The 1934 Austin 7 Tourer has travelled a great deal. When Jayanthi Ramachandran inherited the car from her great grandfather, she was not only excited to take possession of the vehicle in which she had travelled as a child but also proud of the fact that she got the chance to restore the old beauty back to its original glory.
Jayanthi's excitement is shared by her husband T V Ramachandran who has been in the automobile business for a long time. The couple remember the car to be in a totally run-down condition when they first brought it to Bengaluru from Hyderabad.
"It took us two years to completely restore it and put it back on the road. We haven't tampered with or tried to substitute the original parts but made all effort to retain its originality," explains Ramachandran.
The restoration wasn't an easy process. "It was almost impossible to get the original parts from England because of the exorbitant rates, so we bought them from a second-hand market. We also got the required spare parts made by people who are familiar with the vehicle," says Ramachandran, who never believed in carrying out any modifications to the car. The members of the Ramachandran family took the trouble to understand the car and its mechanics before they set out to repair it. "I would gather information about the car from the elders in the family who have seen these cars running," he says. The restoration, including the painting and tinkering, were done under Ramachandran's supervision.
They used to take the car out regularly every Sunday, until they stopped a few years ago because of the traffic. "It is impossible to drive it in the present traffic condition. We have reached a situation where we have to carry the vintage cars and take them to wherever we want to," he says with a laugh. He says the farthest he has travelled in recent years is to Whitefield and back. His interest for automobiles goes back to his younger days during his engineering at the National Institute of Engineering. He began his career in Kirloskar before moving on to hold a prominent position in the ITC factory. He was also actively involved in rallying and racing at one point. "I used to race the Standard Herald and Jawa motorcycles. We were a team that used to regularly go on these races and have won some of them as well," he recalls. Ramachandran's sons, Rahul and Akshay, share their father's passion for vintage cars. "Rahul and his family live here with us while Akshay is settled with his family in the US. My sons have driven the car and they too share a special bond with it," he explains.
Jayanthi says she remembers that her grandfather would move around in the Austin. "The car was brought to Bengaluru in a lorry when it was in a bad shape. Unlike now, it was hard to source the parts in the early 70s. More than me, my husband has enjoyed doing up the car," says a thrilled Jayanthi. She points out that although the Austin wasn't uncommon in the 1950s, today it has become a rare sight.
The car has been showcased at vintage car rallies in the city and has bagged many an award. Ramachandran is a life member of the Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club and Karnataka Motor Sports Club. Asked if the family intends to buy more such cars, they say, "This is a family car and we want to maintain it in the best possible condition. We don't want to add more such vehicles."
(Ramachandran can be reached at tvr6856@gmail.com)
Do you own a vintage automobile and want to be featured in this column? You can write to us at metrolife@deccanherald.co.in![]( "The 1934 Austin 7 Tourer.")
The 1934 Austin 7 Tourer has travelled a great deal. When Jayanthi Ramachandran inherited the car from her great grandfather, she was not only excited to take possession of the vehicle in which she had travelled as a child but also proud of the fact that she got the chance to restore the old beauty back to its original glory.
Jayanthi’s excitement is shared by her husband T V Ramachandran who has been in the automobile business for a long time. The couple remember the car to be in a totally run-down condition when they first brought it to Bengaluru from Hyderabad.
"It took us two years to completely restore it and put it back on the road. We haven’t tampered with or tried to substitute the original parts but made all effort to retain its originality,” explains Ramachandran.
The restoration wasn’t an easy process. "It was almost impossible to get the original parts from England because of the exorbitant rates, so we bought them from a second-hand market. We also got the required spare parts made by people who are familiar with the vehicle,” says Ramachandran, who never believed in carrying out any modifications to the car. The members of the Ramachandran family took the trouble to understand the car and its mechanics before they set out to repair it. "I would gather information about the car from the elders in the family who have seen these cars running,” he says. The restoration, including the painting and tinkering, were done under Ramachandran’s supervision.
They used to take the car out regularly every Sunday, until they stopped a few years ago because of the traffic. "It is impossible to drive it in the present traffic condition. We have reached a situation where we have to carry the vintage cars and take them to wherever we want to,” he says with a laugh. He says the farthest he has travelled in recent years is to Whitefield and back. His interest for automobiles goes back to his younger days during his engineering at the National Institute of Engineering. He began his career in Kirloskar before moving on to hold a prominent position in the ITC factory. He was also actively involved in rallying and racing at one point. "I used to race the Standard Herald and Jawa motorcycles. We were a team that used to regularly go on these races and have won some of them as well,” he recalls. Ramachandran’s sons, Rahul and Akshay, share their father’s passion for vintage cars. "Rahul and his family live here with us while Akshay is settled with his family in the US. My sons have driven the car and they too share a special bond with it,” he explains.
Jayanthi says she remembers that her grandfather would move around in the Austin. "The car was brought to Bengaluru in a lorry when it was in a bad shape. Unlike now, it was hard to source the parts in the early 70s. More than me, my husband has enjoyed doing up the car,” says a thrilled Jayanthi. She points out that although the Austin wasn’t uncommon in the 1950s, today it has become a rare sight.
The car has been showcased at vintage car rallies in the city and has bagged many an award. Ramachandran is a life member of the Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club and Karnataka Motor Sports Club. Asked if the family intends to buy more such cars, they say, "This is a family car and we want to maintain it in the best possible condition. We don’t want to add more such vehicles.”
