Rear-view mirror
There are only eight Minerva Type-AL cars in the world, and Diljeet Titus owns one of them. The 1933 model he purchased from the Raja of Mahmoodabad has gold accessories.
A lawyer and the secretary of Heritage Monitoring Club of India, Titus has 56 vintage cars ranging from a Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Buick and Chevrolet to Auburn, Pierce Arrow and Wolseley. But he regrets not having a Duesenberg.
Titus keeps these cars at his farmhouse in Jaunpura, Mehrauli, where they are restored. “Each car takes a year to restore, and, so far, 26 cars have been restored,” he says. A few cars are also sent out for restoration. The restoration cost is between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 12 lakh. While restoring a car, all the parts are removed and each of them is checked thoroughly. If an original part is not working properly, it is bought from the market or fabricated. The restored car also needs to be maintained well. The annual cost of regular maintenance of a car is around Rs 25,000. But if it develops a problem, the cost rises.
Titus is now turning his collection into a 22,000-square feet museum — The Titus Museum of Transportation & Collectibles. There will be no pillars in the museum to ensure smooth movement of cars. Expected to be complete by the end of the next year, it will be open to public from Monday to Saturday
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