Monthly Archives: May 2014

MAN & MACHINE – Battle to save the Hindustan Contessa being waged online

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports
R. Gunasekar with his 1997 Contessa. / Photo: R. Ravindran / The Hindu
R. Gunasekar with his 1997 Contessa. / Photo: R. Ravindran / The Hindu

Online communities bond over the Contessa. They periodically organise rallies and exchange restoration notes

When he is at the wheel, R. Gunasekar senses admiring glances coming his way. Delusions of grandeur? No, he drives around in a Contessa, a car that is getting scarcer and is beginning to strike most people as a curiosity.

As this machine was rolling off the Hindustan Motors’ assembly line as recently as 2002, this is rather surprising, and saddening. As any automobile enthusiast following the Contessa would tell you, many of these cars have gone to the scrapyard.

Members of a Contessa club from Kerala who are active on Facebook./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Members of a Contessa club from Kerala who are active on Facebook./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

On the positive side, there are online communities that bond over the Contessa. They periodically organise rallies and exchange restoration notes. As these groups connect on popular social networking sites such as Facebook and on reputed automobile forums such as Team-BHP.com, they are capable of drawing other Contessa owners into their fold.

“These online groups are a hope for the Contessa: they may keep the remaining cars from going to the scrapyard,” says Gunasekar, who is not very active in any of these forums, but is in touch with those who are.

Among the prominent ones is CCI-Conty Club India (on Facebook), which organised a meet-up for Contessa owners from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu at Nilgiris in 2013. The event saw a turnout of around 20 cars; the Club is reported to be planning another meet-up shortly, this time in Bangalore.

Meet-up of CCI-Conty Club India members in Nilgiris last year. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Meet-up of CCI-Conty Club India members in Nilgiris last year. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

“Most of the people in the various Contessa clubs are in their early-20s to mid-40s age group. These are people who have experienced the car as children or as young adults: having seen it driven or driven it themselves. Their passion for the Contessa is incredible,” says Gunasekar, 34.

A good number of them have a grip on the character of the car and seem fully capable of spearheading restoration projects – a healthy sign, considering a last-ditch effort is required to save this Indian car.

Gunasekar, who is assistant manager at Popular Motor Corporation and a car freak from the cradle, is similarly hands-on about his 1997 Contessa that has a 2.0-litre, inline-four diesel engine and twin-lamp headlights.

“My father runs a garage and I have seen Contessa cars being serviced there,” he says. “Ambassador and Contessa have a good number of interchangeable parts, especially engine parts. To service the engine in my car, I can use the parts of a corresponding Ambassador diesel engine. It is the same with the gear-box. Front brake pads, brake booster and a few suspension bushes are among other interchangeable parts. For those that are not, I go to the second hand market at Pudupet.”

If he still does not find what he is looking for, he knows where to turn to.

Says Gunasekar, “I just have to go to any of the online forums. They are certain to be helpful.”

(Prince Frederick is a staff writer for MetroPlus and MetroPlus Melange)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Motoring / by Prince Frederick / Chennai – April 30th, 2014

PURASAWALKAM : Tanks trundle through Avadi

Science & Technologies
Glorious run: On an average, at least 30 trial runs are carried out by a series of MBTs between DGQA premises and the Engine Factory of HVF. / Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu
Glorious run: On an average, at least 30 trial runs are carried out by a series of MBTs between DGQA premises and the Engine Factory of HVF. / Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu

It may not always be necessary to go to rugged terrain to watch the main battle tank Arjun or the Russian made T-90 tank trundle past majestically.

All it takes is a trip to Avadi. Residents from a cluster of colonies – including Central Reserve Police Force Colony, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Brindavan Nagar – are treated to such sights regularly, because main battle tanks (MTBs) pass through these localities as they carry out trail runs.

The CRPF Main Road is a important route for the trial run. It is on this road that the MBTs attract the most number of onlookers. After school hours, children gather at a junction to have a look at these tanks. Some of the children even run behind the speeding tanks, while others cover their faces with cloth as the dust on the Road envelops them.

“It (the movement of the MBTs) is part of our lives. We have been seeing these MBTs for generations,” said Sheikh Moindeen, a resident of Brindavan Nagar, Avadi.

According to defence sources, every day, on an average, at least 30 trial runs are carried out by a series of MBTs, especially by T-90 tanks between the Engine Factory of the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) and the trial ground of Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) in the neighbourhood. The distance between the Engine Factory and the sandy trail ground is around five kilometres. Invariably, each tank will have a guide and a gunner in addition to a driver. The driver in the cockpit is assisted by the guide (who is usually from the Army) in the commander’s seat, which is on the left side of the vehicle and the gunner is above them. Formed as a part of routine checks, the trial run is monitored by experts at HVF and DGQA to check different tasks including speed, durability and mobility. The tasks assigned to the trial runs are based on the recommendations of the DGQA to test the quality of the new components attached in these tanks. While the design and development of the components is done by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVR&DE) in Avadi, the production part of it is done by HVF. “Unlike CVR&DE that has a test track on its premises to test proto-types, HVF have to take them to the separate trail ground,” said a defence source.

Specialised tracks with square-shaped rocks have been laid along the route for the trials. The route passes through the main road that connects different residential areas. The stretch is equally divided with one half of it laid with bitumen for other vehicles including MTC buses and cabs, while the other laid with hard rocks for MBTs. “Earlier, the entire route including the main road was laid with the hard rocks for the trial runs. However, due to repeated pleas by the residents and the municipality, bitumen was laid on one half of the main road to allow the other vehicles to use the stretch,” said S. M. Nazar, chairman, Avadi municipality.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Downtown / by D. Madhavan / Chennai – April 19th, 2014