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Originally Posted by DKG My experience was very different Harit. I was highly disappointed by the condition ....... |
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Originally Posted by wasif LOL...I dont agree with DKG on this ......I'd rather go and see the cars in whatever state they are displayed than have them locked uop or worse still sold abroad or to the breakers......these cars would have been lost !
........a museum up to the standards of the Schlumpf Collection but that is not the case here so enjoy what is available....... |
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Originally Posted by DKG ......after seeing the collection I was really disappointed both in the man and his cars.... Mr. Bhogilal had considerable means to acquire such a massive collection........ |
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Originally Posted by kasli .......would just like to say that times are different today a RR in scrap costs an arm and a leg and that time when his collection was built it was in pittens....... Schlumpf Collection book titled "Schlumpf Obsession" is that they acquired in the same style and stashed it away in a mill .....what you see and read otherwise the cars were collected , docketed and kept in sections of the mill.
Here its privately held which is feat also to be admired and they are kept good enough in respect to qty. Today the cost of things are ten times and remember he used his cars till the last days. Its the same as you and me so lets not criticize and appreciate whats the end result which is good for the community. Cheers |
I tend to agree with DKG about the condition of the cars, I would also like to see them in a better state.
Having said that, we must not forget the circumstances prevailing when these cars were collected, and that Pranlal also changed with the time. Let me explain.
When the cars were collected, in the 1960's a Rolls could be bought for Rs 5000/- (and not all were that cheap even then!!), but Rs 5000/- was a lot of money. A bottle of Coke may have been Rs 0.35. Those amounts were no pittance! And after buying these cars, parts were not easily available. Tyres also not, so it was an even bigger effort to buy parts than the cars. In that period so many cars were modified, delco's in place of mageto's, changed rims because tyres were not available, engines changed. Import was not possible, dealers imported parts, kits etc. of cars on the road so that they could sell them. Pranlals cars were rarer. And parts were expensive, custom duties, import licences dealer margin made all expensive.
At that time Pranlal was one of the only large collector who kept his cars, other became collectors after the export was banned, before that they... well.... exported. When Pranlal bought his cars for collecting, Pratab Roy, Tom Roy, Sanghi brothers, Hari Agarwal, Thakkar brothers were those who also bought at that time, and then exported. Today Sanghi, Thakkar have/had collections, but they have also sent cars out, remember the famous Rewa Dailmler? I have a picture taken in Indore with this Daimler, a Bentley and many Rolls, most of these cars are out of the country. After the ban, a number of cars from Hari Agarwal went to Pranlal. So Pranlal did save cars for us to look at and enjoy in India. The Alwar Hispano was also on its way out.
Having said that, Pranlal, who had great taste not only fo cars, but also other antiquities, see the Museum complex, but later he did follow his own unique taste. Initially when restoring his cars, he did them back to original, I remember a Bentley whose roof was chopped, he got it put back and that too in original material aluminium. When he got that Silver Ghost chassis, he built it as a replica of the Mysore Victoria car, he could have built something more fanciful. The first sign of developing his own style was the Hotchkiss, I would not have done that. And then that Airflow. The car looked much better in its original colours. The India Tricolour Rolls, Alwar Hispano, these are all really challenging. And many cars do need restoration, this is to happen, we have to be a bit patient. Today parts and tyres are available, but they are expensive. Labour is also expensive, tin, painting, wood work, upholstry all are expensive. And good mechanics are difficult to find. And chrome is still a problem.
Therefore, I agree with DKG about condition of the cars, but I am of the opinion that a visit to the museum is worth the trip, and many cars are unique in India examples to be seem, even if the colour schemes on some cars are challenging. Pranlal had the passion in him to build this collection, that we are able to see these cars is a good thing.
About the Schlumpf collection, there is no parallel.
The Schlumpf brothers bought cars, they were restoring them, and they built the Museum which was almost ready. They lost focus on their business which lost money and then they could not pay the workers dues. The French government took over the collection and premisis, and opened it to the public. The French government did not restore cars, maybe some undergoing restorations were completed. There was a reserve collection of unrestored cars, these belonged to Schlumpf right upto the end, and were recently auctioned off. Again, there is no parallel to Pranlal and his collection.
Value of cars in real terms was always high, you have to factor in the purchasing power, what could you buy for one Rupee at that time and what do you get today. Our coins had silver, the content of which reduced with time and now even nickel in the coins is reducing or gone. Today the salary of a motor mechanic is more than what one bought a car for in the 1960"s.
Just think about all this.
Cheers harit