Team-BHP - Autofest City - India's largest scale model collection

Hello everyone!

GTO suggested that we start a new thread on collecting scale model miniatures and so here we go.

Autofest City started off with a small collection of scale models that we purchased after moving residence to Mysore from Bombay, where we were born and educated.

Subsequently we purchased two Scale 40 models manufactured by Maisto - these models re-ignited the spark of enthusiasm to begin seriously collecting automobile models once again. Full sets of Scale 40 from Maisto and Scale 43 from Bburago folllowed. We graduated to Scale 24 and then on to Scale 18 which is now the emphasis of our collection.

We started off without a clear focus (as most enthusiasts do) but over the years specialized - collecting historically important automobile replicas from leading marques around the world.

We never looked at collecting in numbers - you can buy out a whole store and still have nothing! Autofest City on the other hand is a very specialized collection of true-scale miniatures. Every scale model we have has a very genuine reason for being there.

We always research the historic importance of any scale model before it is purchased. Then look at how it will fit into our collection - sometimes debate over it for many days and then finally buy it.

Autofest City is located in a dedicated building measuring 720 sq. ft. adjacent to our home at Mysore. Our Scale 18 models are displayed on table-tops, under hand-crafted glass cases (that we designed and assembled ourselves). Each case is a storehouse of information on the model on display - technical specifications and highlights of the real automobile, printed logos, a flag of the country of origin, photographs of the real automobile, photographs (and brief biographies) of the company's founders and designers (if available) and any other piece of interesting information - all this in an endeavour to make our displays informative and interesting to everyone.

We have also created our own series - The Decade Series (featuring one important automobile from each decade of the 20th century), the Nostalgic Cinema Series (featuring automobiles either owned by cinema celebrities or used in films) and the Value Addition Series (scale models customized by us - this series also includes our workshop scenes in Scale 18 & 24). We also have a large number of replicas of the final 100 nominees to the Car Of The Century competition.

Autofest City has made it to a number of national magazines, newspapers, private bulletins and other media. Recognition by the Limca Book of Records 2006 is the biggest reward for our efforts. Achieving Museum status in the 2007 edition was even bigger.

Autofest City has many limited editions, kit-assembled models and other rare replicas, some of which are out of production now. We also have replicas of a number of automotive firsts.

Please visit our web-album Picasa Web Albums - Autofest City - I... to browse through our collection. Some of our displays too are featured in the album. We also send out a newsletter each month featuring various aspects of our collection with updates on the latest additions or happenings at Autofest City. Happenings at our Scale 1:1 garage are also included!

Anyone wishing to receive future issues please send us your email address. We send only the link to our newsletter by email. You can download it to your hard-disk at your convenience - so no blocking in-boxes.

We look forward to sharing views and news on this great hobby which is truly rewarding to the sincere enthusiast. In the meantime, here are a few glimpses from Autofest City.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderernomad (Post 842581)

@neil : fabulous work mate. I am coming to Mysore around 18-19th June. Is the museum open to visitors? Would love to see the entire collection. Could you please send me the location info and the timings?

Thanks for your appreciation. I will check our availability on 18-19 June and revert to you at the earliest.

The museum is not open to the public but to known friends or those who come along with friends for obvious reasons. But you will be most welcome to visit. Please send me your email address. I will send you a PDF file with the map and location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 842616)

I truly respect your passion and attention to detail....the pictures are absolute class! Hope to check out Autofest in person someday.

Thank you for all your words of appreciation. Clyde and I have spent hours building up each display. All the kudos go to Clyde for his excellent photography - something he developed on his own.

When I had uploaded our Scale 18 Mercedes-Benz 300C Coupe and Cabrio pics. on a Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts website, I received many responses wondering how we could maintain these cars in India in such pristine condition. One person even asked me for a source for spare parts. I had to explain to all of them that these were scale models and NOT real cars!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotorhead (Post 842676)

Wow neiltopaz, love the collection. I like the way you have displayed/photographed the cars with relevant news paper clipping at the background. P.S love the hand cranked rolls with a engine displayed too.

Making our displays informative and interesting to even a casual visitor is our ultimate aim at Autofest City. So it is not only the enthusiasts who tour our collection but many others too!

