Karnataka - Mysore   

Rs. 50-crore vintage car museum to come up in Bangalore

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

FIND A PLACE: Vintage machines such as this will be housed in the museum.

MYSORE: A museum of vintage and classic cars has been planned in Bangalore. Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club has acquired a four-acre plot at Rajarajeshwari Nagar for the museum with a floor space of two lakh square feet accommodate over 300 cars.

Disclosing this to The Hindu, club secretary Ravi Prakash said a trust has been established to realise the club’s ambitious project estimated to cost Rs. 50 crore.

Dr. Ravi Prakash, who has a wide collection of vintage and classic cars, said architects from Germany and England were consulted for the museum design. “It is going to be the biggest museum in the world. There are some museums abroad that display 200 cars, but the one planned in Bangalore will have space for 300 cars,” he said.

The club has 250 members who are avid collectors of vintage cars and motorcycles. They own around 500 vintage cars and motorcycles.

“We are planning to display the best of our collections at the museum. However, the collections will be taken out of the museum if there is an event. The objective is to educate people on the machines that once ruled the Indian roads,” he said.

Dr. Ravi Prakash said the club is not seeking help from the Government for its project.

“The club members and I have friends in India, abroad and also in the corporate world who could contribute to the project. We are confident of raising funds for the project,” he said.

He said, “May be, the design will be ready by the end of the year and the construction may start next year.”

According to the club, the revenue from the museum gate collection would be used for maintenance of and upgrading the museum.

Some portion of the earnings will be used for charity. With the rise in traffic-related road accidents in Bangalore, the club has come up with an idea of helping those injured in the accidents through charity.

“The people overseeing the charity will identify injured persons hailing from poor families and genuinely deserving help to provide support,” Dr. Ravi Prakash said.

The club was started in 1979 to preserve and promote heritage vehicles. The membership profile includes the royalty, bureaucrats, industrialists, politicians, professionals and even mechanics who have come across vintage cars and are interested in their restoration.

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