It is ten years to the week since my old Maruti 800 went into retirement. It had developed a snag of a serious nature and, as this was not my regular car, I did not prioritise its restoration. Weeks gave way to months and months to years. However, the ambition of personally supervising its restoration kept me from junking it. It still does. The machine is in my possession, but not where I live, which spares me the tiresome exercise of answering bewildered visitors.
Many summers ago, when a friend quizzed me about the depreciating piece of metal, I explained bravely, “It’s gathering value. The day is not far off when second-generation Maruti 800s will join the club of neo-classics. This car is waiting for that day.”
“Good luck to you and your car, but as far as I can see, it’s only gathering rust,” was his sardonic retort.
Others have told me that I have too many irons in the fire, without adding this to it. I have now stopped ‘doing the ostrich’ and given up on the dream of restoring the car myself. Even if I have it restored entirely by a mechanic, keeping it running may prove too burdensome for me. So, I have settled for another exercise that would allow me to keep the car — actually, parts of it — in a manner that would invite admiration, and not ridicule.
Furniture made from restored car seats
This fresh decision was sparked by a visit to Higginbothams in Chennai, nearly three months ago. While parking my running car on a lane near this famous bookstore, I chanced upon an aesthetically-designed snack centre. The highlight of the eatery: two sofas that had been created with the front and rear sections of a vintage car.
I am familiar with the concept of creating furniture and works of art with old car parts, but to actually see a vintage car upcycled in this manner provided the inspiration to consider this option for my weather-beaten, forever-stationary old car. For a month now, I have become a Pinterest fiend, hunting down ideas on what uses I can put some of its parts to.
Now, for those of you wondering if this could be a do-it-yourself (DIY) project for any automobile layman, I believe it could be a semi-DIY project. With a rudimentary knowledge of the car and a basic sense of design, one should be able to harvest a parts and design art and products out of them. Of course, one would need experts to execute the work.
When it comes to car couches and sofas, a tinker mechanic and upholsterer can do the job. In some cases, an interior designer may have to be brought on board. “There are many parts that can be used straightaway as wall mountings. The steering wheel and hub caps can be mounted on the wall,” says CS Ananth, a restorer of vintage vehicles.
A car clutch plate
“To make optimum use of the harvested parts, an interior designer with some knowledge about cars can be helpful. There are so many options that are likely to present themselves more easily to the eyes of an interior designer. Four pistons of uniform size can form the four legs of a small table. The engine assembly can be turned into a small bar rack,” explains Ananth. Visiting certain museums, either online or physical, can provide a boot-load of creative inputs. Says Ananth, “The Heritage Transport Museum in Gurgaon is a place to visit, for this purpose.”
Now, these tips are also for those who don’t have a non-runner on their hands. If you are drawn to the idea of designing a pad with automobile parts, source them from automobile junk markets. Almost every city in India has one. It’s easier and cheaper, and would need few experts — sometimes, none — to execute the project.
