As members of the public were left mesmerised
by the plethora of vintage cars and bikes that were
on display at the Vintage Car and Bike Festival held
in Panjim, one of the most common questions
was about their maintenance.
What the public saw was the outcome of years of
painstaking effort. “It is not as simple as it looks.
These are old vehicles and the older it is, the
more difficult it is to get spare parts. Even if these
spare parts are available, it usually requires a trip
to Mumbai or sometimes outside India,” said Ravi
Pereira, one of the attendees at the festival.
While there are groups of vintage car owners
who are active and assist the members with
information regarding how best to maintain their
vehicles and from where they can procure the
spare parts, there is also a pattern observed where
many of these vintage cars are lying in garages,
gathering dust.
“These vehicles have a lot of nostalgia and a
lot of history attached to them. Our car is what
we have left of our parents and a source of pride.
When we were younger, we would take the car out
for a drive with the family. Unfortunately, of late,
due to other commitments, we have not got the
time,” says Kevin Lobo, who takes his vehicle out
for a spin on his father’s birthday every year.
“Maintaining these cars involves taking a
conscious decision. It may be cumbersome and is
time consuming and perhaps that gets in the way
as families have other priorities to attend to. But
once you get to it, it is definitely worth it,” advises
Prakash Desai, vintage car owner.
One of the biggest takeaways from the rally
held in Panjim was that automobile enthusiasts
discovered others who share similar interests and
plans were made to henceforth take these vehicles
out for leisure drives. Incidentally, it was at the
last vintage rally that similar groups had been
formed. One such group is making a database of
old cars and their owners, so that they can bring
likeminded people together.
“ I had participated in the vintage car and
bike festivals held in other parts of India and it
is very nice to see that such events are being
encouraged as they provide a platform for owners
to bring out their vehicles,” adds Salik Naik, who
had come to attend the event with his family
In Goa, car owners prefer to give their
vehicles to people in the industry whom they
trust with their vehicles for regular maintenance
and servicing and so in that respect, there is no
dearth of options. That being said, it can be a little
expensive and the option of renting out these
vehicles for functions like weddings or photo
shoots is not always the most favoured as there is
a worry about damage and cost of repair.
“If you take the car out regularly, then the car
is in running condition. That is the best option as
once you start taking it out, you can figure out the
minor issues it has, which is easier to solve at the
beginning as opposed to when the vehicle breaks
down,” adds a mechanic who often works on
repairing such vehicles
