Q.ZigDrive: A visit to the Heritage Transport Museum, Manesar on Sunday, February 28

There is just so much history associated with each of these cars and bikes. I've been to the museum multiple times, but I never get tired of it. I can just sit there and stare all day long at these beauties, and relive some memories as well, as I can associate my childhood and younger days with some of the cars and bikes there. [USER="81"]CYRUS43[/USER] wish you were here with us on this trip. You would have loved it!

We headed to basement where cars from different eras brushed shoulders with each other. First up was the funky looking three-wheeled car - the Badal - which used to be manufactured in Bangalore by Sunrise Auto Indus Limited (SAIL). The blurb for the Badal said that the car was designed in India for Indian conditions and that it had the optimum combination of safety, comfort and speed. I wonder if SAIL could claim the same if it was still making the Badal today. The Badal had a lightweight anti-corrosive FRP body. SAIL, during the time, claimed that the steering accuracy of the Badal was perfect because of its single front wheel configuration. The Badal’s engine, mounted at the rear of the car, had a claimed fuel efficiency of 25 kilometres per litre! [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5658[/ATTACH] The Badal is made of FRP composites. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5659[/ATTACH] Is it levitating? No, its a three wheeler. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5660[/ATTACH] Air vents on a people's car to keep the engine cool. Wow! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5661[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] The museum also had the four seater convertible designed by DC Designs that was used in the movie Dil To Pagal Hai. The cheeky little red convertible was used by Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan). This section also housed a couple of vintage Bollywood posters as well. On the other side of the hall was a recreation of how shops selling tools and spares looked like back in the day. These shops were filled to the brim with antique tools from brands like Ixion and Kangaroo Brand. Another shop had lanterns, gas lamps and other lighting accessories. [CENTER]The red convertible used in Dil To Pagal Hai and driven by Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan)[/CENTER] [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5662[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5663[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] As you walk past these stalls you notice another little red convertible. This one was a Standard Herald convertible. Behind the Herald were all the different versions of the Hindustan Twelve that eventually became the Ambassador. The first one was a 1948 Hindustan Twelve with a 1.5-litre engine. Right next to it was a 1954 Hindustan Landmaster and a 1969 Hindustan Ambassador Mark I. Opposite to them was the Ambassador Mark II. Behind the Ambys was a 1967 Renault Four, a 1954 Fiat 1100 Sedan, a Standard 10 and 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5664[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5665[/ATTACH] Road signs from the past. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5666[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5667[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5668[/ATTACH] A 1935 Buick Series Limousine with a 5.7-litre inline 8 cylinder engine. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5669[/ATTACH] The 1948 Hindustan Twelve. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5671[/ATTACH] The Hindustan Ambassador Landmaster (centre) flanked by the Mark I (to its right) and Hindustan Twelve (to its left). All these cars share an identical wheelbase. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5672[/ATTACH] The iconic Hindustan Landmaster. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5673[/ATTACH] The Hindustan Ambassador Mark I. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5674[/ATTACH] The 1967 Renault Four. This Renault was shortlisted by the Government of India for mass production in India but lost out because of the cost of production. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5675[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5676[/ATTACH] Vintage toys for kids. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5677[/ATTACH] A 1954 Fiat 1100 Sedan. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5678[/ATTACH] The Standard 10 [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5679[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5680[/ATTACH] Old photography equipment on display. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5681[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] But the biggest, baddest car of the lot was definitely the 1957 Land Rover Series I (Short Wheelbase). This pristine white car had a canopy roof with white wheels. The rest of the floor was filled with big American classics like a 1960 Chevrolet Impala Hardtop Sedan, A 1946 Buick 50 Super Series Sedan and others. [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5682[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5683[/ATTACH] Those white wheels look gorgeous. Can't stop dreaming of dirtying them up on some off road trail. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5684[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5692[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5685[/ATTACH] 1948 Hudson Commodore Sedan with a 4.3-litre inline L-head engine. I loved the fact that it looked like a spaceship. Note the covered rear wheels to aid aerodynamics. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5686[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5687[/ATTACH] The Nash 600 Series Slipstream Deluxe Sedan with a 6-cylinder 2.8-litre Inline L-head gasoline engine. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5688[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5689[/ATTACH] 1946 Humber Pullman. Humber & Co was a British manufacturer of motorcycles and motor vehicles. The Humber Pullman was basically an extended version of the Humber Snipe. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5690[/ATTACH] 1946 Mercury Sedan with a 3.9-litre V8. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5691[/ATTACH] The 1932 Chevrolet Phaeton with a 3.2-litre straight 6 gasoline engine. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5693[/ATTACH] 1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMans Convertible with a 3.2-litre four cylinder petrol motor. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5694[/ATTACH] A 1955 Chevy Bel Air Convertible with a 3.9-litre 6-cylinder motor. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5695[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5696[/ATTACH] Below: Desoto Diplomat Convertible from 1954. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5697[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5698[/ATTACH] A Dodge Dart 8 (1962) with a 5.2-litre V8 motor. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5699[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5700[/ATTACH] 1960 Chevrolet Impala Hardtop Sedan. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5701[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5702[/ATTACH] A Chevrolet Belair Sedan. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5703[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5704[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5705[/ATTACH] A Buick 50 Super Series Sedan with a 4.1-litre V8 motor. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5706[/ATTACH] [/CENTER]

