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Old 24th May 2009, 13:28   #61
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Also there was mention of a Merc 540K with another set of brothers which has also not been found.

The we come to the legendary Saloo Chowdhry (spelling ?). John has gone on to document the other restorers of note in that fair city but not once was there any talk of the Chowdhrys and their cars.
Both tasks for next weekend, Saloo's cars seem to be locked up behind high walls will definitely try to penetrate. The 540k can you give some ideas on the car so as to be able to trail it.
The 540 was mentioned in one of the calcutta restore threads or the Mercedes in India thead or come to think of it in the Duesenberg thread.

Maybe you can check with Harit as I remember him questioning the whereabouts of this car.

Meanwhile please do investigate the Mitter people and the Duesenbergs. Can you imagine finding this car in a long forgotten locked garage. The finder would be remembered forever for this.

Last edited by aah78 : 25th May 2009 at 19:59. Reason: Quote fixed.
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Old 25th May 2009, 05:57   #62
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An update on the Vega:

He said he had been offered 5 lakhs for this car, but refused!!


Let me predict the future of this car. Owner wants fancy price, owner gets no offer- cars rots further-owner sells to scrapyard for near about 15K. Still not worth it i say as i doubt the parts of the car are available or not lost.

IF this car was no tinkered around with, it would still be worth a try but of course not for the quoted price, id say 10% of it.

Re the Mercs, big price for cars without papers!! Otherwise quite restorable and intact.
Sirjee, what happened to you? 5L / 10% = 50K, surely you have made a mistake somewhere. Even if you were to get a working original engine, 15K is still too much. These cars were loosers. The only value is for the metal, which has come down.
Better to go for the Mercs.

Last edited by aah78 : 25th May 2009 at 20:00. Reason: Quote fixed.
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Old 25th May 2009, 20:22   #63
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This was the find of the day for me. An Austin A40 Devon, totally original in all respects. Only the front bumper is missing, and one small pilot lamp broken. What a beautiful car!
Lovely sighting predatorwheelz.The A 40 appears to have had an OHV engine. If so it was ahead of its times.
The two blue Ambys you've shown as "to be scrapped" have very original dashes. The brown sunmica strips on the top and bottom with the striped aluminium running at the centre introduced in 1970 and in vogue till 1975 (advent of the Mark 3), is seen by me after a long, long time.Even the immediate post SMITHS era Yenkay (1965) dash you've shown with three meters to the left(some appear to have been changed) and the speedo on the right, with the three warning lights in the centre, is a treat to watch after a long, long time.
Many , many old Amby owners have changed these original ones to the black ones, which all look bland and also alike.
Alas, were there any takes for these Ambys or were they scrapped?
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Old 25th May 2009, 21:10   #64
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Of neglected Ambys and disappearing A40s

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Lovely sighting predatorwheelz.The A 40 appears to have had an OHV engine. If so it was ahead of its times.

The two blue Ambys you've shown as "to be scrapped" have very original dashes.

Alas, were there any takes for these Ambys or were they scrapped?
Thank you sir. The A40 indeed had a 1.2 ltr OHV engine. Early cars also had a funny brake system, with hydraulic front and mechanical rear brakes.

The particular car I saw had a floor mounted gearshift. This indicates its a pre-1949 car (later examples came with steering column mounted gearshift) and with that unique braking system. I absolutely love the square speedo. It also has a working sunroof.

Incidentally, a friend's dad has owned and maintained an A40 Devon in his youth. He's been pumping me full of interesting mechanical tidbits about the car. He also told me of an A40 Dorset (2 door version, much rarer) that was present in Kolkata. Now that would be a find, wouldn't it?

As for the Amby's, I havent seen a Mk2 (except the one that we owned for some time, ex judge owned car) in more original condition. Sad that there are no takers for both cars. The scrapper is giving these away dirt cheap. As far as I know, they still haven't been scrapped.
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Old 26th May 2009, 02:23   #65
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Thank you sir. The A40 indeed had a 1.2 ltr OHV engine. Early cars also had a funny brake system, with hydraulic front and mechanical rear brakes.

The particular car I saw had a floor mounted gearshift. This indicates its a pre-1949 car (later examples came with steering column mounted gearshift) and with that unique braking system. I absolutely love the square speedo. It also has a working sunroof.

Incidentally, a friend's dad has owned and maintained an A40 Devon in his youth. He's been pumping me full of interesting mechanical tidbits about the car. He also told me of an A40 Dorset (2 door version, much rarer) that was present in Kolkata. Now that would be a find, wouldn't it?

