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Vintage cars boom in Pakistan

(26 May 2015) LEAD-IN: The Pakistan Vintage and Classic Car Club now has over 10,000 members - making it the largest auto club in the country. Vintage cars are becoming increasingly popular in Pakistan with lovingly restored motors - some more than 100 years old - still driving on the streets of Karachi and Islamabad. STORY-LINE: This vintage Rolls Royce might be 92 years old, but it still looks stunning on the streets of Karachi. It's a cherished motor and won first place in an international Concours D'Elegance in Kuwait in 2012. The Rolls Royce Silver Ghost now belongs to Karachi based businessman Karim Chhapra, but was once owned by a prince in India's Bahawlpur state. It remained in a royal garage for 46 years, but now is enjoying the fresh air and the open road once again. The car has a special history and India's last Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, travelled in it besides Pakistan's father of the nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the country's birth announcement in 1947. Chapra says he will never sell the car, but that it should become a family heirloom, passed from generation to generation. Chapra says: "When I drive this car it satisfies me, as this was out of service for the last 46 years. In a way I gave life to this dead car. I have worked hard on this car. I spent more sweat and blood, more than money I spent on giving a new life to this car. There is sense of achievement that I have made and restored this car. When I drive this car I enjoy." Pakistan's Vintage and Classic Car Club says the trend of owning classic cars has lately been growing among rich Pakistanis who often take century old vehicles to rallies and auto car shows to promote the hobby. Mohsin Ikram is the president and founder of the Vintage and Classic Car Association of Pakistan, he is also the owner of this 1947 Lincoln convertible. According to Ikram the car once belonged to Afghanistan's King Zahir Shah in the early 1970s. He says: "Now it is very satisfying... we have over 10,000 members in the club, Pakistan... It is probably the biggest club in Pakistan of any kind of motoring. And we are growing. By leaps and bounds again." The country's petrol heads are a testament to the universal appeal of fixing up and maintaining antique cars - particularly those associated with America and Britain - where shows like "Top Gear" or "Fast N' Loud" have long been popular. Businessman, Raja Mujahid Zafar has one of the most impressive collections of classic cars in Pakistan - his garage contains nearly 40 motors. The oldest car in his collection is over a century old, a 1914 Model T Ford. This is the affordable car that made Henry Ford's name and is credited for getting the USA on four wheels. The car's Baco headlights are manually powered gas lamps and the windshield sidelights are oil lamps, meant only to let others see it rather than providing any serious illumination on the road. "I was feeling very proud that a car that was completely broken - I have restored it and tried to bring it close to near original, so that it runs and that I did not make any major changes to it," says Zafar. But Zafar's "first love" is this maroon coloured, long-nosed, six cylinder Wolseley. This 1936 model looks stunning today, but it was a wreck in 1988 when Zafar first found it. It took him several years and foreign visits to restore it to its original condition. The 14 horsepower engine was the latest technology in its day, and the car came with fold-out indicators (known at that time as electricators). He found an original pair of the indicators on one of his visits to the UK. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...