[Kartik Krishnan]

Saddened by the news, Mr. Bhogilal was an institution when it came to all things classic in cars. He was renowned not only for the quality of his cars, but also the way he encouraged everyone to experience his vast collection. May his family find the strength to get through this difficult time.

[agspins]

That is a real sad news..may his soul RIP.

[SuperSelect]

The vintage car movement has lost a champion.

Rest in peace sir. Your cars will miss you..

[anjan_c2007]

There was very little news in the media reporting the death of Mr Pranlal Bhogilal. Here are two links that gives us some details:

Vintage car czar Pranlal Bhogilal passes away - The Times of India

http://deshgujarat.com/2011/01/13/wo...al-is-no-more/

[rxpaul]

Imagine his passion for collection. Hope these cars do not leave our Indian shores. Wonder what will happen as a lot of foreign vintage car collectors will be interested

[Acclero]

Rest In Peace. A legend has passed away but his actions will be there for all to see. His name will be remembered.

[deutscheafrikar]

Bhogilal is survived by his only daughter, Chamundeshwari. “She has been personally groomed by him to take care of his priceless cars,”
A classic rolls past, News - City - Mumbai Mirror

Originally Posted by rxpaul

Hope these cars do not leave our Indian shores. Wonder what will happen as a lot of foreign vintage car collectors will be interested

How do you choose your favourite among over 200 treasured vintage cars? Pranlal Bhogilal never could. The industrialist, debated to have the largest collections of vintage cars, always answered the question with: “How can a mother choose her favourite child?”

The 73-year-old Bhogilal, who passed away at Jaslok Hospital on Wednesday, was the founder member of the Vintage and Classic Car Club of India. He was an independent director of Cadila Healthcare and served on the board of Lok Prakashan Limited

With the family comprising only three members - him, his wife and daughter Chamundeshwari - they never travelled together, fearing accidents.

“What was amazing,” says Nitin Dossa, friend and honorary secretary of the club, “that unlike other collectors who like to accumulate and exhibit their cars, he used his for everyday purposes. He never used a modern car for transportation.”

Pranlal Bhogilal (right) and Ulrich Schmid-Maybach, great-grandson of Maybach Motors founder Wilhelm Maybach, pose with Bhogilal’s Maybach


Driven by this passion to accumulate and to nurture it in another collector, Bhogilal converted his 2,200-acre farmhouse Dastaan, near Ahmedabad, into a car museum called Autoworld. “He inherited some of the cars he owned,” says Dossa, who knew Bhogilal for 20 years. “He said the family never sold any cars.” He began gathering classic cars in the 1960s, encouraged by his father. What he did not inherit, he bought from erstwhile maharajas and princes. Many a vintage car that was a white elephant for a royal family would be adopted or bought by Bhogilal.

“He was very encouraging towards new collectors,” says Dossa, who is also chief of the Western India Automobile association. “And kept every car in running order.

All of them are original; none of them have been rebuilt. Though he would take part in vintage and classic car rallies, he refused to compete. Instead he would be present to talk lovingly about his gems to anyone who showed interest.

His collection includes rare cars such as Cords, about 40 Rolls Royce, Bentleys, Jaguars and Hispano Suizas. There are only two vintage Maybachs in India, one of them belonged to Bhogilal and the other to the Maharaja of Kolhapur. I had the pleasure of driving his 1947 Rolls Royce Wraith at a Delhi rally.”

Bhogilal’s 1938 Packard


Not only cars, the industrialist also collected art, jewellery, bronze artefacts and palatial residences. His residence in Mahabaleshwar, Bohemia, is a palatial house that he bought in 1968 and had modified to fit just three massive bedrooms. Its location ensures that the densest fog in Mahableshwar is experienced here.

Mukesh Patel, a well-known tax consultant in Ahmedabad and a close friend of Bhogilal says, “Pranlalbhai loved art in any form. His collection of some 5,000 paintings and 2,000 bronze antiques is considered among the best in the world.”

Filmstar Jackie Shroff recalled, “I lived in a chawl in the same area Pranlal Bhogilal had a palace. Every Sunday, he would drive out in a different vintage car. We kept wondering which car we would be seeing next. It was only after I became a Bollywood star that I mustered the courage to make a request for seeing his collection. He had a royal persona and he is probably the reason I was inspired to get some vintage cars of my own.”

Filmmaker Kailash Surendranath said, “He was a neighbour of ours and a friend of my father. I have many childhood memories of him and I’ve even played in his house. He was a very private person. Not only were his cars vintage, even his drivers were. It was quite a sight to see him being driven out in one of those cars every now and then.”

Bhogilal is survived by his only daughter, Chamundeshwari. “She has been personally groomed by him to take care of his priceless cars,” says Patel.

Inputs from Ojas Mehta and Shraddha Singh


His 1952 Merc 300 Adenaur Cabrio

[C.S.ANANTH]

Very sad to hear about the demise of Mr.Bhogilal. On behalf of the Vintage & Classic car collectors in Chennai, I offer my condolences to the members of his family

[vintagepoint5]

Sad to hear about Mr. Pranlal Bhogilal demise, we lost great man. My sincere condolences to the bereaved family. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,

[S.B.Jatti]

We are deeply saddened to hear that Mr. Pranlal Bhogilal passed away on January 11, 2011.

We offer our deepest sympathies to his family.

Mr. Pranlal Bhogilal, as we all know, was a classic car connoisseur and collector, apart from being known for many other talents and his highly successful business. He was amongst the first few in India who began collecting and preserving classic cars, amongst other collectables, and went on to build the largest qualitative collection of cars in India. He was the first to establish a vintage and classic car museum in India near Ahmedabad, Gujarat which housed his grand collection.

Mr. Pranlal Bhogilal has been a source of inspiration for many of us and we will always remember him with great respect having founded the classic car movement in India.

May God bless his family during this time and always.

S.B.Jatti
Heritage Motoring Club of India

[karlosdeville]

Unfortunate to hear of his demise. He was a legend in his own right, and that is how we shall remember him. I visited his setup in Ahmedabad only last month, I'm glad to have done that when he was still with us. Let us hope the cars are maintained well and continue to be open for all to see.