When two or more have travelled a long road together, they tend to be bound by memories. Even ‘breakdowns’, when remembered, serve to strengthen this bond.
On the eve of the 10th MyTVS Heritage Car Rally, members of the Madras Heritage Motoring Club (MHMC) can say a loud amen to it. They have been on a long journey together. And they have had their share of breakdowns. Given their anachronistic machines, probably more than any other hobby group in Chennai. Today, as the members of the club, formed 12 years ago, look back from the vantage point of time, the challenges encountered at each step bring a smile. Balraj Vasudevan, MHMC president, recalls a rally from the early years, for which a ramp had been placed at the starting point. “Almost all the cars had to be pushed to clear the ramp. Right in front of the media. It was embarrassing to the owners and we never put a ramp again.”
Another event would have been a washout and a huge disappointment, but for the understanding chief guest.
“Due to overnight showers, the venue had pools of water the next morning. The chief guest, former DGP, Letika Saran came with boots on and gamely strode through the slush to see all the vehicles,” recalls Balraj.
Restorer-collector C.S. Ananth sees a vast improvement in the questions posed by the viewing public. “In the early years, most questions would betray a shocking ignorance of the hobby. ‘How much mileage do you get from this car?’ would be a standard question. Much to my dismay and agony, a visitor, after studying my 1930 Austin 12/4 Burnham, suggested I replace the petrol engine with a diesel engine.”
Shankar Sundaram, who joined MHMC around five years ago, ‘fears’ the crowds. On The Hindu Chennai-Pondy Heritage Rally, another marque event where around 40 antique cars make the difficult trip to Pondy and back in two days, he worries about motoring enthusiasts ‘laying siege to’ the vehicles.
“These cars cannot be fiddled with. Some have delicate features. For instance, in the Model Ford A, a thermometer is contained in the radiator cap,” explains Shankar.
He owns a 1926, split-window Austin 7 Chummy, which has successfully completed all the Pondy runs. After every run, it undergoes mending. Almost always, this has involved work on its brakes.
“My drivers taking the Chummy tell me they are stopped, many a time. People want to take photos of the car. The frequent halts take a toll on the brakes,” says Shankar.
Balraj has a Chummy too. The problem he encounters is very different. At the rallies, Balraj’s Chummy is driven by Sumanth Chaganti, who picks up bikes by the dozen.
“Sumanth piles people into the Chummy, more than its small engine can handle. At two rallies, the Chummy, saddled with too many people, refused to move,” recalls Balraj.
Mechanics and drivers are an indispensable part of the entourage that has enabled these hobbyists to pursue their passion.
Some of them are an integral part of the rallies and endurance runs. In the chest of irresistible stories ‘owned’ by the Club are those about mechanics and drivers, some of them from the 1990s.
Kylas Swaminathan, secretary, MHMC, shares two such stories.
“There was a mechanic who was called ‘Late’ Babu even when he was alive and kicking. Because, he could be trusted to miss a deadline by a long chalk. He would sometimes take even nine months to complete a simple job. To his credit, he was thoroughgoing in his work. If he repaired a machine, it stayed repaired. Jawa is known for its slippage on the second and third gears. He worked on my Jawa so well that I could clip on these gears. Another mechanic was called ‘Oda Oda’ Venkat, because he would justify any persistent mechanical problem, saying, ‘ Oda oda, sari ayidum ’ (as the vehicle keeps running, this problem will straighten out on its own). T.T. Raghunathan gave him this moniker (Oda Oda).”
The 10th MyTVS Heritage Car Rally will take place at Don Bosco School Grounds, Egmore, on the morning of August 24. For details, call 95000 10467.
