Though Ahmedabad is not a hot tourist destination but it has some extraordinary places which are worth paying a visit. One of such unusual places is the Vintage Car Museum. Yes, as the name suggests it is a museum of old cars from different time periods. No doubt it is the perfect place for car lovers. The full name of this place is The Auto World: The Vintage Car Museum. The credit of this magnificent collection of classic and fine cars from different era from all across the globe goes to Mr. Pranlal Bhogilal. He is a fabulous expert of vintage cars and he got this idea to convert his collection into a museum so that public can explore it. You get a chance to see all the famous vintage cars here from different parts of world. The museum is a rare collection of vintage cars, utility vehicles, buggies, motorcycles, etc. specially created by a single family since the last century. You can clearly see the efforts of Mr. Bhogilal when you roam around these shiny twinkling antique automobiles which are inviting you to experience the fabulous drive.The Vintage Car Museum is located at the Dastan Farm House at Sardar Patel Ring Road in Kathwada, Ahmedabad. This historic car museum, one of the best collections in the world, built in different pavilions spread on acres of green land displays more than hundred models of premium vintage cars. These cars are extremely attractive, cute and vibrant in colors. One important thing here to note is that all these cars are in perfect condition and fully functional. Some of the names of these antique cars exhibited here are as follows:
- Roll Royce
- Daimler
- Bentley
- Maybach
- Langondas
- Jaguar
- Austin
- Chrysler
- Lincoln
- Ford
- Cadillac
- Mercedes
- Packard
- Buicks
- Auburns
- Limousine
- Sports cars
This magnificent collection of historic cars is not just vehicles display but they tell you that there was a time when owning such cars symbolizes the wealth, power as well as style. They were not just meant to transport you from one place to another but much more than that. Most of these lovely models of expensive cars were owned by rich Indian Maharajas and that is why they are quite comfy and stylish. Not a single car is a look alike of other as they all are quite different with its own individuality unlike modern time cars that are all almost same. You get a chance to see here the lavish ceremonial Limousine, the grand open Touurer, the romantic convertibles for evening drives as well as several sports cars. There are also some cars especially coach built for rich and famous people of history and these coaches are like Railway saloons, horse drawn carriages built for families evening drives, boat tailed wooden speedsters, shooting brakes, etc. the important thing here is that these are all created by hand as per individual requirements and specifications of actual buyer. Most of these models are built by makers from USA, UK and Europe. Coach builders of these cars include Hooper, Barker, Gurney- Nutting, Fleetwood, Labaron, etc. These cars are the example of excellent craftsmanship and human creativity.It is a very well maintained unique museum of vintage cars. It showcases a perfect blend of human creativity along with Science, technology, arts and aesthetics. No doubt the Vintage Automobile Museum is India’s largest and finest automobile collection.The Auto World has several other facilities in its premises like:
- An auditorium
- Souvenir shop
- Cafeteria (serves fine Gujarati thali)
- Car station for fun drives in vintage cars
- Fun zone for kids
For a drive in the historic antique cars you need to pay a fee of Rs. 500 for 3.5 kilometers. It may seem too much but it is an unforgettable experience. There is an entry fee of Rs. 50 per head and camera charges are Rs.100.Ruchi Mahajan