KARACHI: Organised by the antique car collectors of Pakistan, this year’s Antique Cars Show, which showcased over a hundred vintage and historical classic cars, had several things to make one stop and take extra notice at the Frere Hall lawns here on Sunday.

The moment one entered one encountered a very interesting auto restoration and repair workshop by Shah Automobiles and Farrukh Usmani. There were several experts on the job, working on an SWV, or short wheel base, Porsche, a mid-1960s model. Its engine, seats and wheels had been removed and put aside along with a choice of leather material in several colours for its interiors and upholstery, a Juki sewing machine, etc. The company imports and restores classic cars to sell back to the foreign market as labour here is cheaper that what this kind of work would cost abroad.

Visitors to the stall were taken through the process of restoration by one of the people incharge there, Ghazanfar Ali. “Last year, we only showcased the finished product at our stall but this year we thought of also sharing with our visitors the various stages of restoration of a classic car,” he told Dawn. He explained about removing all the car interiors and sandblasting to remove stains and rust, and acid dipping to remove old paint from areas that are difficult to reach. That is followed by an epoxy primer base paint coat and the rest of the painting process followed by interior work that includes mechanical, electrical, upholstery, etc.

The highlight of the show was once again Karim Chhapra’s 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in which the Quaid-i-Azam had ridden when it was originally owned by the Nawab of Bahawalpur. This year it was the oldest car in the show as this year it turned 100 years old. There were also more cars there getting close to the century mark such as the 1926 Renault and the 1929 Hupmobile.

According to Shoaib Qureshy, owner of the country’s first online Antique Cars Museum, the Antique Cars Show also showcases the vast world of automobiles and not just classic cars to Pakistanis, who are used to mostly seeing three cars, Honda, Suzuki and Toyota, on their roads. This piece would not be complete without the mention of some of the stars of the show, the classic cars. They included older and newer models of Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Austin Mini, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Corvette, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lincoln Continental, Mercedes, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, etc.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2024