The Past is in Good Hands... Now

Shahwar feels that our motoring heritage is in good hands now, and is happy to see cars like the Morris 8 on the road

Back in the mid 70’s and early 80’s, there were quite a few old cars at home. As a young boy, I could only recognise the Jeeps because that’s what I saw in the war comics that my elder brother read.  As I grew, I realised that the cars owned by my grandfather, father, and  8 uncles varied quite a bit. There was a Dodge Weapon Carrier that did farm duty, a Chevrolet Impala for the ladies at home, a Ford Jeep, a Willys Jeep Station Wagon, Morris 8, and Standard Herald, as well as a couple of BSA motorcycles. There was also a carcass of a big car near the pond, which I suspect was a Chevrolet Fleetmaster.

Over the years, as I grew, most of these cars disappeared from the garage. The only ones that remained were the Weapon Carrier, the Jeeps, the Morris 8, and the Herald. I was told that the rising cost of petrol was the culprit, and that the replacement cars were more fuel efficient – in the form of the four-cylinder Landmaster and Ambassador Mark II.

Nevertheless, till about the mid 80’s, a lot of these cars were still on the road – especially in smaller towns where people avoided buying ‘new’ Ambassadors. Even if some families didn’t use these old cars anymore, they still retained them. But then, suddenly, these cars started disappearing. The scrap dealers did the rounds, and offered good money for these ‘junks’ – which inticed many people to do away with them. And, almost overnight, a majority of them were gone – cut into pieces and sold. Thankfully, a few were rescued by collectors.

Many people refused to sell, and held on to them though. They lay unused in the backyard, or in dilapidated garages in old ancestral homes where only the caretaker stayed – or behind high walls where scrap dealers couldn’t hone in on them.

In the recent past, however, there’s been a sudden spurt in the number of classic and vintage vehicle collectors. This is in addition to the established heavyweight collectors that we’ve had for very long.

The best part about these new collectors is that many of them, in addition to the exotics, also collect the so-called “cars from a lesser make.” I’ve seen cars like the humble Austin 7, Morris Minor, Morris 8, Ford Prefect, Hindustan 10, Hillman, and many others of the same category featured proudly in the inventory of some collectors. And they’re not apologetic about them one bit.

At the various vintage car rallies that  are held at this time of the year, these small cars hold their own against the Rolls, Bentleys, Packards, Jaguars, and all those other exotics. And I’ve noticed that the tiny Austin 7 attracts as many, if not more, eyeballs than an immaculately restored Rolls-Royce. I’ve often overheard people speak lovingly of the times they owned such cars.

I applaud these collectors. Without them, these cute – but iconic – little cars would have ended up with the scrap dealer. And that would have been a monumental loss!