In the 1970s, it was one of the car options for Indian buyers after the Ambassador and the Premier Padmini.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

This story dates back to 1976 and details the first car that I remember encountering in my life; a 1959 Made in England Standard Super 10 which used to return 16 kmpl on the highways and approx. 11kmpl in the city.

These posts are my small way of paying a befitting tribute to this cute fuel-efficient buggy that was one of the options for Indian buyers after the Ambassador and the Premier Padmini in the 1970s. Many readers who never got a chance to experience this car would perhaps be able to relate some of this car with some of the cars of the 90s and 2000s.

What prompted me to write about the Super 10

Like the many ownership reviews I’ve shared this far, the Super 10 was on my mind, but the spark was provided when I looked at the teaser of a recent release - Gangubai Kathiyawadi that featured the Standard Super 10.

Screengrabs from the teaser (courtesy Pen Movies)

Also, I’d like to thank bhpian @karlosdeville whose thread Super 10 Restoration kickstarted the thought of me penning this thread. While my memories of the car are all in the head, this is the one car that I have no images of since we never thought of taking pictures of the car on a black and white film. All images shown in these posts are sample pictures sourced from the net and a few borrowed from fellow bhpians.

Background

Circa 1962 - My Dad owned a Standard Herald, bought new, when he was posted in Siliguri and then took the car along to Wellington, TN. The car was later left in Delhi under the care of a relative when Dad got posted in the 1965 operations. Post ops., the Herald went with Mom and Dad to Srinagar where he eventually parted with it since there was a jeep given to him and there was practically no use for the car.

Circa 1976 - After his assignments in J&K and Nagaland were over, he was posted in Chennai, wanted a car, but also knew his usage was going to be absolutely low – an odd weekend visit to someone’s place would be just about it. That is why he began looking at a used one.

The Super 10 makes an entry

While he was looking at options, he came across a reasonably kept 1959 black Standard Super 10 that was being owned by an old lawyer. I do not remember how he came to find that car, but I do remember that the car was eventually his for a mere ₹ 4,600 in 1976; as a small kid, I'd gone with him to pick the car up – and it did look weird – nowhere as stately as an Ambassador or neat as a Premier. The shade was black – not a sought after one those days, and I remember noticing the following:

• Long open parcel shelf to the left of the speedo console
• Many holes on the floor pan beneath the mats
• Weird-shaped toothless grille
• Some missing chrome on the front grille and bumper

When I asked him why the car had so many “holes”, and all he did was smile.

The long parcel shelf (image courtesy bhpian @karlosdeville)

Black Super 10 (image courtesy bhpian @karlosdeville) - our car was in the exact same shade at delivery

Continue reading about vigsom's 1959 Standard Super 10 for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

The auction for a VW Beetle started at Re. 1 and went up to Rs. 25 lakh.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has bought a 1971 Land Rover Series Station Wagon at the Big Boy Toyz online auction.

The Series 3 Land Rover was produced between 1971 and 1985. It was offered with engines ranging from a 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder to a 3.5-litre V8. Dhoni's Land Rover Series 3 is finished in a yellow and white dual-tone colour scheme.

The e-auction was held on December 19, 2021. Besides the classic Land Rover, 18 more cars were auctioned. These included Rolls Royces, Cadillacs, Buicks, Chevrolets, Austins, Mercedes' and others. The auction for a VW Beetle started at Re. 1 and went up to Rs. 25 lakh. 

According to the organizers, the e-auction received a strong response and saw the participation of clients who were buying a vintage car for the first time. 50% of the total stock was sold.

Vehicles like an early 70s Ford Fairlane with a V8 engine & the evergreen Premier Padmini are a part of this massive collection.

BHPian Sanidhya mukund recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Don’t we all love vintage cars? Looking at them lets 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 amount of effort that running such cars require.

That's 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 a wide 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 the 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 wars, 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 en route 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 the condition that we expect from a typical ‘Museum’, but please consider the fact that here, it is a single man doing all this from his own pocket. Some of them are in running condition as well!

Standard-10:

Standard Herald:

A 1970s Hilman Minx:

An early American car: (Chevy?)

