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Old 22nd August 2007, 00:34   #1
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Vintage Cars in UP

Well, I have been going around UP locating and sourcing cars in way out places in the interiors , been a labour of love , trying to source my cars for a price - reasonable for me. I knew the cars were there and it required some patience waiting for the auctions to to take place. There are a still a lot of cars awaiting auction in Govt lots . I know there are 4 Willy Jeeps ( OHV Engine ) , 6 Toyota Land Cruisers 1968 FJ 40 , a 1950 Ford F1 Truck , a 1938 Chevrolet HC Master 1/2 T pick up . There is a Ford Truck abandoned by the roadside between Kanpur and Allahabad , the engine is missing now but still can be used to source the transmission etc. There is a 1948 Ford V 8 still lying abandoned with a V 8 engine in Lucknow , supposedly it belonged to Natwarlal. The worst was the case of a Ford Custom which was abandoned in 2004 at a grabage dump in Lucknow and in a year it was pillaged by the local kids for exchanging the steel for chikki , in 2006 the chassis n engine which was what remained of the original car was removed to the municipal scrap dump. The best place to source Model A and FIAT's used to be the local marriage bands. A Model T is still displayed in the small office of a band master in a very small UP town , just have to wait and see if I get lucky with that one.

Though with the increased demand from Delhi and Chndigarh the cars are becoming harder to come by . I was informed by a mechanic at Banda in UP that he had sourced 15 BSA bikes (within a month)for a Delhi dealer at Rs 17,000 each , this was last year .

Presently I am waiting for the Govt to auction a Hillman 8 Cylinder which they discovered per chance in their inventory when they found the car abandoned in a godown taken over by a Central Govt organisation . I expect it will be a one off car in India , should be an interesting restoration as spares are hard to come by, even through the Rootes network .

Attached photos of the Hillman 8 ( not very clear ) and of the PE restoration ( model with the optional spoke wheels and double side mounts - stepneys on the mud guards ). The car also came with a broken ivory 1934 Ply hood ornament.

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Old 22nd August 2007, 00:46   #2
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It seems I made a mess of attaching the photographs , so trying again to attach the photos of the Hillman 8 cylinder and Plymouth PE restoration.

<a href="ImageShack - Hosting :: image29im9.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/5...ge29im9.th.jpg" border="0"/></a>
<a href="ImageShack - Hosting :: image27lh1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/5...ge27lh1.th.jpg" border="0"/></a>
<a href="ImageShack - Hosting :: image2611yo2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/8...2611yo2.th.jpg" border="0"/></a>
<a href="ImageShack - Hosting :: image03uv6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/5...ge03uv6.th.jpg" border="0"/></a>
<a href="ImageShack - Hosting :: image011114vu1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/2...1114vu1.th.jpg" border="0"/></a>
<a href="ImageShack - Hosting :: image0112is0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/4...0112is0.th.jpg" border="0"/></a>
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Old 22nd August 2007, 01:01   #3
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wow vintageman you have really worked very hard and the love for these bygone beuties is clearly seen. hope you have all the luck in getting the cars and setting up an interesting collection for yourself.
now i would like to know if i am interested in the 1938 chevrolet hc master 1/2 T pickup and the 1948 ford V8. how do i go about it. who do i need to meet or talk to in order to enter the auction.
the cars you would reject i would accept so dont worry about a car that you like being taken away by me.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 01:12   #4
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Vintageman - I'm based out of Moradabad too since it's my home town and so have some contacts around these areas. If you know of any cars around Western UP or need some help around here, feel free to get in touch with me.

Last edited by iraghava : 22nd August 2007 at 01:13.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 11:05   #5
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Thanks iraghava , I am also from the western part of UP , Mainpuri to be exact , sourced a Morris Minor ( now in Delhi ) for an Uncle and a Model A for a friend who to my sorrow sold it for a whopping profit - from Mainpuri.

Restoring cars is my hobby and I am into it as an amateur trying hard to keep the UP cars within UP in a very small way . I have tried to steer clear of professional dealers and restorers .

Speedy the Chevrolet pick up is located at the UP Health Department lot at Nadarganj , Amausi , Lucknow ( near the airport ). The whole lot consists of about 200 cars the majority being Ambassadors & Gypsies . The cars were supposed to be auctioned off last year , but for reasons unknown the Govt decided to put it off . The full lot will be subdivided into groups of 10 consisting of Ambassadors , Gypsies and if you pick the correct lot then the Toyotas , Bedford, Willys and the Chevy. The going rate for scrap is Rs 10 to 15 per Kg so estimate the bid. Best not to involve yourself with the auction , but deal with the scrapper immediately after the auction ; the price should be around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 for each car , depending upon your negotiating skills and how one deals with the interest created , now that the information is on this forum. You will spoil the local market if you pay more - maybe our stinginess is the reason why outsiders can source cars from UP so easily. would never have imagined paying more than 2 lakhs for the Minerva which went from Lucknow or a lakh for the 12 cyl Packard convertible which went missing from the city footpaths one night. As for the auctions a Rolls Royce 20/25 was auctioned by the Kanpur District Collector in 2005 !!!

I intend to keep the Ford Pick Up as a parts car for future restorations.

