Going Retro With Wheels

An entity representing a bygone era defines the term ‘vintage’, taking us back at least a 100 years into time. The birth year of the modern vehicle was 1886 when the Benz Patent-Motorwagen was introduced. In the early 20’s, the car, something not visible in a world of horse driven carriages, was a refreshing novelty for the wonderstruck moneybags. With an American revolution endorsed by Chevy & Ford, these babe magnets heralded the descent of the posh & splashy set of wheels like never seen before. The ageless all-time favorites with their out of reach listed prices indicated that only the upper class flush with money could afford to buy these vintages beauties. Taking these badass wheels for a spin was decidedly the ultimate in uber exhibitionism, for the alpha male.

Transitioning to the 50s where automobile mass production was hailed as the progressive new normal, gone were the days of looking for a coach or bogie for local conveyance. Becoming universally recognized then as the acceptable mode for transport, automated cars helped people to traverse easily, to homes, marketplaces and ports of call. Many commercial economies got escalated by the motorcar industry, with eager enthusiasts sitting tight, waiting for the next automaton beauty to be launched.

With a pressing desire to expose to the maverick, a glimpse of the graceful life, Tarun Thakral established the Heritage Transport Museum Trust in 2006, with the objective of maintaining a standard of excellence. With ample financial aid from the government of India and donations from corpus funds, the Museum was launched in the year 2013. The intricacies involved in enthusiastic acquisition along with preserving the transport collections is an art mastered by the Museum, while helping restore some of the most valued modes of transport on the global landscape. The museum has showcased varying assemblages of add-on collectibles, like rare original lithographs by Thomas Daniel & Solvyns, a Flemish artist who had visited India in 1797.

Selections and alternatives of over 3,500 objects depict spellbinding chronicles revolving around antiquated machine control technology, heavy transport carriages, streetcars, aeronautics and seafaring vessels, exposing the culturati and the car geek to a bevy of memorabilia associated with transport. One of the prized classics is a wood bodied tram from 1940 and a rail bus..!!

At a guided tour at the museum, unfolds the story of the wheel, with the high scale spectrum of recreational, societal & culturally enriching facilities accessible within an easy reach of a light walk, gifting the automaton connoisseur a full day at hand.

An art installation transferred out of metal parts of Ford automobiles, reconstructed and bedecked out into an embellished Ganesha, has had visitors captivated. One of the Museum’s collection of priceless antiques, is a railway saloon from the 30s, used by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, given to the railways and was one of the first coaches to be used as the Jodhpur Saloon when Palace of Wheels was inaugurated.

The museum, a collector’s fantasy, is spread out over 3 acres, with four air conditioned floors, 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, a library and reference centre, a mini auditorium, a museum souvenir shop, seminar rooms and a refreshment area. An hour’s drive away from Delhi NCR, at Taoru-Gurgaon, the Museum has had an astounding number of visitors-7 Lakhs and above, comprising of school children, university students, domestic & foreign tourists, families from Delhi, Gurgaon & adjoining areas, members of various automobile clubs, architects, designers, researchers, film groups etc. With a handful of prestigious awards like The 2016 National Tourism Award, the 2016 & 2018 Traveler's Choice Award, International PATWA award, the 2017 ITCTA award, the museum is a resourceful & creative capacity holding a legacy for transport inspired artistry.

The collections have been curated & administered by Heritage Transport Trust’s Tarun Thakral, lending his personal collection to the museum, pro bono, primarily to take ahead his passion. Taking time out from his daily hectic life as the Executive Director, Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi, Tarun chats with the Daily Guardian about his fervent passion for collecting vintage, classic, rare and much sought after automobiles.

Q. What propelled you to invest in the museum?

I was travelling a lot and was fascinated by the museums across the globe, specifically the Berlin Transport Museum, London Transport Museum, the Glasgow Museum. The exhibits were rather impressive, with uber chic designs and innovative spatial décor. 

India has a lot of exclusive museums: the Rail Museum, which is quite diminutive. Hindustan Aeronautics in Bengaluru has a museum assigned to aircrafts and aviation. The only other transport museum was the Pranlal Bhogilal Collection in Ahmedabad, and its mainstay pivot was cars. I wanted to create something totally different and contemporary, competing with the world’s finest and nothing less. Pondering upon the fact that India did not have any museum specific to transport, I decided to go in head first, thereby manifesting my dream. The journey from start to finish has been marvelous.

Q. In your years of pursuing an extravagant and indulgent passion of car collecting, what has been the driving force behind this singularly exciting passion?

After completing my Masters in Hotel Management in Paris in the early 90s, I got back to India and got busy with my job at Hotel Le Meridien, Delhi. On one of my masti trips to Churu, Rajasthan, I came across my first ever antique car….a 1932 Chevrolet convertible, kept in a state of total disrepair. It was love at first sight and I bought the car for Rs. 5,000, which was quite a princely sum at the time. The next couple of years were spent restoring it, with the mechanics working on ever single part, to make it drive worthy. The car was a remnant of the Partition, with only a gleaming badge of the owner’s name. For me, bringing the car back to life, fuelled my passion and over the last 30 years, I have been collecting classics, with extensive research going in.

