Vehicles That Transport You Back In Time!

Two great ways to transport yourself: vintage cars and Rayomand's fantastic storytelling! On this episode of A Niche Thing, we are joined by Rayomand, a vintage car lover and restoration enthusiast.?

To become part of the vintage car community, you needn't have an expensive, fancy car. A lot of people go in with their Maruti 800s, Zens and Ambassadors that their parents and grandparents bought. At the heart of the community is the desire "to give young people an opportunity to feel happy about restoring old cars. Old cars are part of your family story - they are the cars in which you had your first dates, went to college, etc. Why forget about all that? There's sentimental value attached to it." Says Ray.

He takes us through the incredible story of how he got his hands on an 80s C-126 S-Class Coupe and the journey of restoring that followed. He swears that the car spoke to him and said, "save me."?

In India, we're lucky to have talented mechanics and people passionate about car restoration. Some vintage cars are found in states comparable to swiss cheese - touch it, and it goes in! You have to go back to recreate the bare shell, get rid of all the rust and work like a surgeon to bring the car back to life. Car restoration can be painful and expensive. But as Ray says: "If there's something you really want, no consolation prize can fix it, right?"?

Great restored cars are emerging year after year and are often shown at rallies. Having people gather around, revisiting old memories; you get to see how much these cars meant to them. It makes the process worth it.?

This episode will take you right back to when cars first came into India, the excitement it brings into a family and the joy of restoring an old car. But don't listen to us; listen to the enthusiast himself! Ray’s passion for restoring old cars is palpable.?