The growing market for automobile restoration work and collection of vintage and classic cars in the country provides scope for automobile restoration technology courses in technical institutes, says automobile expert Manvendra Singh, Maharana of Barwani.
Mr. Singh told The Hindu here on Monday that collectors of vintage cars usually buy the vehicles for any one of the three major reasons - it might have been owned by a family member, for the high value or because a model is easily available.
In India, the number of automobile collectors is going up and they even pay 50 per cent more for a vintage or classic car here compared to what a buyer in Europe would pay for the same.
The country was a major car market even in early 1900s and automobile manufacturers from different countries had tried selling their vehicles here.
Shops
In the case of restoration work, there are professional restoration shops now in Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Youngsters are also getting into automobile restoration and customisation.
In the south, the quality of mechanical and technical skills is high and in States such as Rajasthan, skills such as wood work for the vehicles are good. “We have got people who use old machines and old tools and achieve the same excellence that the car had when it was made originally,” he says.
Restoration is quality-based business and hence the costs are high.
While the restoration market is growing rapidly in India it is declining in countries such as the U.S. and Europe. If the Government permits bringing in cars from other countries to India for restoration work, the demand will go up.
The future for this work is bright but it should be systematic and those involved in it need background knowledge and expertise to provide quality work, he says.
