[Stanher]

Originally Posted by SuperSelect

Hey thanks for your words, Shyam . You're very observant with Architecture - ever thought of becoming an Architect ?

MRW 5248 was given away carelessly, and was scrapped before we realized..

As a matter of fact, yes I did ravi! But unfortunately my weakness in maths stopped me in my tracks then! Besides, I've always been fascinated only by old building designs, esp. 60s/70s.

Sad to hear bout MRW! What colour was she btw?

[SuperSelect]

Originally Posted by Stanher

Sad to hear bout MRW! What colour was she btw?

MRW was white when new. She was originally Jaipur registered, RJL 2000, brought to Mumbai and sold to my dad as MRW 5248.
She was painted jet black in 1969-70, only to be repainted white in '72 or thereabouts .

[harit]

Originally Posted by SuperSelect

Here's a picture very dear to me.

An industrial building which my father designed in the early 1970's.
MRW 5248 stands serenely, reflecting the spirit of the times - Clean, Modernistic, and evocative of the brave new world.

The building will soon be repaired and restored by me. MRW 5248 has gone to heaven, and can never be restored :(

Do all dead Fiat's go to heaven? How do they go past the Pearly Gates?
The building is typical of 1970's, where choice of materials was quite limited and you had to rely on good lines to make a building look good. When you restore try to keep it simple, many would remove the windows and put glass.
Hopefully a modern car will come in the porch, but when you are done with the restoration do take a Superselect and park it in the same place for a photo to be posted. And start talking about rebirth.
This seems to be the kind of photo an architect takes when he has completed a project. I recently found pictures of Hindustan Petroleum House at Churchgate when it was new. That time it was not even Esso, It was Standard-Vacuum and had a big nameplate at the entrance. That is a historical picture.

Cheers harit

[SuperSelect]

Originally Posted by harit

when you are done with the restoration do take a Superselect and park it in the same place for a photo to be posted. And start talking about rebirth.
I recently found pictures of Hindustan Petroleum House at Churchgate when it was new. That time it was not even Esso, It was Standard-Vacuum and had a big nameplate at the entrance. That is a historical picture.
Cheers harit

Thanks Harit !
MRW 5248's gone, but my 'blue and white' MRX 6839 will take her place in the porch..
Wow, StanVac - please post the picture somewhere, would love to see it.
..And yes, dead Fiats do always go to heaven !!

[Prabal]

Nice photograph that, Ravi. Sometimes I just want to see some of the empty spaces on land again, that these old photos remind us of. The starkness of the landscape in the picture almost echoes the quietness that seems so distantly past too!

[Edsel Rulez!]

Originally Posted by SuperSelect

An industrial building which my father designed in the early 1970's.

That building looks awesome. And just look at the landscaping! It exemplifies the spacious modernity of the 60s and 70s that superseded the art deco sweeps and curved verandas of the previous decades. (Not that I dislike art deco -- it has tremendous retro appeal of its own.) I wonder if we will look back on today's glass-and-concrete buildings with the same fondness (say) 30 years from now?

OT, but while we're on the "vintage" theme I thought I'd mention that I found a book called "Modern Ideal Homes for India" by RS Deshpande in my late grandfather's bookshelf. This edition was published in the early 70s and includes some designs that resemble your factory. It's also given the cost of constructing some houses -- apparently a one-bedroom brick-and-mortar house cost under Rs 5000 to build in the 1950s!

[harit]

As we have seen, bicycles seem to be the flavour of this season. So why not a nostalgic picture with a bicycle?
This picture has a nice old period mount, there is a stamp which says "photo by K.P.Jayakar" and is signed as P.K.Jayakar, dated 25/05/1929.
The person seems to be an official, maybe police going by the uniform and shoes? Bungalow in the background looks very nice. Was there ever a known photographer Jayakar?
Does anyone have any comments on the bicycle? Looks so similar to what we have even today.
Enjoy a period photo.

Cheers harit

[kavesh55]

Dear Harit- The bungalow looks familiar, does it still exist ? Is it in the Kennedy Bridge area ?

[harit]

Originally Posted by kavesh55

Dear Harit- The bungalow looks familiar, does it still exist ? Is it in the Kennedy Bridge area ?

No idea. Could you kindly check when you are near by?

Cheers harit

[SuperSelect]

Originally Posted by Prabal

Nice photograph that, Ravi. !

Originally Posted by Edsel Rulez!

That building looks awesome. And just look at the landscaping! It exemplifies the spacious modernity of the 60s and 70s that superseded the art deco sweeps and curved verandas of the previous decades. OT, but while we're on the "vintage" theme I thought I'd mention that I found a book called "Modern Ideal Homes for India" by RS Deshpande in my late grandfather's bookshelf. !

Thanks a ton guys..
The photograph was primarily meant to highlight the Fiat, but your appreciation of my late father's building, warmed my heart like nothing else..
@Edsel Rulez: Hey the book seems interesting. I'll try to find a copy somewhere.

[harit]

Atlast something for Pawan Kadam and his tribe.
Unfortunatly the registration is only half visible. This Beetle looks a bit battered, headlights need attention. Maybe they will be a clue to its identity.
And the boy does look so similar to Karl, what say?

BTW, it is very common to find old black and white pictures of cars with kids in them, very often the kids are sitting on the bonnet. maybe both are the photographers pride, but in todays rallys the car is someone else's and just a prop.

Cheers harit

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by harit

Atlast something for Pawan Kadam and his tribe.
Unfortunatly the registration is only half visible. This Beetle looks a bit battered, headlights need attention. Maybe they will be a clue to its identity.
And the boy does look so similar to Karl, what say?

As much as I wish, it isn't me.

And the car, mind you, is an early 'Oval' rear window. And ironically, I can tell you that by looking at the front window!

EDIT - the more I look at it the more I really like this photo. Its a keeper.

[arun1100]

These pics were posted by Col Deepak Gopinath in http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-1...ml#post1719724

My father bought his FIAT in march 1956 when he was posted in Lucknow, the regn number was USQ 3645. I still have the vehicle with me.
I am also attaching 2 photographs taken in 56. In the first one I am sitting in the centre as a 4 year old. The second photo is when my father drove the car from Lucknow to Calcutta, the car is seen loaded on a train for crossing some river enroute, no idea where exactly it is.
Regards,
Col Deepak Gopinath

Same car as it is today with Colonel.

[kavesh55]

Simply Spectacular It would be extremely good fortune if you could collect beautiful moments of the past and relive them.

[SuperSelect]

Guys, can anyone identify this car ? Sorry, but the picture is very small to begin with !
The car belonged to my grandfather, sometime in the fifties..