Osian’s auction house leads the way for collectors of vintage cars and auto memorabilia in India

The Rolls Royce ‘Legalimit’. The first two-cylinder Rolls Royce. The Bentley Super Cherd 1928. The Morris Bullnose Cowley. The Napier Car of 1908. The Torpedo 1 of 1911. These are the names of some of the stars that will be on show — and up for bids — at ‘Automobilia, The Art of the Historical Vehicle’, an exclusive auction hosted by Osian’s in Mumbai on October 26.

This auction also served to formally inaugurate the new automobile auction house division at Osian’s (Osian’s — Connoisseurs of Art Private Limited), the country’s pioneering arts institution and auction house, which was established in 2000.

In effect, this will make Osian’s the country’s first auction house catering to vintage, classic and racing automobiles — adding to Osian’s reputation alongside international names such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

While leading automotive writer, design consultant and expert Gautam Sen will head Osian’s new automobile auction house division, the inaugural auction will focus primarily on automotive art, artefacts, mascots, vintage advertisements, catalogues and brochures, film posters, rare toy model cars and related memorabilia. The actual cars will go up for auction in February 2019. 

Alongside, Neville Tuli, the one-man driving force behind the Osian’s Group, has also revealed plans to build a one-of-its-kind online repository of Indian art, cinema and culture on the website osianama.com with a new research centre that will open to the public on January 25, 2019.

In an email exchange, Tuli and Sen gave us their overview and expectations of the market, and a sense of their ever-growing fascination for all things to do with vintage automobiles. Excerpts: 

Tell us about the origins of this auction. How did Osian’s gain interest in vintage cars, as an extension of high-profile art collecting in India?
Neville Tuli: Osian’s has been planning the building of a ‘Historic Vehicles’ Auction House Division since 2012-13. For us, the reason, like the selection of any subject, has been to create an aesthetic and intellectual awareness, and economic markets for certain subjects — which together can help clarify and build a comprehensive cultural history for modern and contemporary India since the 1850s.

India has not really had a great culture for producing automobiles as with the West, but given that Royal India was a great collector of the automobile, many opportunities are possible today for creating a culture of appreciating and loving the historic automobile as an object of art, design, science and culture — let alone a functional and technological object.

How would you say the collecting of vintage cars compares to art collecting? How much of the process of ascertaining value of the works is the same, or different? 
NT: History, the understanding and respecting of this history, and all the landmarks of significance included therein are always the only variables, which define value and price in all cultural objects in the medium and long run. Art has a slightly longer history and hence has a slightly wider and deeper market, let alone for practical reasons for displaying and looking after an automobile relative to an object of art.

Is vintage car collecting a lot more accessible today, for people to invest in? How would you advice new enthusiasts?
NT: Access may seem more open and deeper, but in reality, the base of the true collector stays roughly the same over time, as prices change, newer options open up, other circumstances make it difficult to house an automobile and so on. Information is definitely more freely available, but that is only one piece of the jigsaw.

Gautam Sen: Yes, it has become more accessible today, as more and more vehicles are getting restored and ‘rediscovered’, as well as the fact that disposable income has increased manifold. Plus, with the move to allow the import of vehicles manufactured before 1950, more and more interesting vehicles are being imported into the country. Our advice to new enthusiasts is to respect the ‘rules’ of the hobby, and to preserve the cars that can be preserved, and restore correctly the ones that need to be restored. And not to overdo either.

Give us an overview of vintage car collecting in India. In particular, what are the newly rich young folk here interested in?
GS: The collecting of historic vehicles has been, and is a burgeoning hobby and passion that reflects the growing appreciation of the history of the automobile in the Indian and international context. For the young, it’s an aspirational hobby as well.

The history of vintage cars in India leads directly to erstwhile royalty and the Maharajas, something you’ve written a book about as well. How much of those legacies remain today, for people to see and enjoy?
NT: Very few, and mostly private, but then other events, such as rallies, tours, exhibitions, and other platforms have increased to give glimpses to the wider public.
GS: India’s historical vehicle legacy — whether from the princely families or otherwise — remains one of the most important in the world, and a fairly significant percentage of it remains ‘intact’. Several museums and private collections can now be viewed by the public, which is a move in the right direction. More accessibility to the wider public — in the form of events and outings — would be the next best steps to take.

Could you name some of your all-time favourites among the lots? Which cars are you looking out for, and which cars do you believe will find the highest bids?
NT: The automobiles auction is in February 2019, while the inaugural Automobilia Auction is on October 26, focusing on the art objects that are inspired by, and in turn, create the important culture of loving and respecting the automobile. The paintings once depicting the great Bhavnagar Royal Collection is a highlight along with Tom Jung original artworks from Steve McQueen’s Le Mans, to various vintage toy cars, antiquarian photographs and film posters, lobby cards from Bullitt, the Love Bug, the Yellow Rolls Royce, Grand Prix... 

Any outstanding items here that we can speak of?
GS: Amongst the lots on offer, it is worth looking at the extraordinary set of automotive paintings from the Gondal princely family.

