KARACHI: Collectors and lovers of antique cars were present alongside their pride and joy at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) on Saturday evening for the launch of Engineered Time, a 100-page photography-based coffee table book featuring the lovingly restored and well-maintained cars of antique cars collectors of Pakistan.
The book, a limited edition, is a tribute to the timeless marvels of automotive engineering from the Antique Cars Museum, the country’s first-ever virtual museum of classic cars. Just like the museum was the brainchild of vintage and classic car collector Shoaib Qureshy, so is the book.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Qureshy said that he is himself a 1970s model with original parts, original paint and low mileage which is still in mint condition as he is company-maintained, making the guests laugh.
“Wherever we, the collectors of classic cars, go we turn our surroundings into a museum,” he said, adding that this time they have all gathered at Napa, which is itself situated in a historic heritage building. He thanked the CEO of Napa for allowing them to hold the book launch there.
Coffee table book about antique cars launched at Napa
On the occasion, Jarri Masood Zaidi, the CEO of Napa, said that as an institution Napa is devoted to preserving the artistic and culture heritage of the country.
The great grandson of the architect Agha Ahmed Hussain, who designed the building of the Mohatta Palace Museum as well as the Hindu Gymkhana in which Napa is housed, himself an antique car collector and his great grandfather’s namesake, Agha Ahmed Hussain, also spoke on the occasion.
“The passion and art that reflects in the construction, architectural design and now the upkeep of the two historic buildings is similar to the passion of the collectors of classic cars who also work hard to preserve heritage,” he said.
Ifrah Shaukat, a young photographer, whose beautiful pictures of classic cars make the book, said that the publishing of the book for her is like the coming true of a childhood dream. “Vintage and classic cars here are immaculate, like the antique cars which you see in foreign movies,” she said, adding that she first came across classic cars at an exhibition in 2016, which developed her passion for photographing them.
The lead patron of the Antique Cars Museum project and the book Engineered Time, Salim Ayub, and antique car collector Liaquat Malik also spoke.
Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2026