It’s Sunday - the day of our first ever Zig Drive. The plan was to meet up with the others at the McDonalds just after the toll booth at Manesar, Haryana at 8.30am. [USER="18"]MotuSid[/USER] arrived at my place in his 11-yar-old Zen at 7am and woke me up. After getting ready, we hit the road around 7.30am and managed to escape Delhi’s peak hour traffic and were soon on the NH8 towards Jaipur. We reached the said McD in about 40 minutes only to find out that the others were still on their way. Soon, our stomachs let out a collective rumble that was so noisy it could have woken someone up from deep slumber. [CENTER][USER="18"]MotuSid[/USER]'s Zen with [USER="82"]konarktyagi[/USER]'s Laura TDi, @Rythem's Swift VDi and [USER="6"]Roshun[/USER]'s Black Fox[/CENTER] [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5622[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Just as we were finishing our breakfast and stale coffee [USER="131"]Rhythem Raswant[/USER] arrived in his red Swift VDi. Once he had parked his car, our very popular moderator [USER="21"]JijoMalayil[/USER] arrived in a Myles rental car - a silver Swift VDi. He brought [USER="44"]Swati Yadav[/USER] along as they were driving to Jaipur after the Zig Drive. After they settled in and had their coffee, other started arriving soon. Soon the car park was filled with our cars. @Konark brought his black Skoda Laura TDi while supermod [USER="6"]Roshun[/USER] drove in his black Scorpio 4WD. Just when we were finishing up pasting stickers on the cars, Vidit Jain aka [USER="42"]CorsaVeloce[/USER] arrived in his latest acquisition - the White Elephant - a white Skoda Laura TSI. Soon, the moderators went about pasting stickers on all the cars and we were ready to set off. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5623[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5624[/ATTACH] [USER="6"]Roshun[/USER] with [USER="18"]MotuSid[/USER] with the trusty old Zen[/CENTER] We set off from McDonalds and towards the Heritage Transport Museum after the last of us, Karan Malik aka [USER="46"]Speedzilla[/USER] arrived in his JDM Honda Jazz. The drive to the museum took around 30 minutes and went without any incidents except for Speedzilla’s Jazz which had to drive over speed bumps in a zig zag manner thanks to lowered height of the car. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5625[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5626[/ATTACH] Quite possibly the oldest means of getting from Point A to Point B outside the Heritage Transport Museum in Tauru-Gurgaon[/CENTER] We arrived at the Heritage Transport Museum at around 10.45am and got our tickets and started the tour. The Heritage Transport Museum, started by Tarun Thukral and five other trustees, is situated on a three acre plot off NH8 at Tauru, Gurgaon. The museum has a built up area of over 90,000 square feet spread over four floors. The museum has an exhibition gallery, library and reference centre, conference room, mini auditorium, a museum shop and a restaurant. The idea of the Heritage Transport Museum was conceived from Tarun’s passion for collecting homogenous objects and rare, unique cars. The Heritage Transport Museum is India’s first comprehensive transport museum. The museum showcases the evolution of transportation in India and sets a benchmark in interpretation, exhibition and in communication. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5627[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5628[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5629[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5630[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5631[/ATTACH] Isn't that a pretty hearse [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5632[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5633[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5634[/ATTACH][/CENTER] The first floor of the museum had exhibits like palanquins and horse-drawn carriages used b the queens and princesses of yore, but what caught my attention was the horse-drawn hearse with glass windows on all four sides. A part of the first floor dedicate to locomotives had a 1930s luxury railway saloon from BBCI Railways, token machines, punching machines and even vintage railway signals. Also on display were some old buses and trucks from the 50s, 60s and 70s like the 1960 Hindustan Bedford and 1967 Tata 1210 School Bus. [CENTER]The 1960s Hindustan Bedford Van[/CENTER] [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5635[/ATTACH] Hindustan Bedford Bus from the 60s [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5636[/ATTACH] A cheeky little Jeep Forward Control Pick Up Van from the late 50s [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5637[/ATTACH] A hippies dream - the VW Transporter / Kombi / Microbus [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5638[/ATTACH] Ah, those pretty eyes! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5639[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5640[/ATTACH] [USER="42"]CorsaVeloce[/USER] checks out the rim size of this truck [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5641[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5642[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5643[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5644[/ATTACH] A 1960 Ashok Leyland Comet Bus [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5645[/ATTACH] The 1967 Tata 1210 School Bus [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5646[/ATTACH] A beat up Fargo. I remember my mom telling me once that these Fargos were such a common sight in Goa and Karnataka in the 70s and 80s [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5647[/ATTACH] Up next vintage cars... [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5648[/ATTACH] [/CENTER]

It was great fun, here are a few pics I took: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5525[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5526[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5527[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5528[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5529[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5530[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5531[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5532[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5533[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5534[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5535[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5536[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n5537[/ATTACH]

So, confirmations so far. 45 have said they are going on the FaceBook event page. Rest have confirmed here. We meet at 8.30 am at Manesar, McDonalds.