(Ramachandran can be reached at tvr6856@gmail.com)
Do you own a vintage automobile and want to be featured in this column? You can write to us at metrolife@deccanherald.co.in
Jayanthi's excitement is shared by her husband T V Ramachandran who has been in the automobile business for a long time. The couple remember the car to be in a totally run-down condition when they first brought it to Bengaluru from Hyderabad.
"It took us two years to completely restore it and put it back on the road. We haven't tampered with or tried to substitute the original parts but made all effort to retain its originality," explains Ramachandran.
The restoration wasn't an easy process. "It was almost impossible to get the original parts from England because of the exorbitant rates, so we bought them from a second-hand market. We also got the required spare parts made by people who are familiar with the vehicle," says Ramachandran, who never believed in carrying out any modifications to the car. The members of the Ramachandran family took the trouble to understand the car and its mechanics before they set out to repair it. "I would gather information about the car from the elders in the family who have seen these cars running," he says. The restoration, including the painting and tinkering, were done under Ramachandran's supervision.
They used to take the car out regularly every Sunday, until they stopped a few years ago because of the traffic. "It is impossible to drive it in the present traffic condition. We have reached a situation where we have to carry the vintage cars and take them to wherever we want to," he says with a laugh. He says the farthest he has travelled in recent years is to Whitefield and back. His interest for automobiles goes back to his younger days during his engineering at the National Institute of Engineering. He began his career in Kirloskar before moving on to hold a prominent position in the ITC factory. He was also actively involved in rallying and racing at one point. "I used to race the Standard Herald and Jawa motorcycles. We were a team that used to regularly go on these races and have won some of them as well," he recalls. Ramachandran's sons, Rahul and Akshay, share their father's passion for vintage cars. "Rahul and his family live here with us while Akshay is settled with his family in the US. My sons have driven the car and they too share a special bond with it," he explains.
Jayanthi says she remembers that her grandfather would move around in the Austin. "The car was brought to Bengaluru in a lorry when it was in a bad shape. Unlike now, it was hard to source the parts in the early 70s. More than me, my husband has enjoyed doing up the car," says a thrilled Jayanthi. She points out that although the Austin wasn't uncommon in the 1950s, today it has become a rare sight.
The car has been showcased at vintage car rallies in the city and has bagged many an award. Ramachandran is a life member of the Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club and Karnataka Motor Sports Club. Asked if the family intends to buy more such cars, they say, "This is a family car and we want to maintain it in the best possible condition. We don't want to add more such vehicles."
(Ramachandran can be reached at tvr6856@gmail.com)
Do you own a vintage automobile and want to be featured in this column? You can write to us at metrolife@deccanherald.co.in
The 1934 Austin 7 Tourer has travelled a great deal. When Jayanthi Ramachandran inherited the car from her great grandfather, she was not only excited to take possession of the vehicle in which she had travelled as a child but also proud of the fact that she got the chance to restore the old beauty back to its original glory.Jayanthi’s excitement is shared by her husband T V Ramachandran who has been in the automobile business for a long time. The couple remember the car to be in a totally run-down condition when they first brought it to Bengaluru from Hyderabad.
"It took us two years to completely restore it and put it back on the road. We haven’t tampered with or tried to substitute the original parts but made all effort to retain its originality,” explains Ramachandran.
The restoration wasn’t an easy process. "It was almost impossible to get the original parts from England because of the exorbitant rates, so we bought them from a second-hand market. We also got the required spare parts made by people who are familiar with the vehicle,” says Ramachandran, who never believed in carrying out any modifications to the car. The members of the Ramachandran family took the trouble to understand the car and its mechanics before they set out to repair it. "I would gather information about the car from the elders in the family who have seen these cars running,” he says. The restoration, including the painting and tinkering, were done under Ramachandran’s supervision.
They used to take the car out regularly every Sunday, until they stopped a few years ago because of the traffic. "It is impossible to drive it in the present traffic condition. We have reached a situation where we have to carry the vintage cars and take them to wherever we want to,” he says with a laugh. He says the farthest he has travelled in recent years is to Whitefield and back. His interest for automobiles goes back to his younger days during his engineering at the National Institute of Engineering. He began his career in Kirloskar before moving on to hold a prominent position in the ITC factory. He was also actively involved in rallying and racing at one point. "I used to race the Standard Herald and Jawa motorcycles. We were a team that used to regularly go on these races and have won some of them as well,” he recalls. Ramachandran’s sons, Rahul and Akshay, share their father’s passion for vintage cars. "Rahul and his family live here with us while Akshay is settled with his family in the US. My sons have driven the car and they too share a special bond with it,” he explains.
Jayanthi says she remembers that her grandfather would move around in the Austin. "The car was brought to Bengaluru in a lorry when it was in a bad shape. Unlike now, it was hard to source the parts in the early 70s. More than me, my husband has enjoyed doing up the car,” says a thrilled Jayanthi. She points out that although the Austin wasn’t uncommon in the 1950s, today it has become a rare sight.
The car has been showcased at vintage car rallies in the city and has bagged many an award. Ramachandran is a life member of the Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club and Karnataka Motor Sports Club. Asked if the family intends to buy more such cars, they say, "This is a family car and we want to maintain it in the best possible condition. We don’t want to add more such vehicles.”
(Ramachandran can be reached at tvr6856@gmail.com)
Do you own a vintage automobile and want to be featured in this column? You can write to us at metrolife@deccanherald.co.in