As for the Amby's, I havent seen a Mk2 (except the one that we owned for some time, ex judge owned car) in more original condition. Sad that there are no takers for both cars. The scrapper is giving these away dirt cheap. As far as I know, they still haven't been scrapped.
A sad true story of 2008.
An elderly gent's house in Calcutta was sold lock, stock and barrel. A family purchased it, a daughter-in law contacted a friend in Mumbai. The bungalow had furniture, paintings and a car. The car was a 2 door A 40 Devon. They sent a pic, he asked me for opinion. In the pic one could see a hole on the mudguard where the guy who took the photo accidentaly touched the body. It was toooooo faaaar goooooooone. One would have had to build a complete new body. Also no idea how the mechanicals would have fared. I recommended that he leaves it. We could anyway not have transported this to Mumbai. It would have collapsed. I saw pictures, will try to find to post if I get permission. Probably the same car, but you never know. It was scrapped in the end.
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Old 26th May 2009, 09:53   #66
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Here is a Devon that was lying in a Ford authorised workshop in Pune, shot by Moralfibre.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/488693-post203.html

The owner of the showroom is a collector too. The cars have since been moved, who knows if they survive.
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Old 27th May 2009, 13:50   #67
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Was passing through the same place where i saw the red PENNANT before, but now its all history. Not a single piece was kept as stock. It was reduced to some pieces only.
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Old 27th May 2009, 14:09   #68
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Surprise!

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Was passing through the same place where i saw the red PENNANT before, but now its all history. Not a single piece was kept as stock. It was reduced to some pieces only.
Hahahaha! Dont ask where the other pieces went!

And welcome to the reality of scrapping!

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Old 27th May 2009, 14:35   #69
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Scrap Yard

Any one aware of scrap yard in bangalore or the market like bhendi bazzar of Mumbai or the Puduphet of Chennai in Bangalore
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Old 27th May 2009, 22:47   #70
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Any one aware of scrap yard in bangalore or the market like bhendi bazzar of Mumbai or the Puduphet of Chennai in Bangalore
I have 2 words for you...Shivajinagar Gujiri! Here is where cars and bikes come to die. It is a very interesting place, as you never know what you'll see tucked away in some corner. I was once lucky enough to catch one scrapper in the middle of scrapping a 68 Lambretta scooter. Immediately, I pounced on him, and bought whatever I could. Another time, I saw a totalled BMW with Maharashtra regn being broken.
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Old 27th May 2009, 23:32   #71
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Here's what i found in new alipore.posted already in the rust in pieces thread.Seems like a Model T
Attachment 137623

Attachment 137624

Attachment 137625
IIRC this one stays in the garage of the flat which is opposite the NCC office. Even I've seen this one.
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Old 27th May 2009, 23:58   #72
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Hahahaha! Dont ask where the other pieces went!

And welcome to the reality of scrapping!
hmm..but i have seen some real good scrapping there, a merc convertible, a leyland bus & peugeot (don't remember the model, as i was pretty young then.) i call this place the 9th wonder of the world.
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Old 28th May 2009, 09:23   #73
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Any one aware of scrap yard in bangalore or the market like bhendi bazzar of Mumbai or the Puduphet of Chennai in Bangalore
There was a place in Bangalore where there were a bunch of shops selling used / new parts etc. I used to go there to get items for the WW2 Jeeps.

Great deals could be had in those days.

Don't remember the name of the location though.

Its also the place wher you find used parts for trucks too if that helpes.

I would suggest you speak to any new parts shop person or an older mechanic and ask them where this is located. I'm sure they will be able to tell you.
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Old 28th May 2009, 10:46   #74
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There was a place in Bangalore where there were a bunch of shops selling used / new parts etc. I used to go there to get items for the WW2 Jeeps.

Great deals could be had in those days.

Don't remember the name of the location though.

Its also the place wher you find used parts for trucks too if that helpes.

I would suggest you speak to any new parts shop person or an older mechanic and ask them where this is located. I'm sure they will be able to tell you.
The place is near Lalbagh, one of the perpendicular roads to Double Road, close to Urvashi Theatre. Im not sure what that lane is called though. There are loads of shops there.
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Old 28th May 2009, 13:14   #75
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Update on the Mercs, both have papers and radiator missing on both. Final price 3 lac for both cars no nego. If any one interested let me know.
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