While assembling the RR kits we discovered that the engine block would be hidden away once the body was mated to the chassis. So Clyde decided to display the engines separately.

Hello everyone!

At Autofest City we periodically publish a newsletter detailing various aspects of the collection while updating our patrons, friends and well-wishers about the latest happenings and additions.

We have been publishing newsletters since 2002 and have an online archive for back-issues. Here are the links:
AFC News 2002 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (Jan-Dec 2002)
AFC News 2003 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (Jan-Dec 2003)
AFC News 2004 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (Jan-Dec 2004)
AFC News 2005 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (Jan-Dec 2005)
AFC News 2006 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (Jan-Dec 2006)
AFC News 2007 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (Jan-Dec 2007)
AFC News 2008 - Folder Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage (2008)

From June 2008, we will also post the link to forthcoming issues on the Scale Model Thread and Autofest City threads, for the benefit of BHPians too.

As you go through history with Autofest City you will see how our newsletters have evolved with better layouts and improved photography. Each newsletter is one more step on a long learning curve. Every issue is a representation of our efforts to excel at producing a document that is concise yet comprehensive.

We hope you will find our newsletters informative and interesting. Your feedback and suggestions will always be welcome.

Hello BHPians,

As already announced, we are uploading the link to Autofest City's newsletters immediately on release.

In this issue we tell you about Carroll Shelby's creations - some of the best Mustangs in the years that concluded his association with the Ford Motor Company, back in the late 1960s.

Autofest City celebrates its sign-up on the website Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community - Home. We have made some great, new friends here while renewing bonds too!

Take a look at The D'Costas' Wheels, a new docket uploaded to our web-album, featuring most of the cars owned by our family since 1956! This is a special tribute to all those automobiles that served us in good times and bad.

Here is the link to our May 2008 issue:
V7-I5 May 2008.pdf - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

With best wishes,
Neil D'Costa
Co-founder - Autofest City
MYSORE - INDIA

Dear Mike,

Nice to see another well-maintained Contessa. Which model is your car? Ours were both 1988 cars, although we bought them from two different owners, a few years apart.

We had converted both engines to the HM-ISUZU 2.0 DSL (diesel) engines as we needed the cars as daily commutes and running them on petrol was criminal at least as far as the cost was concerned. But the smoothness of the petrol was excellent!

But I was almost in tears to change the engine of my car to diesel because it had an excellent Japanese ISUZU engine and gearbox being one of the early Classic cars. Being sparingly used too, the car was in good shape when I bought her. After that however, I gave her a completely new paint job at HM's dealership here in Mysore and then a 3M detailing job. She used to shine like a new car and turn many heads on the road. The same for my brother's Contessa Classic too. My car was always parked in the shade and kept covered with a cloth dust cover even at my office.

We had to give up our cars because suspension and other spares were getting difficult to come by, production of the cars being stopped for quite some time. Although the car shared engine and many other parts with new-gen. Ambassadors, we thought it wise to sell off both cars. Clyde sold his first and we had every intention of hanging on to my Contessa, but then we thought the better of it and sold mine too - we already had two TATA Indigos and an Indica. Incidentally, my Indica has received special recognition by TATA Motors and their dealers in Mysore, M/s. Urs Kar Service Centre Pvt. Ltd., for the excellent maintenance. I hope you saw the pics in my web-album. Like my Contessa, my Indica is maintained with a lot of love and care and almost six years down the line (21/Oct), she looks better than new. That's because we have painted her bumpers, door handles and mirror in Mica Black (as against the pale grey OE fitment) and added many tasteful extras, including 3M detailing.

Sadly, both the new owners of the cars have not maintained them like we did - we do see them occasionally in our city. The guy who bought my car, has stripped off the bumpers, affixed rally stripes and to add insult to injury, has painted these words on the dicky lid 'This Is My Coffin'. I wonder how these guys brains work, or if they have any at all.

All the best with your car. I have a small suggestion - two chrome accents on the rear plate between the rear lights would give it a nice touch. The chrome accents will go well with the chrome rings on your wheel rims.

Best wishes,
Neil.