What a wonderful time it was to be a kid in the Fifties who were just discovering the wonders of a rapidly changing adult world. Our parents would get excited by India?s shining prospects as a newly independent country but for us the excitement was to be had at picnics, dance parties where we had to learn the latest dances, Hollywood and Bollywood movies, LP disks on our gramophones and new cars. And, how we would stop and stare when some of the grand old Rolls Royce?s driven by a Maharaja passed because no one else could afford one. But we would also be excited by newer American Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets, Fords, Pontiacs or even the more modest Austin, Humber or Morris cars from England as they roared into view. The few Jaguars would attract every eye.
General Motors and Ford had begun local assembly in 1942 to support the war effort but stopped production as soon as the Indian government announced its first industrial policy to disallow total imports. After the war, new car launches were quite modest and infrequent. India?s first locally assembled car had been Premier Automobile?s Fiat 500 in 1944, followed by the Fiat 1100. Then came Standard Motor?s Standard 10 in 1947 and Hindustan Motor?s Hindustan 10 in 1948. In 1945 Mahindra & Mahindra had also begun making the jeep that had a large civilian following despite being mainly intended for the army and it was considered a very macho machine by those who were able to get one from army disposals. But they were overshadowed by fully imported cars that were allowed to be imported for some time.
Although I had got my driving licence driving my father?s imported 1955 Chevrolet Bellaire that we thought was a most magnificent vehicle it started getting competition from Premier Automobiles who had started producing big Dodge and Desoto cars. Standard Motors had also moved up to bigger cars by producing a very ugly Standard 18. The Hindustan 10 and Fiat 100 were however the most popular although the earlier imported Austin 10 cars remained the mainstay of the fledgling taxi trade.
No one ever thought about the cost of petrol but 14 annas a gallon (Rs 20 paise per litre) seemed a lot of money at the time and diesel pumps were virtually unknown. The roads were narrow and not very good but were never crowded. You could drive fast on many roads even if the sense of speed in a noisy car with a wobbly steering and bouncy suspensions made one feel a much greater sense of speed than the actual speed attained. At 60 miles per hour one felt that one was driving seriously fast. There were no seat belts and safety mainly depended on the driver. The traffic was light and the traffic signs were few. ?Keep Left? painted in big red letters on many culverts served as a sufficient warning to tame most
of the traffic.
Auto technologies and fuel efficiency were never considered but searly enthusiasts were moving from the sluggish side valve engines to faster revving overhead valve engines because they were quicker and quieter. The brakes were conventional drum brakes that had now advanced from the very unreliable mechanical to hydraulic fluids but electronically controlled ABS brakes were very far over the horizon.
The suspensions were improving with coil springs slowly replacing leaf springs but they were still very bouncy. The shockers were quite shocking but began to quickly improve even without the gas pressure shockers that are common today. These were cars that made their presence felt.
Though the cars were exciting they were not very reliable. Engines had to be overhauled every three or four years and they broke down every month or two. Drivers had to always carry extra fan belts, radiator hoses and distributor parts so that the roadside repairers could quickly get them moving. There were also quite a few horse and bullock carts on the roads so punctures from the nails of their worn out shoes were a regular thing. We considered ourselves lucky if a new set of tyres lasted over 15,000 kilometers.
Thank God that some things have changed. You have come a long way baby.