No cure for addiction to vintage automobile owners

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Antiques will always hold a special appeal for some people. This includes not only china and furniture, but items ranging from coins to vintage cars.

And once you fall in love with a certain type of antique, it gets in your blood.

Like other hobbyists, many vintage car lovers spend most of their time on their hobby. They vie for better quality cars, go on rallies with other vintage car enthusiasts and share information on where to obtain replacement parts, which generally are no longer produced, meaning those existing spare parts are costly and sometimes have to be ordered from abroad.

"It's a hobby that is difficult to let go. There's no such thing as a crisis. We go on, and it's not only me," Sastra Minata, the owner of two 1961 Coupe Records and a 1964 Honda S600 Cabriolet, told The Jakarta Post.

Apart from these three vintage cars, he also owns a 1969 Holden Premier, a 1975 Mercy and two new vehicles, including a BMW sedan.

"Although I have new cars, I still drive my old car around, even to the office," said the 53-year-old man who bought his first vintage car 20 years ago and once had up to 15 vintage cars in his collection.

For Sastra, these cars are a way to fulfill teenage dreams. But a vintage car is an expensive choice. Ready-to-drive cars can go from Rp 10 million (US$1,250) up to Rp 500 million.

"We usually buy an abandoned car and then fix it up. Sometimes we have to get two cars to develop one. For instance, we use the body of one car and the engine from another," Sastra said.

He said he once bought a car in Madura, East Java, for Rp 5 million, but spent much more than this amount fixing it up.

Fixing an old car can cost dearly, especially if one prefers to have all original parts. According to Sastra, you should be prepared to part with at least Rp 20 million to fix up an abandoned car.

"But it makes me really proud when I can fix an old car and it works. Imagine a 40-year-old car that is supposed to be scrap iron, but can still run smoothly. Besides, I also feel proud when people look at my car with clear appreciation," said Sastra, who is also treasurer of the Indonesian Vintage Car Association (PPMKI).

Established in 1979, the association has about 502 members throughout the country, including 150 active members in the capital, but excluding Irian Jaya, East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor.

Among the association's precious collection are 23 cars which formerly belonged to the country's founding president Sukarno. Of these 23 cars, 18 are still roadworthy.

PPMKI considers a car vintage if it was produced before 1965. For a rally, cars are again classified, with cars manufactured between 1960 and 1965 and those cars which do not have original spare parts classified as replicas. Cars older than 1960 and those cars manufactured between 1960 and 1965 which have all original parts are classified as vintage.

This weekend the association is organizing a special event to celebrate the third anniversary of PT Pacific Metrorealty which runs, among other things, Jalan Jalan cafe in the Menara Imperium building in Kuningan, South Jakarta. A vintage car exhibition will be held at Menara Imperium on Oct. 16 and the association will hold The Old Timer rally on Sunday. Members of the association who do not have vintage cars of their own can participate in the rally as navigators.

Around 80 cars manufactured from 1917 to 1965, including cars from the Sukarno collection, a 1937 Bentley and a Mini Cooper & Moke, the highlight of the event, will take part.

Prestige

The more experienced a person gets in dealing with vintage cars, the more likely they are to focus on acquiring outstanding and prestigious cars.

"Now I am starting to focus my collection. I keep (cars) which are quite expensive and exchanging the rest with friends to obtain better quality cars," Hartawan Setjodiningrat told the Post.

The proud owner of 40 vintage cars, Hartawan, better known as Hauwke, has six employees to take care of his cars. He spends around Rp 30 million a month on his cars.

The 44-year-old man, who runs a company that manufactures automotive spare parts in Bekasi, West Java, started collecting vintage cars in 1979 after he returned from Australia, where he worked for an automotive company. At one point he owned more than 100 vintage cars.

However, Hauwke, who owns a 1937 Austin and a 1908 Lorrain, despises being called a car collector.

"I am a vintage car lover, not a collector. Collectors tend to emphasize the commercial aspect. My friends used to say that my blood was made of lubricant," laughed the father of three. "That's because I studied automotives, worked for an automotive company and now run an automotive company .... "

Listing a 1955 Thunderbird, a 1959 Corvette and a 1952 Jaguar XK140 as favorites among his vintage cars, from 1979 to 1985 Hauwke spent a large part of his time hunting down the cars he desired, a search which took him to most parts of the country. Since 1985, he has used the service of brokers to locate cars.

"Sometimes I was disappointed at being cheated. The broker got the car I wanted but sold it to another person, not me," he said.

Driving a vintage car is certainly different from driving a new car. For one thing, old cars have different technology, requiring the driver to master a few tricks.

"While driving a vintage car, we have to concentrate on the car. It's not automatic and has different technology from new cars. For instance, a 1928 car does not have wipers, so when it's raining you have to open the window," Hauwke said.

Having vintage cars is also considered prestigious, causing some people to masquerade as vintage car lovers just for the reputation. But according to Hauwke, it is easy to learn whether one really loves vintage cars.

"If one does not really love old cars, he will give up immediately after giving them a try. The driver of an old car should be ready to be challenged. He should be patient and willing to stand heat or to get dirty, since he might have to do some repair on the car. If we're driving a new car, the car follows us, spoiling us. But in an old car, we have to follow the car. That's the challenge, the art," Hauwke said.

Citing an example of the challenge and unpredictability of vintage cars, he told of an experience when his car engine blew out in Surabaya at 7 p.m. as he was driving to Lombok in a rally.

"So I had to switch the engine with a friend's right there and the next day, in the morning, we started again ... ," Hauwke said.

For most vintage car lovers, their vehicles are everything. They may spend so much time with their cars that their spouses will get jealous.

"My wife asks me why I carefully cover my old cars but not my new cars," laughed Sastra. "She also does not like seeing me looking at my old cars every morning the minute I wake up."

But for Hauwke, who spends at least an hour a day with his vintage automobiles, the cars also serve to bring his family closer together.

"If my family wants to get together, it's in a car. I will usually drive out of town, such as to Bali. There, in the car, we are all together, right. We can talk, eat, everything. And I don't take ordinary routes. Instead, we pass through small villages to see the beautiful views. It's really refreshing."