<p>R Thulasiram has always been enamoured by anything classic and vintage, be it houses or vehicles. <br /><br /></p>.<p>So, when he moved to Bengaluru in 1960 from his hometown, the first thing he did was to buy himself a house that was constructed in 1816 in New Tharagupet, near Chamarajpet. The second purchase he made was a 1928 Baby Austin 7 which he brought all the way from Mysuru. Now, Thulasiram’s love for cars is being taken forward by his sons — Mahamuni, T Jaganath and Manivel. <br /><br />The family lives in the old house which has been renovated inside but the exterior retains the heritage charm. “The love for anything old and classic runs in the family. We are now adding to our fleet,” says Manivel. The members of the family believe that anything heritage must be preserved in its original form. The family also owns a black 1910 Cadillac which they bought through an acquaintance in north Delhi. “The car was literally in pieces when we bought it. Most of the parts were worn out and rusted. We got it restored from the scratch. We brought a mechanic, painter and a tinker to our house and got the work done under our supervision,” explains Manivel.<br /><br />He says the original parts for the Cadillac were procured from the US. “We are regulars at The Pebble Beach Auction in the US and also attend the Autojumble in United Kingdom. We buy most of the spare parts for our vintage cars from these two events. Here, you can be assured of the quality of the purchase,” he adds. The family prefers these two places because this is where one gets the originals. “It’s certainly expensive to buy the originals and maintain the cars but this is our hobby and we are passionate about it,” he adds.<br /><br />The family also owns a 1950 Morris Minor and recently added a 1912 Ford Model T and 1932 Chevrolet Moonlight which they drove all the way from Jaipur. “Except the Morris, the other two cars are under restoration. It will take a while before the cars are put back on the road. It is sometimes hard to find the right people to work on these vehicles and it takes time to get the spares in time,” explains Manivel. <br /><br />The three brothers are well-versed with the history, working conditions and the functioning of each of their cars. They’ve bought books and magazines, relating to specific models and also use the internet to source information about the cars. “It is important to know about the vehicle and its make. Our knowledge has helped us work around any problem related to the car. This also ensures that nobody takes us for a ride,” he adds. <br /><br />The brothers take the cars out at least once a week. “The cars cannot exceed a speed of 60 km per hour. We have to maintain a certain speed and distance whenever we are driving in them. Interestingly, we have a lot of people who not only take pictures beside the cars but even ask us if we intend to sell them,” laughs Manivel. <br /><br />The family hopes to add to the fleet and take the collection to 33. But why 33? “The number 33 is lucky for the family. We have our family temple in Karur and we hope to construct a museum and exhibit our cars there,” says Manivel. The brothers not only believe in collecting and exhibiting their cars but also sharing with people the joy of owning these rare beauties, hence the idea of a museum, informs Manivel. <br /><br />(<em>Manivel can be reached on manivelt20@gmail.com</em>) </p>
<p>R Thulasiram has always been enamoured by anything classic and vintage, be it houses or vehicles. <br /><br /></p>.<p>So, when he moved to Bengaluru in 1960 from his hometown, the first thing he did was to buy himself a house that was constructed in 1816 in New Tharagupet, near Chamarajpet. The second purchase he made was a 1928 Baby Austin 7 which he brought all the way from Mysuru. Now, Thulasiram’s love for cars is being taken forward by his sons — Mahamuni, T Jaganath and Manivel. <br /><br />The family lives in the old house which has been renovated inside but the exterior retains the heritage charm. “The love for anything old and classic runs in the family. We are now adding to our fleet,” says Manivel. The members of the family believe that anything heritage must be preserved in its original form. The family also owns a black 1910 Cadillac which they bought through an acquaintance in north Delhi. “The car was literally in pieces when we bought it. Most of the parts were worn out and rusted. We got it restored from the scratch. We brought a mechanic, painter and a tinker to our house and got the work done under our supervision,” explains Manivel.<br /><br />He says the original parts for the Cadillac were procured from the US. “We are regulars at The Pebble Beach Auction in the US and also attend the Autojumble in United Kingdom. We buy most of the spare parts for our vintage cars from these two events. Here, you can be assured of the quality of the purchase,” he adds. The family prefers these two places because this is where one gets the originals. “It’s certainly expensive to buy the originals and maintain the cars but this is our hobby and we are passionate about it,” he adds.<br /><br />The family also owns a 1950 Morris Minor and recently added a 1912 Ford Model T and 1932 Chevrolet Moonlight which they drove all the way from Jaipur. “Except the Morris, the other two cars are under restoration. It will take a while before the cars are put back on the road. It is sometimes hard to find the right people to work on these vehicles and it takes time to get the spares in time,” explains Manivel. <br /><br />The three brothers are well-versed with the history, working conditions and the functioning of each of their cars. They’ve bought books and magazines, relating to specific models and also use the internet to source information about the cars. “It is important to know about the vehicle and its make. Our knowledge has helped us work around any problem related to the car. This also ensures that nobody takes us for a ride,” he adds. <br /><br />The brothers take the cars out at least once a week. “The cars cannot exceed a speed of 60 km per hour. We have to maintain a certain speed and distance whenever we are driving in them. Interestingly, we have a lot of people who not only take pictures beside the cars but even ask us if we intend to sell them,” laughs Manivel. <br /><br />The family hopes to add to the fleet and take the collection to 33. But why 33? “The number 33 is lucky for the family. We have our family temple in Karur and we hope to construct a museum and exhibit our cars there,” says Manivel. The brothers not only believe in collecting and exhibiting their cars but also sharing with people the joy of owning these rare beauties, hence the idea of a museum, informs Manivel. <br /><br />(<em>Manivel can be reached on manivelt20@gmail.com</em>) </p>