Smitten by the majestic beauty

Vintage pride

When most of his friends were preparing to pursue a career in medicine and in the software industry, Manish Saraswat had set his mind on becoming an automobile engineer.

He was very sure that he wanted to make a career in the automobile industry and nowhere else.  Manish doesn’t think twice before saying that his life revolves around engines and automobiles. He works for Caterpillar as a territory manager for product support.

In addition to reading extensively about the latest developments in the automobile industry, Manish was also keen on owning a vintage or classic vehicle someday. And he did. A1958 Fiat 1100 (called the Select) was his first purchase and Manish fondly calls his car his ‘second love’.

“I bought this vehicle a few years ago. This particular car is indeed very special because it first belonged to popular actor G Sakunthala. She had bought it under hypothecation with a credit firm in Mint Street, Madras (The Automobile Credit Company). The car later changed hands and was bought or taken away by the owner of the credit company. It was eventually sold to someone in Erode. It is from him that I have bought this car,” explains Manish.

Manish is well-versed with the working of the car and has personally supervised the restoration process. He says that he was always keen to be a part of the restoration. “Maintaining the car is a time-consuming affair and takes up a lot of resources but it is my passion and I don’t find it a tiresome thing to do. Sometimes finding the spares too becomes a challenge,” he says. Manish adds, “There are a few shops on J C Road and scrap dealers around the same place who stock some of the spare parts.” He also points out that being a part of the Fiat Club helps whenever he wants to gather information about the car.

Sharing Manish’s love for the vehicle is his wife Shipra Saraswat who also takes keen interest in knowing about the car and joins him in maintaining it.

Shipra says, “Manish loves his work and his cars. I found his hobby of collecting cars and miniature models of cars quite intriguing in the beginning. There were bulky pieces of metal lying all over the home. But I gradually understood his passion and I too began taking interest in cars,” explains Shipra.

 She is proud of their Fiat and says, “The Fiat works on a very different mechanism. Everything about it is special right from the way the door is opened, the working of the steering wheel and even the way the gears are changed. You can’t help but fall in love with it.”  

The couple is overwhelmed by the compliments they receive from total strangers. “We are asked a lot of questions about the car but we never get tired of answering them. Children and the older folk are equally smitten by the car. I sometimes offer them a ride in the car and I am most happy when I get a smile in return,” explains Manish.  
The couple prefer to take the car out on weekends and never miss a chance to go on long drives whenever possible.

“The farthest we have driven in the car is to Nandi Hills,” says Manish.  In fact, he says that if time and money permit, he would like to add a couple of other cars.

 “The next two cars on my list are a 1963 VW Beetle and a 1942 LHD WWII Willys Jeep,” he says.

(Manish can be reached on [e-mail])

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