A phase-III Standard Vanguard:

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

An Austin A40:

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

The evergreen Premier Padmini:

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

A Morris Minor:

W115 Benz:

An Austin-7:

A 1970s Datsun 1000:

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

A convertible Morris Minor:

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

Morris Mini 1000:

Vauxhall 14/6:

Fiat 500 and Renault 4CV:

Continue reading Sanidhya mukund's experience at the vintage car collection for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Bidding for a 1960 VW Beetle starts at Re. 1

Pre-owned luxury car dealer, Big Boy Toyz, will be organizing a vintage and classic car auction on December 19, 2021.

The online auction will be listing a 1960 Volkswagen Beetle for which the bidding starts at Re. 1. Besides the Beetle, 19 other cars will be up for grabs. These include Rolls Royces, Cadillacs, Buicks, Chevrolets and Land Rovers. These cars come from renowned collections from all over the country and are being displayed at BBT's Gurgaon showroom.

BBT has designed a software to enable bidders to participate in the online auction. The cars will be available for a period of 14 days from the date of going live.

Bidders can choose from two plans - The Enthusiasts Plan is priced at Rs. 1 lakh and allows bidders to bid on 2 cars, while the Connoisseur Plan offers 4 cars with no upper limit on the value for a deposit of Rs. 2 lakh.

Two-wheelers and four-wheelers that are more than 50 years old from their original first dates of registration are considered as vintage vehicles. These vehicles cannot be used like other vehicles or for commercial purposes.

The Government of India has drafted a notification providing guidelines regarding ownership of vintage vehicles in the country. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers that are more than 50 years old from their original first dates of registration are considered as vintage vehicles. For selling or purchasing such vehicles, the buyer and the seller have to notify their respective state transport authorities within 90 days from the sale or purchase.

According to the notification, the registration or re-registration of vintage vehicles will require the owners to produce a valid insurance policy, a bill of entry in case the vehicle is imported and the old registration certificate - if the vehicle has already been registered in India. The draft also states that the owner of a vintage vehicle will have to pay Rs. 20,000 for a new certificate which will be valid for a period of 10 years. The subsequent renewal of the registration will cost an additional Rs 5,000 and have a validity of 5 years.

The notification also states that a new registration format will be issued for vintage vehicles. New registration numbers of vintage vehicles will read “XX VA YY ****”, where 'XX' will stand for the state code, 'VA' stands for vintage vehicle, 'YY' will be a two-letter series and '****' will be a four-digit number between 0001 and 9999. This number will be allocated by the respective state registering authority.

Further, vintage vehicles cannot be used like other vehicles or for commercial purposes. That said, the draft has not specified what is meant by ‘regular usage’.

This new draft notification comes after the Government of India had issued a notification to begin the process of formalisation of registration of vintage vehicles in the country in November 2020.

Source: Autocar India

This stunning Mercedes W123 with 12 lakh km on the odometer is actually from 1979.

A stunningly beautiful 1979 Mercedes-Benz W123 300TD model has been put up for auction at 'Bring a trailer'. This 42-year old Mercedes-Benz station wagon looks to be in pristine condition but has actually been driven quite a bit, having completed over 782,000 miles (close to 12.6 lakh km).

The Mercedes W123 can be seen finished in Medium Red with an original Saffron MB-Tex interior. The station wagon has been used as a daily driver by the seller since 2006, contributing around 150,000 miles (2.41 lakh km) to its total odometer reading.

However, the car has managed to stay in mint condition, without any major damage. Having said that, there is said to be a small amount of surface rust near the fuel-filler cap.

Similarly, the interiors of the Mercedes W123 wagon also seems to have been maintained extremely well. The interiors of the 42-year old station wagon still feature all the original components, apart from the front seats which are said to have been replaced on two occasions.

Some of the features still seen on the Mercedes W123 include roof rails, tinted & electric windows, a sunroof, self-levelling suspension (which has been rebuilt in the last five years), automatic climate control, Zebrano wood trim accents on the dashboard and central locking, among others.

