[Sanidhya mukund]

Don’t we all love vintage cars? Looking at them let’s us get to know about how our roads would have looked decades ago, they give us a perspective of how far we’ve come in terms of technology and most importantly, they evoke emotions in ways that modern cars don’t. For most of us, owning and driving one such car is a distant dream, thanks to factors like prohibitive costs, part scarcity, lack of time and the colossal amounts of efforts that running such cars requires.

Which is why, for a vintage car enthusiast, the best way to spend a Saturday is at a place with cars from the bygone era. Most places in India that display vintage cars don’t really have too wide a range of cars. Most of the vintage car displays we get to see in India are at hotels, malls, tourist places etc. and are generally comprised of one or two automobiles. Of course, there are museums like the heritage transport museum at Gurgaon, the Hyderabad Nizam’s collection and the famous ‘Auto worlds’ collection at Ahmedabad, but those are exceptions rather than the rule. Also, most such museums have been receiving support from the tourism departments of their respective states.

The collection that I am going to talk about here is a little different from the ones mentioned above. What makes it unique is the fact that it is being run by a one man army, a very passionate man who has been genuinely working towards the preservation and propagation of automotive history of this region. Mr. Palash Deka, an engineer at the Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited has been spending out of his own salary for the preservation of these vintage cars. A passionate enthusiast, he has a very wide range of vintage cars, bikes, artefacts, articles of war, clocks, radios, gramophones and a lot more to display. However, maintaining such a wide collection is not an easy job, not in the least for one single man. As a result of this, even though he has a great collection, some cars are in desperate need of some tender love and care. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable visit for me- A vintage car collection on display in the lap of natural beauty is something that one rarely gets to see. What Mr. Deka has been able to achieve all by his own self is something that really must be appreciated. Some of the items on display at the museum are extremely rare as well.

The museum is located at Sonapur, Kamrup (M) Assam, about 45 minutes away from Guwahati. It lies on the way when enroute to Shillong.
It is really worth a visit for Vintage car enthusiasts and those who are passionate about cars.


The cars: Please note that the cars aren’t in a condition that we expect from a typical ‘Museum’, but please consider the fact that here, it is one single man doing all this from his own pocket. Some of them are in running condition as well!

1. Standard-10:



2. Standard Herald:



3. A 1970s Hilman Minx:



4. An early American car: (Chevy?)



5. A phase-III Standard Vanguard:



6. An early Oldsmobile that had to literally be dug out of the ground:



7. An Austin A40:



8. An early 70s Ford Fairline. This one has a V8 under the hood!




9. The ever green Premier Padmini:



10. The reverend Citroen Traction Avant. According to Mr. Deka, this one still runs!

[Sanidhya mukund]

11. A Morris Minor:



12. W115 Benz:



13. An Austin-7:



14. A 1970s Datsun 1000:



15. An old Skoda 120. Hadn’t ever seen an early Skoda before this:



16. A convertible Morris Minor:



17. A Ford Prefect with relatively less rust. Most trims looked complete as well:



18. Morris Mini 1000:



19. Vauxhall 14/6


20. Fiat 500 and Renault 4CV:

[Sanidhya mukund]

21. The Iconic VW Beetle:



22. The Beetle’s equally iconic cousin:



23. A couple of old Jeeps:



24. A Series-1 Land Rover. Mr. Deka also has the engine of this one:



24. A Hindustan-14:



25. An early Toyota Land Cruiser:



26. A wooden bodied Morris:



27. A Jeep Cherokee. This car is Left hand drive:



28. A Fiat 1100D (Not a Padmini )


29. A Premier Padmini Safari! We don’t see these everyday, do we? Seeing one for the first time in a collection:




30. A 1970s VW bus:

[Sanidhya mukund]

31. Pleased to see a Standard 2000! An extremely rare car. Never seen one in Assam before:

[Sanidhya mukund]

32. A couple of other cars that were a bit too far gone:





33. A Japanese Ammunition carrier that Mr. Deka saved from the scrap yard:



34. A Fargo Military truck:

[Sanidhya mukund]

Mr. Deka’s collection is not just limited to cars. He also has an extremely vast collection of some very rare and fascinating two wheelers (some of which are more than 100 years old!). In addition to two wheelers, he also has some rare gramophones, telephones, TV sets, wall Clocks and multiple other cool artefacts, including a WW-II air raid siren that still works! He also has very early fuel station outlets:

[Sanidhya mukund]

In conclusion, Mr. Deka’s collection is a well curated one. He is clearly a very passionate individual who is genuinely making efforts towards preservation of some historically important automobiles and objects. The condition of some of the cars may not be great, but that is something that needs to be considered in light of the fact that this entire collection is being maintained by a single individual from his own salary. The cars are slowly, but surely gaining shape. Some of them are now in running condition as well. This is a good place to enjoy for your entire family. There is a tree house as well, something that will fascinate the young as well as the old. At the other end, there is also an open cafeteria. The ticket, at ₹ 100 Per head is quite affordable (free for those below 7) as well. Do give it a visit if you are in or around Guwahati. It is a good way to spend a day for a car enthusiast.

