Want to restore your old car? Check out this book by Cartist

Himanshu Jangir | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“The idea to write the book came during the pandemic in 2020 when I was writing stories on social media about the cars we had restored. People wanted to know more about the restoration process,” says Himanshu, who along with his father has been reviving old cars in Jaipur for 15 years. He continues, “Accidentally, we helped design and publish a limited-edition book, under the maskIn 2022, for artist friend Himmat Shah, a well-known face of the art world. This helped us start this project, The Art of Restoration, after which the book is named, and documents the process of car restoration in India in the form of a coffee table book.

Ambassador Mark II before restoration | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The book’s content is divided into five parts – plans, body panels, mechanicals, upholstery, and paint and finish – and promises to take gearheads on a guided tour of how to restore their cars in their garages. “It will also feature restored cars and automobile art from the past by contemporary artists from across India. It documents the story and restoration process of the Cadillac 1954 Fleetwood and the 1969 Ambassador Mark II for the past six months. Several models of Mercedes “My father and I used to work on imported cars. One day, a customer asked if we could restore his 1928 Ford Model A. It started from there and we started working on old machines and cars. Pyaar ho gaya. We have restored many cars from India for industrial houses and royal families.”

Ambassador Mark II being restored | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Translating his memories and experience into words, Himanshu packs a bouquet of stories on the restorations he has undertaken so far. He narrates an anecdote, sharing a story of the Mercedes 290 Pullman that made it into the book. The exclusive 1936 car was the first to reach Himanshu in the pictures and Himanshu was shocked when its owner asked him for his opinion. He remembers that she asked him where the car in the picture was. “It was just the chassis of an old car, but it looked like a pre-war Mercedes. It was a tough call to renovate. But we already had two 290 Mercedes at our workplace. So, we got the courage to take it, He recalls. Himanshu’s workshop came back with a complete chassis with engine with broken grille and the iconic star carrier. “We completely fabricated the body. After completing the running chassis, it took us a year to start the metal and wood work and another six months to paint it black. Then, we built the interior, and the chrome and fittings,” he says.

Mercedes 220 Pullman 1934–Photos | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Originally registered in Jaipur, the Ambassador 1969 Mark II car enjoys celebrity status and the cartist is now the fourth owner of the car. Earlier it has been used in many Bollywood movies and Hollywood movies as well. best exotic marigold hotels, A friend had offered me this car during the lockdown. He shared that he had never restored an Ambassador in the past and bought it after the lockdown to make it his everyday runner car. “It sat in the garage for two years before The Art of Restoration Project began in 2022 and completely restored it. We showcased it at the recently held Autoexpo 2023.”

Artists like Raghu Rai, Himmat Shah, Durga Kainthola, Vijay Sharma, Hemwati Guha, Paul Ferndes and Zakir Hussain have contributed to the project. “We invited Delhi’s Nitasha Jaini, Ganganagar’s Sant Kumar, Ahmedabad’s Trith Patel, Bikaner’s Srikant Ranga and Jaipur’s Manvendra Singh for the Kala Niwas from July to December, where they have made an artistic impact on the Ambassador and the Cadillac,” Says Himanshu.

Durga Kainthola artwork | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The book also features furniture, including a center table and chairs made from spare parts of cars – a recycling initiative that Cartist has been exploring for over a year.

The book will be available for pre-order only on cartist.in for ₹3,500.