Car-rying forward a legacy

"It's the Deccan trap," quips Subhash Karmarkar as he talks about the Fiat Classic Car Club of India.

“It’s the Deccan trap,” quips Subhash Karmarkar as he talks about the Fiat Classic Car Club of India (FCCCI). “This city always leaves me restless and desperate for something new,which is why I thought that coming up with a club like this was really important.” As Karmarkar begins to talk about his love for cars and the Fiat brand specifically,his enthusiasm is hard to miss. The club,which began in August 2004,has now spread its wings to the rest of the country too Mumbai,Bengaluru,Hyderabad,Aurangabad and even Delhi.

Karmarkar,who is a cost accountant,has a 1956 model of Fiat Elegant and treats the car as a family member. The same feelings are perhaps reflected by the 48 active members of the club. What is startling is how an inanimate object has brought people from varied walks of life together. “We all have one thing in common – the passion for these cars – and that binds us together. My car was bought by my father and it’s a family heritage now,” says Vijay Kumar Gokhale,who owns a 1964 Super Select model. “I remember,in 1956,a Fiat car would cost around Rs 9000,whereas today,it can cost around 48 lakh rupees,” adds Gokhale.

The group meets on every third Sunday at the Hotel Grand and the members go for a drive in their Fiats,which is then followed by an hour-long meeting.”It’s a treat to see the Sunday meeting rally. New and old Fiat cars ply the roads in Camp,” says Karmarkar. They also perform at the Vintage Car Rally and have also closely worked with the RTO’s Road Safety Week.

From the oldest member who is 91 years old to the youngest who is 18 years old,the FCCCI enjoys a mass appeal. Interestingly,the oldest Fiat model in the country is owned by Peter Traveso from Mumbai who is also a member of FCCCI,Mumbai. His Fiat 301 is the 1919 model,which is the pride of the group. But the most talked about model from Pune is Deepak Velankar’s 1939 Fiat Balilla – the oldest in the city.

Not everyone who joined this group were original Fiat lovers. Mayur Vankudre,a marketing professional,bought a second-hand Fiat because of a financial crunch. Today,he owns two. “I now own the 1972 Fiat 1100 Delight. In the group,we keep giving each other advice on the maintenance of the cars. It turns out to be a learning experience every time we meet,” says he.

The Club has also made the members more socially sensitive. As a group,they have tried to laud the efforts of several city organisations. On this Republic Day,they visited the Fire Brigade Office to present a show and laud the firemen of the city for their service.

But for all the members at the FCCCI,the real treat is the legacy of these cars. “The Fiat cars have been around since 1904. In its existence of more than five generations,they have created a family for us,” concludes Gokhale.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Loading Taboola...