I am in and would be coming from Greater Noida. And hopefully, will bring two people along with me.

[QUOTE=n00b;n5369]I don't have a ride, I hope someone is kind enough. :p[/QUOTE] Hop on, I've got plenty of space. :-) Where do you want to be picked up from? I will be coming from Vasant Kunj via NH8 to the meeting point at McDonald's Manesar.

I don't have a ride, I hope someone is kind enough. :p

[USER="154"]Prithwi@NASA[/USER] counting you in as well. In the Outlander hopefully. [USER="241"]AkshayJain[/USER], [USER="69"]Achintya Mehrotra[/USER], [USER="82"]konarktyagi[/USER] in right?

Count me in. I'll try to bring the good old Scorpio. Its been a while since she has got to stretch her legs on the highway.

[QUOTE=Speedzilla;n5274] In that case e30 it is. Hopefully Haryana will be a little calmer by sunday.[/QUOTE] Yep, we can only hope. Anyway, looking forward to it!

[USER="18"]MotuSid[/USER] and @Roshun In that case e30 it is. Hopefully Haryana will be a little calmer by sunday.

[QUOTE=Speedzilla;n5263]Im in, will be there in my e30. :D Might have one passenger with me. Incase everyone is driving newer faster cars ill be bringing the 330i haha. [/QUOTE] You'll find we'll be more like "Driving Miss Daisy" rather than "Fast & Furious" :-) Don't bother with the Fast Car. The slower the better, as we'll be going to a place to see some really awesome, vintage beauties. LOL. :D

I'm in, will be there in my battle-scared Zen. Not sure if anyone will tag along - [USER="88"]Stig-Wannabe[/USER] , [USER="20"]NikilSJ[/USER] what say? ​Calling [USER="589"]maheshy1[/USER] , [USER="19"]Gaurav Aneja[/USER] , [USER="978"]Hyperwheelz[/USER] - please do come ​Also, please bring the e30 [USER="46"]Speedzilla[/USER] , been wanting to see that in flesh for a long time!

Im in, will be there in my e30. :D Might have one passenger with me. Incase everyone is driving newer faster cars ill be bringing the 330i haha.

Please count me in, I will bring a friend along.

[B]The Details of the Zig Drive on Sunday, February 28:[/B] * Bring a friend, bring family, come on your own - just be there at the meeting point at 8.30 am. * Bring your own car or bike, or if you want to car pool, say so in the posts below, so you can hop on with other fellow forum members. * Ticket price: Rs. 300 per adult / Rs. 150 for children below 12 years of age. * Museum opens at 10am, we plan to spend at least 2-3 hours. * There is a cafeteria and souvenir shop at the museum, so bring some cash. * Those who want an early breakfast or coffee, can pick some up at 8.30 am when we meet at McDonalds as well. * It will take about 30 minutes to reach the museum from our meeting point. Let's have some fun folks!

[B]UPDATE: [/B]The ZigDrive 1 took place on February 28. [URL="http://www.zigwheels.com/forum/topics/travel-and-leisure/travelogues/5119-zig-drive-a-visit-to-the-heritage-transport-museum-manesar-on-sunday-february-28?p=5621#post5621"]CLICK HERE [/URL]to go directly to all the gorgeous photos of the vintage cars and bikes! This is an open invitation to all fellow [B]ZigWheels Forum Members[/B] to enjoy a relaxed Sunday morning in the company of fellow car and bike lovers. If you love cars and bikes, you are going to love driving up to the Heritage Transport Museum, Tauru, near Manesar in the Delhi NCR region on [B]Sunday, February 28. [/B] Welcome, to our first ever [B]Zig Drive[/B], a drive that is fun and friendly, surrounded of course by cars and bikes. [B]Those who are coming please RSVP in the thread below. Limited numbers only. You will have to [URL="http://www.zigwheels.com/forum/register"]SIGN UP[/URL] or [URL="http://www.zigwheels.com/forum/index.php"]LOGIN[/URL] to reply. [/B] [B]The Plan:[/B] We meet up and drive down to the Heritage Transport Museum in Manesar. [B]The Time:[/B] We meet at 8.30 am, leave at 9.15 am [B]The Meeting Point:[/B] We meet at the McDonald's Parking Lot on the left side of NH8, just after the Manesar toll. [B]The Zig Drive Destination:[/B] Heritage Transport Museum, Tauru. Here's the map: [URL]https://goo.gl/cPtNOV[/URL] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5120[/ATTACH] [B]Those who are coming, please RSVP in the posts below[/B]