Vintage cars were a childhood passion for Arun Srinivasan, an IT professional, who says the first car in the family was a Fiat and it continues to command the love and respect of the family. The belief that the Fiat has a definite soul and character that most modern cars lack, is what drew Arun to this classic vehicle that has stood the test of time.
The family owns two Fiats. The first is a 1991 model Premier Padmini Economy which was initially bought by his father, N Srinivasan. The second is a 1990 model Premier Padmini Standard which Arun bought with his first salary, seven years ago. "The economy model back then meant the basic version. Just under 10 such original cars exist in the city today. The brand new car was bought by my father for me because I was very fond of it, even when I was as young as seven years. This car was used as the wedding car for three of my sisters' marriages and is a favourite among the six grandchildren in the family," explains Arun.
Arun has develop a special bond with the cars and has even got a tattoo of the Premier Padmini done on his hand. "The idea of having a tattoo was suggested by my wife because she knows how much I value the car. It may sound a bit exaggerated but the car has shown me what unconditional love is. Despite the many problems the vehicle has had in the past, it has never let us down. It has served the family well and hasn't had any major trouble or a breakdown," says Aruns. He adds, "We have travelled a great deal in the car and I hope to drive in it to Ladakh with my friend Karthik Makam."
Another aspect which impressed Arun are the simple mechanics involved. "The mechanics of the car is simple to understand. It is carburetor-driven rather than the modern Electronic Control module and can be easily tuned for more mileage and power," he says.
The car isn't difficult to maintain because the basic spares are available nowadays but these are slowly getting scarce. "I have a few friends who have completed their engineering and are well-versed in the mechanics of the car. I take their help when I need to source some of the critical parts," he says.
Arun works on the car in his spare time and confesses that the time spent with his car is indeed precious to him. "My love for the car has rubbed onto my wife Nandini and daughter Yashna. The front seat and hand gear lets my little family sit together in the front row, rather than the bench seat which is seen in modern cars," he observes.
Those who own a Fiat quickly relate to the sentiments attached to the car, says Arun. "When we drive around in the Fiat, we have a lot of people who come to us, to share their stories and experiences of owning a similar vehicle. Even those who once owned the vehicle but don't have it anymore have wanted to test drive our car and I have lent it to them," shares Arun.
Arun joined hands with three of his friends Sujith, Karthik Makam and Karthik M B, to start the 'Fiat 1100 Club' in Bengaluru in 2009 with the idea of bringing together other Premier Padmini owners. "The club has grown and today, we have, more than 200 members who meet on a regular basis. Thanks to the Club, I have met some interesting people and some grand vehicles," shares Arun.
(Arun can be reached on 9591123123.)![]( "classic 1990 Premier Padmini Standard.")
Vintage cars were a childhood passion for Arun Srinivasan, an IT professional, who says the first car in the family was a Fiat and it continues to command the love and respect of the family. The belief that the Fiat has a definite soul and character that most modern cars lack, is what drew Arun to this classic vehicle that has stood the test of time.
The family owns two Fiats. The first is a 1991 model Premier Padmini Economy which was initially bought by his father, N Srinivasan. The second is a 1990 model Premier Padmini Standard which Arun bought with his first salary, seven years ago. "The economy model back then meant the basic version. Just under 10 such original cars exist in the city today. The brand new car was bought by my father for me because I was very fond of it, even when I was as young as seven years. This car was used as the wedding car for three of my sisters’ marriages and is a favourite among the six grandchildren in the family,” explains Arun.
Arun has develop a special bond with the cars and has even got a tattoo of the Premier Padmini done on his hand. "The idea of having a tattoo was suggested by my wife because she knows how much I value the car. It may sound a bit exaggerated but the car has shown me what unconditional love is. Despite the many problems the vehicle has had in the past, it has never let us down. It has served the family well and hasn’t had any major trouble or a breakdown,” says Aruns. He adds, "We have travelled a great deal in the car and I hope to drive in it to Ladakh with my friend Karthik Makam.”
Another aspect which impressed Arun are the simple mechanics involved. "The mechanics of the car is simple to understand. It is carburetor-driven rather than the modern Electronic Control module and can be easily tuned for more mileage and power,” he says.
The car isn’t difficult to maintain because the basic spares are available nowadays but these are slowly getting scarce. "I have a few friends who have completed their engineering and are well-versed in the mechanics of the car. I take their help when I need to source some of the critical parts,” he says.
Arun works on the car in his spare time and confesses that the time spent with his car is indeed precious to him. "My love for the car has rubbed onto my wife Nandini and daughter Yashna. The front seat and hand gear lets my little family sit together in the front row, rather than the bench seat which is seen in modern cars,” he observes.
Those who own a Fiat quickly relate to the sentiments attached to the car, says Arun. "When we drive around in the Fiat, we have a lot of people who come to us, to share their stories and experiences of owning a similar vehicle. Even those who once owned the vehicle but don’t have it anymore have wanted to test drive our car and I have lent it to them,” shares Arun.
Arun joined hands with three of his friends Sujith, Karthik Makam and Karthik M B, to start the 'Fiat 1100 Club’ in Bengaluru in 2009 with the idea of bringing together other Premier Padmini owners. "The club has grown and today, we have, more than 200 members who meet on a regular basis. Thanks to the Club, I have met some interesting people and some grand vehicles,” shares Arun.
