure why the response was lukeworm. He does get many silly calls on and off from wierd people asking him to sell his cars and there is a possibility that he could have mistook you for one such person.

Let me know if you need any help with the directions. You are free to go there, anytime between 8 am to 12 Noon and 3 Pm to 6 Pm Mon to Sunday.

You shld not miss this one at all.

All the best !

Cheers,
Sid

[C.S.ANANTH]

Thanks Sid. I plan to visit Dasthan & Gondals collection in May.

[condor]

Visiting hours are 8 am to 12 pm & 2 pm to 6 pm.

Just watch out for a smallish board on both sides of the road, announcing the museum. The board is not difficult to miss, esp if you are travelling from AMD towards Baroda highway.

[Raja]

Thanks for the information, looking forward to visiting the museum.
Thanks

[Julian UK]

This site is all in Russian but has more pictures of Autoworld. The photos enlarge. Some more unusual coachwork and upholstery......


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[girishpv]

Lovely collections, Thanks for posting.

Heritage Dreams: Vintage cars are back

Pranlal Bhogilal

They might be beauties of the bygone era but not one of them in his stable has lost its charm. Pranlal Bhogilal collected his first vintage car, a Bentley, in Kolkata when he was in his mid-20s. What started as a hobby and family tradition of not selling off family cars has made the industrialist and renowned vintage and classic car collector a proud owner of some 250 odd cars today.

It might be difficult to drive these antique cars--everything from Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Daimlers, Maybachs and Chryslers --on crowded pot-holed streets but Bhogilal makes it a point to get them serviced regularly and take them out on drives.

Decades ago, Bhogilal, founder of Vintage and Classic Car Club of India (VCCI), found ir difficult to spot many vintage car enthusiasts, but now he is happy to see increased interest among people to own these beauties. However, he laments the lack of awareness among the Indian buyers.

“It feels nice to see increased interest among people. But unfortunately most of them do not really value these cars. They find it fashionable to own such cars or see it as status symbol,” he says.

At present, there are around 1000 odd vintage and classic cars in India. A majority of these cars rest in the estates of the three renonwned collectors-- Pranlal Bhogilal, Vijay Mallya and Sharad Sanghi. The rest are owned by few small collectors and individuals across the country.

Apart from their charm, the new found interest in these cars is also due to the significant price appreciation. For instance, recently a few art deco-era Mercedes Benz models (1930 built) were acquired by few car connoisseurs who paid anywhere between five to ten times more.

Given that most of these cars were acquired by paying only a few thousand rupees, everytime one fetches a price that goes into lakhs, it attracts more investor and collector interest. And why not? When the supply is limited, the prices should be top gear. With ban on import or export of these cars in India, it is difficult to acquire fresh sources.

”To preserve such unique cars, I urged the former prime minister Late Indira Gandhi to enact a law banning the export of pre-1940 automobiles of any kind. And soon it was implemented. However most of the magnificent antique cars have either already been exported or have been damaged,” informs Bhogilal.

With limited supply, he might be finding it difficult to add more cars to his stable but he continues to work hard to create awareness about these pieces of art among India’s gasoline groups.Bhogilal has been using his car club and regular exhibitions to improve awareness and increase interest in India’s vintage and classic car heritage.

However, he is neither keen to sell out nor rent any of his beauties. Although he is only too willing to offer tips to would-be collectors. The biggest issue for antique car owners is maintenance. They find it difficult getting the right tyres, spare parts and accessories that are necessary to keep their cars road-worthy. “Most of these cars were not made in bulk but designed exclusively for the royal families who would order custom-made pieces based on their requirements. And the makers and designers of these cars are no longer around which makes it difficult to fix any problems, mechanical or otherwise,” says Bhogilal.

He says there is a distinction between vintage and classic models too. Those who own assembly line models produced in larger numbers, normally do not have a problem sourcing spares from the open market. But getting spares for custom-built cars is very very difficult.

However, there are a few experts who work exclusively on antique cars. Moreover, different car clubs like the Bentley car club or the Rolls Royce car club too help owners of these cars get the right spare parts. Many of these brands are now back in India (that roster includes Daimler, BMW, Bentley and Rolls Royce) so the brands have a greater interest in servicing existing customers.

Most collectors say sourcing spares is the biggest problem they have to face. Which is also why many vintage cars take a couple of decades to be fully restored. A number of the top brands though now offer the option of sourcing spares from their overseas warehouses where heritage models are preserved and restored as part of the range of services that the brand offers. As collecting vintage cars catches on in India, these services will become more widely available and easily accessible.
source - Heritage Dreams: Vintage cars are back - Car Forums

[jubin]

hey guys
i'm going there on the 20th of june
can anyone give me the exact address

i'll be really glad

[karlosdeville]

We used to make many Mahabaleshwar trips every year, and the highlight for me was always trying to spot any of Bhogilal's cars if he was in town. We were lucky only twice, seeing this Packard being serviced at the local pump, and seeing him being driven around in a 70s Lincoln coupe. And yes, that's me and my cousin ages ago.

[karlosdeville]

Here are more Bhogilal cars, bit by bit. Im providing model details based on the plate upfront. Am going alphabetically, and ignoring smal fry like baby Austins for the time being.

A rare AC, 1937



An Alvis 3.5 litre, 1937



Armstrong Siddeley, 1955



1931 Auburn V 12, ex Hyderabad.





1935 Auburn 851.



1931 Buick



1935 Buick



1939 Buick, ex Kutch Rewa.



Look at the top right corner of this article. The Buick appears to have been repainted two tone cream and red. Im assuming it is the same car, only 3 of which are known to be in India in 80 C configuration. One car is in Pune.



1947 Buicks.

[karlosdeville]

1939 Cadillac, ex Bikaner.



1947 Cadillac.



1949 Cadillac.



1958 Cadillac, ex Kuwait.



1929 Chevrolet.



A couple of later Chevrolet cabrios.





1933 Chrysler.



Ex Rajkot Airflow. One of 2 known to survive, 3 rumoured to have been sold new. In my humble opinion, this paint job is particularly inexcusable.





1947 (?) Chrysler Town and Country.





Citroen Traction Avant, 1946.



1936 Cord.