Hyderabad: On Sunday, Secunderabad’s Sikh Road and Old Race Course Road turned into a spectacle as vintage vehicles made their way to the Imperial Gardens. Traffic came to a standstill as onlookers stopped to see the rare vehicles for an exhibition by Coffee ‘n’ Cars that ran from 9 am to 1 pm. Among the enthusiasts that turned up at the event was Charan E., a 15-year-old Class 10 student, who was spotted discussing with excitement the vintage bikes parked outside with his maternal uncle. “I’m a motor enthusiast; I keep track of cars and bikes,” he said, explaining the importance of each model. Next to the bikes, the stream of vintage cars kept arriving. Among them was a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle owned by Vinay Kumar, a retired Air India pilot. It belonged to his father-in-law, who brought it from Germany. “I didn’t even know about the show — I was just on my usual weekend drive,” Vinay shared. “I stopped when I saw the crowd, and someone mentioned a vintage car exhibition. A policeman encouraged me to join.” The Beetle, an air-cooled beauty, has remained in Vinay’s family in India since 1971. “My father-in-law spent 10 years in Iraq on deputation from Air India, and this car was one of the 10 brought by engineers, all right-hand drives. It’s nearly all original,” he explained.The stars, however, were a 1960 Chrysler Imperial New Yorker and a 1931 Packard, both belonging to Captain K.F. Pestonji, a well-known collector and owner of Cherma’s. “I’ve loved cars since I was about seven or eight,” Pestonji recalled. “I started collecting vintage cars in 1990, and before that, I was into motorcycles.”Pestonji was quick to praise Khader Alam Khan, whom he called the “best original car collector of the twin cities.” Khan, present with his grandchildren, showcased his vintage Mercedes, a rare collection kept in original condition. “We have American cars from 1936, 1939, and 1949,” Khan said.“My grandparents bought them straight from the showrooms, and the vehicles have remained untouched since. Maintaining them is a challenge, though, as sourcing original parts is tough these days. ” Describing the origin of Cars n Coffee, Deepak Gir, a member of the Cars ‘n’ Coffee community, said, “Every Sunday, we meet for a hot South Indian breakfast and filter coffee. We gather at the Sanjeevaiah Park parking lot at 6.30 am, head for breakfast and filter coffee around 8 am. That is the coffee in Cars ‘n’ Coffee.” The exhibition featured an array of fascinating bikes and scooters. Md Sharik, a 10-year-old enthusiast, was seen riding a 1980 Suzuki PV 50 mini bike — a 50cc, one-of-a-kind model designed for women and only produced for four years. His father, Md Farooq, showcased a couple of other rare finds, including a unique Honda Joker scooter from 1992, an 80cc bike he claims is the only one of its kind in India. He also displayed a 1988 350cc twin Jawa, one of only eight such bikes known to exist in the country.
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