(Arun can be reached on 9591123123.)
The family owns two Fiats. The first is a 1991 model Premier Padmini Economy which was initially bought by his father, N Srinivasan. The second is a 1990 model Premier Padmini Standard which Arun bought with his first salary, seven years ago. "The economy model back then meant the basic version. Just under 10 such original cars exist in the city today. The brand new car was bought by my father for me because I was very fond of it, even when I was as young as seven years. This car was used as the wedding car for three of my sisters' marriages and is a favourite among the six grandchildren in the family," explains Arun.
Arun has develop a special bond with the cars and has even got a tattoo of the Premier Padmini done on his hand. "The idea of having a tattoo was suggested by my wife because she knows how much I value the car. It may sound a bit exaggerated but the car has shown me what unconditional love is. Despite the many problems the vehicle has had in the past, it has never let us down. It has served the family well and hasn't had any major trouble or a breakdown," says Aruns. He adds, "We have travelled a great deal in the car and I hope to drive in it to Ladakh with my friend Karthik Makam."
Another aspect which impressed Arun are the simple mechanics involved. "The mechanics of the car is simple to understand. It is carburetor-driven rather than the modern Electronic Control module and can be easily tuned for more mileage and power," he says.
The car isn't difficult to maintain because the basic spares are available nowadays but these are slowly getting scarce. "I have a few friends who have completed their engineering and are well-versed in the mechanics of the car. I take their help when I need to source some of the critical parts," he says.
Arun works on the car in his spare time and confesses that the time spent with his car is indeed precious to him. "My love for the car has rubbed onto my wife Nandini and daughter Yashna. The front seat and hand gear lets my little family sit together in the front row, rather than the bench seat which is seen in modern cars," he observes.
Those who own a Fiat quickly relate to the sentiments attached to the car, says Arun. "When we drive around in the Fiat, we have a lot of people who come to us, to share their stories and experiences of owning a similar vehicle. Even those who once owned the vehicle but don't have it anymore have wanted to test drive our car and I have lent it to them," shares Arun.
Arun joined hands with three of his friends Sujith, Karthik Makam and Karthik M B, to start the 'Fiat 1100 Club' in Bengaluru in 2009 with the idea of bringing together other Premier Padmini owners. "The club has grown and today, we have, more than 200 members who meet on a regular basis. Thanks to the Club, I have met some interesting people and some grand vehicles," shares Arun.
(Arun can be reached on 9591123123.)
Vintage cars were a childhood passion for Arun Srinivasan, an IT professional, who says the first car in the family was a Fiat and it continues to command the love and respect of the family. The belief that the Fiat has a definite soul and character that most modern cars lack, is what drew Arun to this classic vehicle that has stood the test of time. The family owns two Fiats. The first is a 1991 model Premier Padmini Economy which was initially bought by his father, N Srinivasan. The second is a 1990 model Premier Padmini Standard which Arun bought with his first salary, seven years ago. "The economy model back then meant the basic version. Just under 10 such original cars exist in the city today. The brand new car was bought by my father for me because I was very fond of it, even when I was as young as seven years. This car was used as the wedding car for three of my sisters’ marriages and is a favourite among the six grandchildren in the family,” explains Arun.
Arun has develop a special bond with the cars and has even got a tattoo of the Premier Padmini done on his hand. "The idea of having a tattoo was suggested by my wife because she knows how much I value the car. It may sound a bit exaggerated but the car has shown me what unconditional love is. Despite the many problems the vehicle has had in the past, it has never let us down. It has served the family well and hasn’t had any major trouble or a breakdown,” says Aruns. He adds, "We have travelled a great deal in the car and I hope to drive in it to Ladakh with my friend Karthik Makam.”
Another aspect which impressed Arun are the simple mechanics involved. "The mechanics of the car is simple to understand. It is carburetor-driven rather than the modern Electronic Control module and can be easily tuned for more mileage and power,” he says.
The car isn’t difficult to maintain because the basic spares are available nowadays but these are slowly getting scarce. "I have a few friends who have completed their engineering and are well-versed in the mechanics of the car. I take their help when I need to source some of the critical parts,” he says.
Arun works on the car in his spare time and confesses that the time spent with his car is indeed precious to him. "My love for the car has rubbed onto my wife Nandini and daughter Yashna. The front seat and hand gear lets my little family sit together in the front row, rather than the bench seat which is seen in modern cars,” he observes.
Those who own a Fiat quickly relate to the sentiments attached to the car, says Arun. "When we drive around in the Fiat, we have a lot of people who come to us, to share their stories and experiences of owning a similar vehicle. Even those who once owned the vehicle but don’t have it anymore have wanted to test drive our car and I have lent it to them,” shares Arun.
Arun joined hands with three of his friends Sujith, Karthik Makam and Karthik M B, to start the 'Fiat 1100 Club’ in Bengaluru in 2009 with the idea of bringing together other Premier Padmini owners. "The club has grown and today, we have, more than 200 members who meet on a regular basis. Thanks to the Club, I have met some interesting people and some grand vehicles,” shares Arun.
(Arun can be reached on 9591123123.)