Are there any paintings of vintage cars you’re interested in, for us to reference as enthusiasts? Is there any other way you see art and vintage collectibles coming together?
NT: As mentioned, the Bhavnagar Collection watercolours are a brilliant rare set, and a few modern artists such as Naina Kanodia and Wasim Kapoor have been inspired to create. Many events and a new academic focus on the design, history and other aspects of the automobile will be critical. The establishment of the Osianama Research Center, Archive and Library on January 22, 2019 will hopefully further kickstart many of these aspects and needs.

What will it take to improve the language of appreciation, when it comes to art and vintage cars? How do we get people to appreciate these items, which are often priceless, in a better manner?
NT: Any kind of artistic and cultural appreciation and sensitivity demands a certain atmosphere, which respects and loves knowledge, aesthetics, historical significance, a context of placing objects in a civilisational jigsaw with a  sense of participation and belonging, and of course, a meaningful international dialogue with the finest scholars and students on a daily basis. All of these are weak today. In addition, the archaic tax and duty systems, which have given no contemporary thought to these subjects make it more constricted, let alone the very poor infrastructure to look after the historic vehicle, as it is with all our heritage — architectural or cultural.
GS: The more people get to see them, the more they will appreciate these magnificent machines. And the best way to get to see them are not always in museums, but on the road, the rightful place that they should be on. Thus, the more events, such as rallies and tours and parades, that there are, and the more that people bring out their vehicles, the greater will be their appreciation, by the people, as well as in value terms.

Do you have an interesting story, which stands out in memory, about rare unexpected finds — like ‘barnyard finds’ — that you came across, among vintage cars in India?
GS: Years ago, I had accompanied another well-known historic vehicle personality to the unlocking of a garage, one which had been under lock and key for decades. This was in the middle of the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata), in a garage of a building on Park Street! The garage obviously ‘housed’ a car, but which one, time had forgotten. As the doors of the garage were unlocked and opened… lo and behold, a Rolls-Royce in all its dust-covered glory was there for all to see…

How important is it to separate the idea of vintage cars of Indian make, and vintage cars owned and driven in India. How does the value of these cars change, given their history of use in the country?
GS: Historic vehicles of Indian make should have much greater importance than a similar historic vehicle made elsewhere, as it reflects the industrial history of our nation. Unfortunately, certain individuals in the historic vehicle movement have systematically discriminated against vehicles assembled or manufactured in India. This needs to be rectified.

Could you name some of your all-time favourites among the lots? Which cars are you looking out for, and which cars do you believe will find the highest bids?
GS: We consciously decided to limit this first auction to automobilia strictly, and to have it alongside an art auction, to amplify the connection between automobile art, artefacts and memorabilia to the well-established concept of the auctioning of art and sculpture as an integral part of our country’s most recent cultural phenomena. We hope to have an auction of automobiles soon, and several of the vehicles lined up will be most remarkable.

Give us some basic pointers for newbie buyers to keep in mind at their first auction. How easy or difficult is it for one to win a bidding frenzy, and place a winning bid?
NT: In reality, frenzied bidding is never the norm, but the exception only for the top 10 per cent lots. Mostly two or three bidders fight out after the Minimum Reserve or Lower Estimate is passed. It is important to have a clear idea of your financial budget, the reasons for collecting, the rarity and difficulty in purchasing such artworks again — and the joy you will find in being part of the journey and community, the learning that you and your family will undergo because of this collecting process, as it changes the way of life, for any subject.
All transactions are always by cheque, so it is very important to change the mindset, because this is one of the biggest obstacles in the historic vehicles market building process, as so much of the past has been in the cash and black economy. This has to be broken and attitudes changed, so that there is  a new understanding and pride to have all transactions transparently. This, in turn, needs encouragement by the government on the duty and tax structure.
GS: The most important aspect is to study the catalogue carefully, and make up your mind. And then let your heart rule over your head eventually.

How many of these cars are road-worthy? And how many of them will remain as showpieces?
GS: Most vehicles are road-worthy. And the ones that aren’t should be made so. Automobiles, however old they may be, are made to be driven, and that’s what all collectors ought to do. Some very old, or delicate or very precious ones may call for very careful use, but to keep them standing forever in garages, parking lots or museums would be a pity.

Tell us about plans for Osian’s, going ahead from here. What role do you believe Osian’s will play in the larger scheme of things?
NT: Apart from regaining the leadership responsibilities for the Auction House business in India and Asia, the Osian’s Group and my personal focus is finalising all aspects for the establishment of the Osianama Research Center, Archive and Library, which has taken 25 years of one’s focus and effort, and God willing, it will radically transform the nature of learning for India and her perception globally with regard to the last two hundred years of her cultural history with a focus on the cinemas, arts, popular cultures, crafts, and many related subjects.

With the launch of Version 2.0 of osianama.com by January 20, 2019, we will see if by combining a pursuit for excellence via a Research Center and having the democratic and egalitarian outreach that the net allows, a genuine change can be brought about in the sharing of knowledge.

The auction Automobilia, The Art of the Historical Vehicle, was hosted at The Osian’s HQ, Mumbai on October 26. The new research centre will open to the public on January 25, 2019. The first auction of actual vintage cars is expected in February 2019. 

jaideep@newindianexpress.com
@senstays