Powering the 1979 Mercedes-Benz W123 is a 3.0-litre OM617 straight-five turbo-diesel engine. It is said to produce a modest 77 BHP and 155 Nm and is paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission, with power being sent to the rear wheels.

Source: Bring A Trailer

The transport ministry of the Government of India has issued a notification to begin the process of formalisation of registration of vintage vehicles in the country.

According to the ministry, vintage vehicles are Indian or imported commercial or personal vehicles that are more than 50 years old from the date of their first registration. However, there should be no modification carried out to the chassis, body shell or engine of the vehicle.

Those who would like to register their old vehicles can make an application on the “PARIVAHAN” portal. This registration will be valid for 10 years. The ministry has proposed a fee of Rs. 20,000 for a new registration while subsequent re-registrations will attract a fee of Rs. 5,000.

Vintage vehicles will be a permitted on the roads only for display, technical research, taking part in vintage car rallies, or to be driven to and from exhibitions and vintage car rallies. They will also be permitted to be driven for refuelling and maintenance purposes.

The registering authorities in all states will appoint a nodal officer who will process the registration applications. Additionally all states will have to appoint a committee which will inspect and declare whether a vehicle is fit to be registered as vintage.

Source

The AstaGuru Vintage & Classic Car auction will be held in Mumbai from November 27-28, 2020.

Ahead of the auction, a preview event has been organized at High Street Phoenix from November 21-22, 2020. A range of vintage cars will be put on display at this event. Specialists will also be present to help with any queries.

AstaGuru is an online auctions platform for vintage cars and modern art. It was founded in 2008 by Mr. Vickram Sethi, who also founded The Arts Trust and Institute of Contemporary Indian Art Gallery, Mumbai.

Lunaz Ltd, a Silverstone based electric powertrain solution provider, has unveiled all-electric versions of the classic Rolls-Royce Phantom and Silver Cloud. The company will do a ground up restoration on these old cars and add their electric powertrains. Only 30 such slots are offered with a starting price of GBP 3,50,000.

A 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V has been restored by Lunaz. The company will also offer Silver Clouds in a variety of body styles including four-door limousine, two-door coupe and drophead coupe for interested clients.

On the inside, the 1961 Phantom by Lunaz is offered in an eight-seat configuration with a front bench for 3 occupants, rear bench for a further 3 passengers and 2 additional jump seats. The fully tailor made restoration process enables owners to customise the interiors as per their liking. A modern infotainment unit with 2 screens at the back is also incorporated into the car.

Rolls-Royce Phantoms by Lunaz are powered by the firm’s proprietary electric powertrain with a 120 kWh battery pack, which is said to offer a range of 483 km on a single charge. The company has reused the car's original switchgear but repurposed it for the updated powertrain including the integration of a battery range meter and power gauge. The car comes with both home charging and rapid charging systems.

The company also makes other electrified cars based on classic Jaguars and Bentleys amongst others.

The 9th Edition of  21 Gun Salute Vintage Car Rally & Concours d'Elegance will be flagged off from India Gate on February 15, 2020. The Concours will be followed by a 4,000 km long Royal Expedition of Vintage Car.

The rally will be flagged off from the India Gate. The Concours will be held at Karma Lake Lands Gurugram on February 16. Cars like the 1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30, Maserati 3500GT Vignale Syder, 1939 Buick Roadmaster Convertible, 1938 Lancia Astura Series IV, 1930 BMW 3/15 DA2 'Kabriolet', 1938 Delahaye 135 M, 1936 Rolls Royce 25/30 Gurney Nutting Coupe, 1959 Jaguar XK 150 S, 1936 Rolls Royce 25/30, 1951 Bentley MK VI Freestone & Webb, 1966 Ford Mustang, 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster, 1959 Alfa 2000 and others are expected to participate in the Concours.

This year, the 21 Gun Salute Heritage & Cultural Trust in association with Government of India, Ministry of Tourism has also organized the Incredible India Rally. It will begin on February 17, 2020 and will pass through 17 cities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The rally will cover 4,000 km in 23 days. Participants from over 15 countries are expected in the rally and will they will stay at palaces of erstwhile Maharajas of India.