Regarding the 1947 Ford V 8 , it is abandoned and rotting near the Lucknow courts in the Kaiserbagh area . As per my sources belonged to the (in)famous fraud Natwarlal ,last checked it out a couple of months back , it has been stripped by the local kids for chikki but the chassis , engine , gear box and parts of the body are still there , I expect it be moved to the municipal dump when the administration notices it.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 13:56   #6
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thank you for the information, i would try to come there to find out more and meet you too. i would suggest vintageman that you restore the ford pick up as you hardly come across them nowadays. it would just be one more car lost.
that is news of a minerva a 12 cyl packard convertible and a Rolls Royce 20/25 being auctioned before.
just asking do you restore these cars and sell them or do you collect the cars am a bit confused here .
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Old 22nd August 2007, 14:04   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vintageman View Post
Restoring cars is my hobby and I am into it as an amateur trying hard to keep the UP cars within UP in a very small way . I have tried to steer clear of professional dealers and restorers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by speedy View Post
just asking do you restore these cars and sell them or do you collect the cars am a bit confused here .
Don't think he sells them speedy.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 14:11   #8
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hi GS was just checking with vintageman. i am most happy we have a new collector in the makeing and the cars are going to get their due respect that they deserve. did you have any luck finding the place?
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Old 22nd August 2007, 14:56   #9
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hi GS was just checking with vintageman. i am most happy we have a new collector in the makeing and the cars are going to get their due respect that they deserve. did you have any luck finding the place?

No bro, couldn't go yesterday. Left around 7 PM and then I got stuck in a jam on NH8. By the time I got out of the jam, it was almost 8 and dark, so didn't bother going. Hopefully will go on Sat.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 15:00   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vintageman View Post
Thanks iraghava , I am also from the western part of UP , Mainpuri to be exact , sourced a Morris Minor ( now in Delhi ) for an Uncle and a Model A for a friend who to my sorrow sold it for a whopping profit - from Mainpuri.

Restoring cars is my hobby and I am into it as an amateur trying hard to keep the UP cars within UP in a very small way . I have tried to steer clear of professional dealers and restorers .
Think Hes not a seller Speedy. Thats what I like about the guy. I agree with him that crazy gold diggers have raised the prices of such cars by selling them to dodo heads who just want these cars as a show piece and not for the love of the whole thing. God I hate such guys!!
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Old 22nd August 2007, 15:31   #11
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No bro, couldn't go yesterday. Left around 7 PM and then I got stuck in a jam on NH8. By the time I got out of the jam, it was almost 8 and dark, so didn't bother going. Hopefully will go on Sat.
if your going on sat let me know might join you, where would you be comming from? pm me and let me know thanks.

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Think Hes not a seller Speedy. Thats what I like about the guy. I agree with him that crazy gold diggers have raised the prices of such cars by selling them to dodo heads who just want these cars as a show piece and not for the love of the whole thing. God I hate such guys!!
i agree with you bhai. people like us who love the cars have to suffer. i cant stand people who over raise the price the cars and say they just want a car to look good in their driveways. man they are such loosers.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 16:38   #12
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Hi ,

I do not sell the cars I restore or get , infact I could not sell my later cars even after getting replacements . I run my own garage at home , only to work on my cars . The average has been a car a year for the last 7 years. I spent a year restoring my FIAT 500 Topolino and took the same time to restore the Packard 120 B , my younger brother is the person who looks after the technical aspects , I attend to the physically locating the cars , spares etc. Infact for 6 months a year the garage runs itself when I am away.

By the way it was only the Rolls which was auctioned , the Minerva was purchased from the Raja of Mahmudabad and I understand it is now part of Mr. Titus's collection . The Packard in a decrepit state used to lie on the foot paths before it vanished overnight.

By the way my Jaguar , Packard & a Ford are on the pre-war car.com site magazine , check between 2078 - 2088 , 2049 and 1627 - 1636.
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Old 22nd August 2007, 19:02   #13
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Hi ,

I do not sell the cars I restore or get , infact I could not sell my later cars even after getting replacements . I run my own garage at home , only to work on my cars . The average has been a car a year for the last 7 years. I spent a year restoring my FIAT 500 Topolino and took the same time to restore the Packard 120 B , my younger brother is the person who looks after the technical aspects , I attend to the physically locating the cars , spares etc. Infact for 6 months a year the garage runs itself when I am away.

By the way it was only the Rolls which was auctioned , the Minerva was purchased from the Raja of Mahmudabad and I understand it is now part of Mr. Titus's collection . The Packard in a decrepit state used to lie on the foot paths before it vanished overnight.

By the way my Jaguar , Packard & a Ford are on the pre-war car.com site magazine , check between 2078 - 2088 , 2049 and 1627 - 1636.
thats great to hear, i did not mean to offend you in anyways, so please dont get me wrong . i love cars too and own some vintage and classics myself. its pure love for cars that runs in the family that i dont like seeing good cars being lost in todays world.
thats what i thought the minerva as i know both the owners the one who bought it from the maharaja and the current owner of the car. was wondering when you mentioned it on the auction list.
congratulations for the cars being in the magazine. .
hope you have all the luck in the good work.
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Old 23rd August 2007, 15:13   #14
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Hey Speedy , no reason to be sorry . regrettably I got to know of Team BHP very late, a lot of cars slipped by in that period . It is indeed sad and frustrating to see the local snobs getting the car chopped up instead of selling it for renovation.
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Old 23rd August 2007, 17:27   #15
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i remember my first visit to chor bazaar when i had got my first car the 170v in 94. gone there to find parts with my friend who restores the cars for me. they were chopping a desoto 1947, i actually had tears in my eyes and begged the people to give me the car by then the damage was done. the actual owner of the car was standing there and inspecting the break. can you believe that. i gave him a mouthfull though.
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