Q. On the Indian terra firma, do you see the nouveau riche aspiring to covet vintage automobiles, as must-have prized assets, in their already burgeoning repositories?

In my eyes, there are two types of collectors. The newly rich that are aspirational, trying to keep up with the Joneses, spending a fortune just to possess a vintage classic automobile, without knowing the real value. And then there is the genuine collector, spending years to find that antique motor car which could hold pride of place in his home. Collecting antique automobiles is an interest exclusive only to those who are passionate about cars.

Q. Which are the 5 leading cars that have been catalogued as iconic, exceptional, classic & listed as vintage machines, in your private collection?

The Museum’s Vintage Top Of The Pops Car Collection:

1934 Buick Series 90 Limousine

A rear wheel drive automobile sold by Buick, the limo is a part of Buick's 90 model series. It’s the only Buick that has been recognized by the Classic Car Club in America. These were the optimum luxury beauties manufactured by Buick, from the years 1931 through to 1942. These glistening vintage classics were furnished with swanky details, making them superior to other cars in their league.

1932 Chevrolet Phaeton

Introduced in the year 1932, at a time when America was suffering from the Great Depression, the Confederate was at the highest ranking position for car sales. Only 419 cars of this series were manufactured in that year. The car has been in the museum for many years and has been kept in a moisture-controlled space.

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible

The '55 Chevrolet was launched in 1954, for the 1955 model year. One of the most desirable Chevys, the Bel Air Convertible appears in the high class models’ categories of automobiles, much in demand and sought after by automaton enthusiasts and speedsters, with its two-door hardtop.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

The Ford Skyliner Retractable dazzled American citizens with its flamboyant styling and stunning engineering design, back in the 50s. With its attributes of being the only verifiable hardtop coupé convertible, the 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner was the second retractable hardtop car in automobile history to be mass produced ever, attracting attention worldwide, with its highly up-scaled pricing.

1938 Ford Convertible

This vintage classic is a top of the line rust-free soft top with all the original parts, and a unique design distinctive with its updated front-end styling from the American Car Company, Ford. Launched in the year 1938, this deluxe model has been well restored and is beautifully maintained, with minimal wear and tear.

Q. Do you as an established collector of vintage motor cars, veer towards organizing and orchestrating auctions?

I have worked closely with Osian’s Neville Tuli, the connoisseur of art. Their car auction was held at Le Meridien, interestingly. I was assisting them while they were orchestrating the auction, but I totally stayed clear of buying and selling. I was focusing mainly on the aesthetics, documentation and history of automobiles, while setting new standards for design. Then, AsthaGuru, the Indian auction house based out of Mumbai, was very keen to learn about how I built my collection. Over the years, I have taken part in international auctions in the United Kingdom and the US, to trace and buy collectibles, tokens and souvenirs related to Indian transport. I have a large collection of old posters, lithographs, which are adorning the walls of the museum.

Q. Are any of the cars at the Museum ever hired out to for movies, advertisements, events?

On principle, we don’t send our valuable cars or any other item out. Recently, Mohanlal & Sons, the clothing company, had done a shoot with the models using the cars as a backdrop. When we built the museum, we created conference spaces, so that multi-national companies could hire our museum for their training off-sites, specially as we have a lot of outdoor spaces and gardens available. We have even had weddings held in the lawns. Our only condition being that the hosts must encourage the guests to visit the museum, in batches.

Q. Do describe a day at the museum. What can a layperson like me find that is different and considered offbeat & cutting edge?

The museum is designed in such a way that the visitor can look in from any angle, with its multiple glass atriums. The galleries have an open design module, with many art installations for the culturati to enjoy, for example, Natraj Sharma, an artist from Baroda, has done a thematic installation called ‘Air Show’, with multiple aircrafts made in copper and encased in a grid. This installation has been sent to Paris, Tokyo and New York.

Then we have a miniature truck designed by Pooja Iranna, and it’s made purely out of staple pins. Few of our installations have been commissioned by the museum and few are on loan. For two years we had the installation administered by PV Santosh, based on Victoria Terminus, Mumbai. For children, we have designed pedal cars for them to spin around in the outdoor areas. The non-ticketing space at the entrance has a souvenir shop and a lovely cafeteria where all kinds of snacks are available such as burgers, pasta, cool beverages and sodas. So, all in all, your day at the museum is guaranteed to be spent well and fruitfully so. We hope to reopen in few months, with a  given that the virus quells down.

Q. Is the hotel industry disappointed with the government’s issuance to keep hotels closed?

We are open only for in-bound quarantine guests from overseas. Our restaurants and cafés are closed until we are informed otherwise by the Delhi Government.