My Love of Cars

Cars in My Life

Cars have been a passion of mine since childhood.

I remember when I was in elementary school, sitting inside the car, operating every switch, sometimes turning the engine on, changing gears, but not moving the car! As I grew older, around the age of 10, my dad let me start driving the car in the playground and later on the streets with active supervision. Eventually, I began driving on the highways, with my dad available to take over the wheel by sliding across the bench seat. Sometimes I would think he would take over and wait for him! Whenever I got a chance, I would take the wheel. In the 1980s, traffic in India was not like it is now; it was still not as regulated as it should have been.

I eventually got my driver's license at the age of 16. At the time, the major car brands were Ambassador and Fiat. Occasionally, you could see a Standard 10 or a Herald, and later the Contessa (a luxury version of the Ambassador) and the Standard 2000, the luxury version of the Standard 10, which rose and fell very quickly. The Ambassador, which originally evolved from the Morris Minor to New Look, became a part of history, with rumors that it might resurge again in a different version—perhaps an EV?

The mid-1980s saw the emergence of Maruti, which was in collaboration with Suzuki. In subsequent years, various Suzuki models were introduced in India. After we left India in the mid-1990s, many models of various global brands started appearing on Indian roads. In recent times, one can see almost any global brand on the streets of India. From the early 2000s, Indian highways dramatically improved, linking every corner of the country and enhancing road transportation. Highways and traffic management have significantly improved, but driver safety still lags behind. Given the current traffic, I think the number of accidents is relatively low. I still enjoy driving in India, especially with a manual transmission in a right-hand drive car.

As I grew up with our iconic family car—Ambassador MDO 8200, which my dad bought brand new when I was 3 years old—we made many memories as a family. Numerous trips with family and friends across South India were made, usually with 5 to 10 people in the car. At that time, it was not cost-effective to travel solo in the car due to the cost of fuel and maintenance. I remember a 10-day tour of Ooty , Mysore, and Mangalore, returning to our home in Coimbatore via Kerala. On this trip, we were two families—11 people in total—and my dad was the only driver the entire time. It was unforgettable fun in the mid-1970s. We had the car until 1996, and I felt sad each time I left it to go out of town, and especially when we left for England. Interestingly, a close family in Bangalore bought their Ambassador, MYQ 2270, around the same time, and I believe they are still maintaining it to this day—55 years later. Truly an antique piece to cherish.

Over the course of 26 years, our MDO 8200 underwent several "bumper-to-bumper" transformations. The color changed from the original black to "buckskin" brown, then to elephant gray, and finally to a fine silver. The running boards and sheet metal were repaired, repainted, or overcoated several times. The engine was reconditioned several times, and major mechanical parts were overhauled or replaced. Numerous sets of tires were retreaded or replaced with new ones.

Oh, the retreading technology is rarely seen these days. The upholstery was upgraded a few times as well. One summer, I spent the whole time with my friendly mechanic while the engine was dismantled and new parts were installed, giving the car a whole new ride. In the mechanic shop, I would assist without disturbing their work.  Kasi, my mechanic, would tell other customers that when our car came in, there was less to worry about because it was taken care of properly. Later, when petrol prices began soaring, the trend was to convert to diesel engines. The available engines that would fit an Ambassador car were the Trekker diesel engines made by Hindustan Motors for their trucks, and some Ambassador cars were built with these engines at the HM plant in Calcutta. Many people installed the diesel engine made for Matador trucks, custom-designed to fit the Ambassador, with modifications made to the chassis, suspension, transmission, and electrical system to accommodate the extra weight of the engine. We did this conversion as well. However, maintenance costs began to rise. As we moved to the UK and then to the USA, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the car the way I liked it. I strongly encouraged my dad to sell it and get a new car. So, our MDO 8200 had to find a new home. My parents then bought a Maruti Suzuki 800cc in bright red. I was surprised they chose red, but in the end, I grew to love it, so much so that four of my subsequent vehicles were red. I was also responsible for maintaining the car in good condition for our long trips.

Cars have always been such an interesting hobby, one that I enjoyed during my school and college days, and which later evolved into a passion. So much so, that my family jokes that the car is my "first wife." More on this next time...

Siva & Cars

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