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Updated 14 May, 2018

Somewhere up there Fatima Jinnah must be smiling seeing her 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible and 1965 Mercedes Benz 200 looking as good as new.

Even those who had seen them in their ruined state, and thought restoring them to be a lost cause, cannot believe their eyes.

It has been 21 months of hard work for the classic car afficianado Mohsin Ikram, founder and president of the Vintage and Classic Car Club of Pakistan and Motorheads Pakistan. He is the one who first discovered the two cars at Mohatta Palace in 1992.

At the time, the cars were not in too bad a shape as they were parked in a garage. “Even the stickers on their engines were intact,” he says. But then the Sindh government took on the renovation of Mohatta Palace (before it was turned into the current museum) and both the heritage vehicles were pulled out from the garage and left outside under the open sky.

The labourers, who had no idea of their worth, would climb on them and sit on their bonnets to eat their meals. There was also nothing stopping thieves from stealing the cars’ parts.

Word of what had happened reached Ikram when another collector of classic cars was overheard boasting about how he had broken the dashboard of one of the cars to yank out its clock and other accessories. That’s when Ikram hurried to Mohatta Palace to see for himself what was going on there. He found the vintage cars in terrible condition. Both cars were missing their wheels and rims, along with several other parts.

“With their wheels gone, I found them standing on bricks. It was a painful sight. I wrote to the then governor of Sindh to kindly look into the matter,” he says.

The battered and ruined Cadillac in 2016 | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
The battered and ruined Cadillac in 2016 | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

Restoring and relocating Fatima Jinnah’s cars was a labour of love for a classic-car lover

Realising that the cars were a national asset, there was an order from the Governor House to remove the cars from Mohatta Palace immediately and for them to be taken into possession by the Sindh Archives Department.

“Of course, I was glad that someone took notice but then the people carrying out the orders literally dragged the cars, which were without wheels, mind you, to the Sindh Archives building causing them further damage,” Ikram says.

That was when he thought of letting people know about what was happening to Fatima Jinnah’s cars. He wrote a letter for Dawn’s ‘Letters to the Editor’ section, which prompted several more letters from other readers who were as shocked as himself over the treatment meted out to the cars. The government was embarrassed. It decided to restore the cars.

In a state of ruin | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
In a state of ruin | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

But who would do it? Being a classic-cars enthusiast and having restored over a hundred of them, Ikram felt confident enough to volunteer for the job. So passionate is he about classic cars that, at first, he even offered to do the work for free. But he was not alone, as the Sindh Archives Department was also receiving offers from other people.

Things stood at a standstill for a few more years until another well-meaning citizen of Karachi filed a petition in the Sindh High Court for the handover of the cars for restoration to a capable party.

The Cadillac at the National Museum garage with 90 percent work done | Photo VCCCP
The Cadillac at the National Museum garage with 90 percent work done | Photo VCCCP

The government then offered tenders and Ikram’s offer seemed the most reliable, which got him and his team the job of consultants.

“I must thank Sharmila Farooqui for giving the initial approval for restoration of the cars after seeing my application. I would also like to thank the current Minister for Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah for his help. And a very special thanks goes to Director of Sindh Archives Roshan Ali Kanasro, who remained extremely helpful to me throughout, till the cars were complete,” he says.

Taking the car apart | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
Taking the car apart | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

“The cars were transported to the National Museum where we started the renovation work on them,” says Ikram. It was not the cars alone which needed work. The two garages at the museum also needed electric wiring for lighting and power supply for the mechanical tools and machines to work.

The Mercedes halfway to gaining its old glory | Photo VCCCP
The Mercedes halfway to gaining its old glory | Photo VCCCP

That done, work on the cars started simultaneously. The body fittings, including the seats, mouldings, bumpers, lights, etc., were removed first, followed by the removing of the body panels such as fenders, doors and the bonnet. Next, they turned their attention to the body, the hull or chassis, which had to be restored first as they are like the foundations of a building.

Eighty percent restoration work done on the Mercedes | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
Eighty percent restoration work done on the Mercedes | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

The Cadillac was golden in colour when Ikram first saw it at Mohatta Palace. But working on it before the patchwork, he realised that was not its original colour, which happened to be a buttery cream shade. Restoring it, he gave it its original colour. The Mercedes was white originally and so it is now.

Mohsin Ikram’s team at work | Photo VCCCP
Mohsin Ikram’s team at work | Photo VCCCP

It took less than two years — 21 months precisely from August 8, 2016 to May 7, 2018 — for the work on the cars to be completed and for them to be brought to the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum, or Flagstaff House as it is known.

“The work could have been completed sooner had I taken the alternate route of getting other cars of the same models and simply taken pieces from them to replace with whatever was needed for the body in these classics,” Ikram says. “But then they wouldn’t have been Fatima Jinnah’s cars,” he smiles.

The Mercedes Benz in 2016 before it was taken in for restoration | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
The Mercedes Benz in 2016 before it was taken in for restoration | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

It was a proud moment for the classic-car lover to bring the cars to the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum, after restoration last week. “They arrived here on their own power. They are perfectly roadworthy,” he says.

The newly restored Mercedes Benz | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
The newly restored Mercedes Benz | Photo Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

“There had been some talk earlier, around 2006, for them to be restored and displayed at an army museum or at a park named after Miss Fatima Jinnah in F-9 Islamabad,” he shares. “But I always wanted them to be put on display here at the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum as this is where Fatima Jinnah also lived and the road on which it is built is also named Fatima Jinnah Road. Besides, these cars are a part of Karachi’s heritage. They should stay in this city,” he says.