Concluding with a shot of my W204 greeting the old W115. Came with me all the way from Delhi:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

The museum is located at Sonapur, Kamrup (M) Assam, about 45 minutes away from Guwahati. It lies on the way when enroute to Shillong.
It is really worth a visit for Vintage car enthusiasts and those who are passionate about cars.

Nice write up of the place which is maintained by Mr Pickloo (the name as we know him) Deka. His has been a single minded zeal to preserve some very rare cars and if possible restore them to their old glory. I have been to this place some years back and was specially astounded by the number of vintage clocks more than the cars. Some of the cars he has, are extremely rare. The place is getting traction now a days because of the sheer number of cars. Quite a feat for a man who also drives a Mercedes now a days and your car, all the way from Delhi is a looker too

Just a correction to the bold part mentioned above, the Museum is not en route Shillong but towards Nagaon.

Thanks for sharing a wonderful account of the place.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

26. A wooden bodied Morris:

Attachment 2256176

29. A Premier Padmini Safari! We don’t see these everyday, do we? Seeing one for the first time in a collection:

Attachment 2256179

Attachment 2256180

16. A convertible Morris Minor:

Attachment 2256164

19. Vauxhall 14/6

Attachment 2256167

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

32. A couple of other cars that were a bit too far gone:

Attachment 2256187

Attachment 2256188

A lovely thread. Thanks for posting all the images after painstaking capturing each one of these with the two wheelers and the other antiques and artifacts from the collection of Mr Deka, single handedly.

Some points about the images:-

26. The wooden bodied Morris Cowley (based on the Morris Oxford MO Series) is imported and is rare. These were never sold in India.

29. The station wagon is a Premier SAB with body by Starline Auto Builders (SAB) who were also dealers for the Premier range in Mumbai area.

16. The convertible Morris Minor is again an import as only the low light Minors were sold as two doors with such convertible bodies.

19. A Vauxhall 12-4 there

32. I can see a Ford Prefect Ford Prefect E493A (1949-53) crumbling here to the right of the Morris Minor.

My only link to Kamrup is the Kamrup Express train that Calcuttans travelled in from Howrah to reach Shillong and I had seen off relatives and friends at times at Howrah Rly Station boarding it.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

16. The convertible Morris Minor is again an import as only the low light Minors were sold as two doors with such convertible bodies.

A small correction - the highlight convertibles were also built in India, as advertised here by the French Motor Car Co

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...ml#post4858715 (History of Cars in India)

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Nice write up of the place which is maintained by Mr Pickloo (the name as we know him) Deka. His has been a single minded zeal to preserve some very rare cars and if possible restore them to their old glory. I have been to this place some years back and was specially astounded by the number of vintage clocks more than the cars.

Just a correction to the bold part mentioned above, the Museum is not en route Shillong but towards Nagaon.

Thanks for sharing a wonderful account of the place.

Thank you for the appreciation! Yes, he is indeed popularly known by that name. Even I had been to his museum before, must have been 2015, but wasn’t a member then. Actually his collection was near the Amsang forest reserve before, but shifted to this new location in 2018 or 19. Now it is in a much smaller area than before, but is better organised and it is now easier to enjoy the collection. Even the current location has beautiful surroundings. Leaving the new address here, as mentioned on the entry ticket:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

A lovely thread. Thanks for posting all the images after painstaking capturing each one of these with the two wheelers and the other antiques and artifacts from the collection of Mr Deka, single handedly.

Some points about the images:-

My only link to Kamrup is the Kamrup Express train that Calcuttans travelled in from Howrah to reach Shillong and I had seen off relatives and friends at times at Howrah Rly Station boarding it.

Thank you for the appreciation sir! And thank you for highlighting the rarity of some of these cars, further goes to show how keenly has he acquired his cars. I stand corrected about the Vauxhall.

[Vijay T]

Good read & fotos about vintage cars in Assam.
Loved to see my beloved 1100 D.

While reading i remembered one gentleman 's plantation we visited while on a trip in koorg.

He was owner of a huge coffee plantation & was very passionate about vintage cars.
He has @ 100 cars displayed in his shed amidst plantation.

I am refering "was" because just 10 days back before we visited the place, the said owner died because of freak accident in his plantation hit by a falling tree in a storm.

His son took us through the collection.
Amazing cars they were right from 1930s.
Studbekar,cadillac,Morris,Fiat, Citroen & Many Impalas🙂.
Many of them in running condition.Will try to dig thru old fotos & post some of them.

It's a passion which few can afford though.

[AshwinRS]

This is indeed a great and a rare collection of vehicles. Only a man with deep passion would embark on such a journey of restoring so many legendary cars! Thanks for documenting it here for us!

By the way, would also be interested in your journey to Assam from Delhi - maybe another thread on that!

[BhaskarG]

Congratulations for the wonderful thread. Interestingly, I was planning to do a write up on Mr Pickloo Deka's efforts, but didn't materialise till now. Now you have relieved me from the work!

I'll try to add my contents to your thread pretty soon.