A neurosurgeon, Dr Ashoka Vardhan is also an enthusiastic rider who has trailed around the country on his two-wheeler. With an ever-green passion for riding, it was in New York that he was introduced to many antique machines at a vintage car exhibition.
New Yorkers dressed in retro style and driving around in some royal-looking vehicles — his interest was triggered and that fascination never left him. A curious cat, he learnt the merit of these machines and instantly wished to own one some day. Later, on moving to India, he joined the Shaym Hospital and Research Centre in Kolar Gold Fields, where he was fortunate enough to meet his interest again.
“Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), during the 1990s, had a number of British bungalows. While working at the gold mines hospital, I saw a gentleman driving an interesting car. This allured me to ask him if he was willing to sell this car. He denied a few times, but later agreed to sell it and this is how my prized possession — the 1940 Austin 8 tourer — came into my life,” recalls Ashok. A chic looking red convertible, the Austin 8 tourer has been a part of almost 5,000 weddings, as the previous owner rented it out for weddings, before becoming eye candy to Ashok.
But, “After I purchased the car, when I closely looked at its parts, I realised that they were not original. This bothered me as there is no real vintage feel to the car without the original parts. So, I had to open the car apart and rework on it,” he explains. The restoration process was given a heads up and from here began his frequent visits to scrap shops, where he collected all the required original parts — one by one. It took him a while to find all of them; he even imported a few parts from the UK. And finally, the red and black beauty shined to novelty with the helping hands rendered by the local expert mechanics at KGF.
A faithful ride of the Royal Army Service in the yesteryears, this car is now 75-years-old and he says, “It will definitely live for a few more generations. The restoration process took a lot of effort and I do not want to let go of the car, ever.” The liking for old machines that began with this car grew further when he decided to own the 1964
Jawa and the 1972 Bajaj scooter.
“The love for old stuff grew by the day and this led me to designing even our farm house to resemble the architecture of a British fort,” he shares.
He recalls how owning a bike then was a matter of societal status and, “There was a time when the fuel price increased from 72 paise to 80 paise. This is why people were under the impression that owning a petrol vehicle was an expensive affair. But things have changed now.”
He describes his adoration for old bikes, “Those were the days of Jawa, Enfield, Lambretta and Vespa. These might not zoom away like the modern-day bikes, but they are sturdy and reliable.” When asked about the charm of these old machines, he metaphorically describes as, “If an old couple, say about 90-years-old, is joyfully walking together taking care of each other, it attracts the attention of everyone and invites a lot of respect. This holds good with the vintage cars too. There is a sense of euphoria attached when driving these old and humble machines.” He terms this passion as an expensive and an effortful hobby, yet looks forward to owning a Rolls-Royce in the near future.
(Ashoka can be reached at 9886159167)
Published 16 November 2015, 18:10 IST