Both the Mercedes and the Cadillac have now been put on display in a showcase-like glass garage at Flagstaff House. “I had the display garage built myself. It is based on the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum architecture,” says Ikram. “I made sure that the stone used for it, too, was the same as that used in the construction of the house,” he adds.

On being asked if the cars wouldn’t gather dust and be driven to ruin again just the way they did at Mohatta Palace, Ikram smiles and shakes his head. “I will make sure it doesn’t happen again. I will be in charge of their maintenance for as long as I live and, after me, I have taken care that others will look after them.”


The writer is a member of staff. She tweets @HasanShazia

Originally published in Dawn, EOS, May 13th, 2018

Comments

Masood May 13, 2018 11:35am
Wonderful job by a dedicated passionate individual !
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Waqar May 13, 2018 11:36am
So proud of you and your team Sir!
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Skkk May 13, 2018 11:42am
Wow! That is just brilliant. Made me really really happy. Am not sure if only the body is restored or the engine too.
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Shantanu Deb May 13, 2018 11:43am
Commendable work. Desereves kudos for the same
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Reader May 13, 2018 11:44am
Bravo; excellent job. This guy should be given the task to 'mend' Pakistan (economy, health care and education etc).
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Shakeel Shah Hussaini May 13, 2018 11:53am
Salute you Ikaram and all those who helped him to save the national heritage. Nations who do not remember and preserve their history and bequest sooner or alter would diminish from the map of civilization. thanks to the team who thought to save historical car had been used by our National Hero. i think, there are many more monuments, historical points and heritage that needs to be preserved for our present and upcoming generations.
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Zahid Haroon May 13, 2018 12:13pm
Kindly publish some more pictures of the cars.
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Karachi King May 13, 2018 12:23pm
Good work...
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Khuram May 13, 2018 12:27pm
Thankyou Mr. Ikram.
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Akbar Ahmed May 13, 2018 12:28pm
Another example of the extraordinary skill courage and determination of Pakistani craftsmen. The photographs show how they have achieved what was almost impossible. There is another lesson there, we let things get really bad before we fix them!
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Asim May 13, 2018 12:29pm
Great restoration. Can they have their original number plates?
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M. Emad May 13, 2018 12:37pm
Sheikh Mujib was the opposition candidate Fatima Jinnah's chief polling agent against dictator Ayub Khan in East-Pakistan during 1965 presidential election campaign (several YouTube videos available). Despite massive rigging, Fatima Jinnah won in the important Dacca (Dhaka) and Chittagong divisions of East-Pakistan.
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Naved May 13, 2018 12:50pm
Great work.
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Zainab May 13, 2018 12:51pm
Great work done! Such historical treasures should never have been let to degenerate, to begin with.
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Sohail May 13, 2018 12:53pm
Well done Ikram and your team.
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Imran May 13, 2018 01:01pm
Based on the way Sind govt operates, these cars will degenerate into their original condition in no time.
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M. Emad May 13, 2018 01:14pm
Fatima Jinnah lived a luxurious life.
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Ahmed May 13, 2018 01:22pm
bravo!
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Yusuf Ali May 13, 2018 01:29pm
Hats off to you Mr Ikram, excellent job, very proud of you Yusuf Alavi Karachi
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Asim May 13, 2018 03:21pm
Thanks a million Mr. Ikram.
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Danish Hameed Khan May 13, 2018 03:43pm
@Skkk did you read the article in full? its mentioned that they were driven to Quaid-i-Azam House Museum, after restoration last week. “They arrived here on their own power. They are perfectly roadworthy,”
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Sajjad May 13, 2018 04:15pm
wow. Good to know there are some patriots and sincere people left in Pakistan.
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Raja May 13, 2018 04:54pm
Good work
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Faraz Ghani May 13, 2018 04:59pm
Bravo..!! Indeed you have done a wonderful job, Ms. Fatima Jinnah was an iron lady. A charismatic personality and most iconic figure in the history of Pakistan, who played a vital role along with Qaid-e-Azam to gain independence from British Raj. She gave a tough time to dictator general Ayub and stood for suppressed people and democratic rights of the Pakistan nation.
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KAS May 13, 2018 07:15pm
@Skkk following is written in the article so yes, engine too :) “They arrived here on their own power. They are perfectly roadworthy,”
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NASR May 13, 2018 09:46pm
This is a very admirable and commendable effort. Mr. Ikram and his team needs a big salute for their hardwork and devotion for the nation.
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Wajid Zaidi May 13, 2018 11:50pm
I hope and wait for the day When the day of our mother to be celebrated Nationally and a chapter of her passionate support to Quaid be added in course books
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Jamshed May 14, 2018 04:09am
@Skkk..........Sir, as the author stated, both cars came from the garage to Flagstaff house on their own power. So the engines were serviceable. Regards!
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Questioner May 14, 2018 09:00am
Excellent work! Extreme respect and gratitude to the team that went through a lot to restore these cars. Apart from being the cars of Miss Jinnah, they are classics in their own right, and it was shameful that they were being left to rot.
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Imran Khan May 14, 2018 09:52am
Great Work Sir, we need people like you to run this country, who have love with Paksitan and its founders
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Imran Khan May 14, 2018 09:52am
@Skkk as the article says, they came on their own, so this means the engiensa re running for sure.
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Taimoor May 14, 2018 10:07am
Excellent work. How about a documentary on this achievement.
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Hasan May 14, 2018 10:25am
Job well done.
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AK May 15, 2018 05:22pm
Great job done. Stay you blessed always!
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