Leaving a trailblazing record

Clifford P Joseph and his father P J Joseph handpicked every one of the vintage cars that they have owned so far. They retained a few but sold many of them. However, a 1937 Morris 8 continues to remain with the family. The family is bound to the car. “Some of our best rallies, trips and holidays have all been extra special because of it,” says Clifford. 

The car was owned by another vintage car collector for the first 50 years of its life before the Joseph family decided to bring it home. “My father had seen this car in Jayanagar in the early 80s. He tried following it to meet the owner but lost track.

Many years later, he happened to see it again but the owner had passed away by then,” recollects Clifford about how the family got down to buying the car. “The owner’s children were settled in the US and his wife was keen that my father gets the car after she realised how much we like cars. She wanted her husband’s ‘first-love’ to be in safe hands,” recollects Clifford.

This car has survived the test of time and retains its original glory and charm. The family too didn’t want to tamper with it to give it a new look. “Most people redo old cars with a full-paint job and body work, but ours has retained its originality,” says Clifford.

P J Joseph elaborates that it is a two-door vehicle and its front windows open up to let the breeze in. “The Morris 8 propelled Morris to the top of British car manufacturers’ list back in the 1930s. We love the fact that the car has a crank which we turn to start her. She was brought to India before Independence and still retains her original paint, engine and tyres,” shares Joseph. 

Vintage vehicles too have their teething troubles but nothing is so complicated that it can’t be solved. Clifford says whenever their car has got stuck on the road, they push it to one side with strangers volunteering to help.

“This helps in breaking the ice  and we get talking about how much mileage the car gives, how old it is and so on. The usual question we hear is ‘How fast does it go?’ We always say ‘it depends on whether we are going uphill or downhill’,” says Clifford.

The family has travelled a great deal in the car but memorable among them, is their trip to Mysuru for the Dasara rally. “Most of our drives last 12 hours with a lot of stops and breaks, to refuel and refill the radiator. It is a lovely way to chill and not think of the destination. We really enjoy the drive,” adds Joseph.

The family concedes that some of the spares are hard to come by and even some of the mechanics who have worked on these cars are no more. “But my father knows enough to manage some of the repair work himself. Spares are very hard to come by too. Even the tyres would have to be imported from the UK. But cars in general were quite simple those days.

The petrol comes in through the petrol pump, mixes with the air in the carburetor and is fired up in the cylinders via the spark plug. If a few of these parameters are in place, the car fires up,” says Clifford. The family also owns a 1953 Matchless which Joseph bought when Clifford was still in school.

Now, it is used by both Joseph and Clifford. “I’ve used the bike through my college days in the 90s. The bike had impeccable balance and I still remember how the silencer sometimes scraped the road, when I swerved around some of the circles in Hanumanthnagar,” says Clifford, who was gifted it by his father after he secured a merit seat for engineering.

The family participates in some of the vintage car rallies  in the city and find them eventful because they get to meet and interact with new people.

(Clifford can be reached on 9538865520)