The time travellers

Delhi-based lawyer Diljeet Titus has a unique hobby - collecting the best vintage cars and bikes. The author looks at the formidable car collection

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From a collector's notebook

Vintage cars seem to fit well in New Delhi's cityscape. Add a vintage car to any one of the sprawling Lutyens Delhi buildings or gardens and you are instantly transported back in time. Those who grew up in Delhi surrounded by Fiats and Ambassadors have a special affair with all things vintage. Diljeet Titus, a Delhi-based lawyer, seems to belong to that category of people. It is no wonder then that he owns over 50 vintage cars and motorcycles that he has collected since 1999. "My grandparents owned Chevrolets and Austins - classic cars, as they are now known," he says. He also remembers keenly watching out for classic cars in Hindi and Hollywood movies as a child, something that gave him the "real edge-of-the-seat excitement".

But owning vintage cars and taking care of them could mean very different things. To this, Titus says his training began early. "I started driving my grandfather's car inside our compound when I was 11 years old. Since I was not allowed to drive on the roads, I spent the next seven years cleaning our cars at home and standing around workshops whenever our cars were sent for servicing or repairs," he explains. Now 49, Titus recalls a story that his mother told him about his childhood. "As a five-year-old boy, I used to plant little toy cars in our garden, in the hope that they would yield trees full of cars," he says. Probably that childhood fantasy also led him to build The Titus & Co Museum for Vintage and Classic Cars at his farmhouse in Mehrauli, just four years after he began collecting.

1930: STUTZ, SERIES M

This four-passenger speedster was originally owned by Maharaja K S Ranjitsinhji of Baria, Gujarat. The 1930 Stutz was also driven by Michael Scumacher at the First Indian Grand Prix F1 Drivers in 2011. This is the only surviving Stutz in India.

1934: ROLLS ROYCE 20/25

A seven-passenger sedan, the coach for which was built by the famous French body builder, Kellner. This car was previously owned by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, and was later passed on to Bollywood actor Mumtaz.

1939: DODGE CONVERTIBLE

This convertible belonged to the Maharaja of Palitana, which renowned automotive historian Raja Manvendra Singh of Barwani restored. This car was custom built for the Maharaja by T J Richards, Australia and now has an accessory chhattri and baithak upholstery, representative of the custom features of Indian Royal cars, made by Umang Hutheesing.

1947: BUICK, SUPER EIGHT

This convertible sedan is powered by an eight-cylinder engine. The one Titus owns is Model 51, which belongs to Series 50. This is one of the early Super Eight models of the Buick.

1952: CADILLAC, COUPE DE VILLE

Previously owned by the Maharaja of Barwani and then by the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal, this Series 62 was Cadillac's Golden Anniversary model. It was characterised by a distinct, higher rear deck lid contour.

 

1957: AMBASSADOR TRAVELLER STATIONWAGON

An Indian Heritage class station wagon looks rather like a hybrid car. The front portion resembles the present-day Ambassador cars, taking its iconic status a notch up. The wagon portion has a striking vintage appearance.

1957: CHEVROLET BEL AIR

The Chevy four door sedan was previously owned by the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal. The ultimate "classic" has a 4,500-cc silk and dynamite V8 engine. Chevy's marketing pitch called it "sweet, smooth and sassy". The 57 Chevy has gold anodized trim and is one of themost desirable collector cars produced in North America.

1959: CADILLAC, SEDAN DE VILLE

Previously owned by Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur, this car is a four-door sedan with a 6,500-cc V8 engine. No single automotive design better characterises the industry's late 1950s flamboyance than this Cadillac.