Anjita Pradhan

Kathmandu:

Which one would catch your attention more? A bright red Austin Mini Traveller, small (I should

say very small) in height, or a yellow and black motorcycle equally short in height and a compact one (you can even mistake it for a children’s bike!). I guess both because these are rare sights in Nepal. So next time you get lucky you will get to watch in awe Jigme Lama riding his classic car or bobby bike. “When I am on the road with my beloved two, people are surprised at what they see. Even the traffic police can be quite nice and polite if you are riding in one of these rare vehicles,” laughs Jigme Lama. A member of the Himalayan Enfielders group, Jigme always had a passion for classic vehicles. His persuasion and passion for the vehicle seemed apt when Lama politely took me on a small ride around his place. As small as it looks it is not quite so when I sat on the back seat and felt so down to earth. It was lovely, comfortable and awesome, I should say. Really an owner’s pride!

“When I happen to stop at the traffic lights, I have seen people give jealous glances and some young girls can’t stop giggling and making funny expressions when they see me in this classic and funny looking car,” jokes Lama. Sad but true that Austin Mini Traveller and Bobby Rajdoot bike are the only vehicles of their kinds in Nepal. It is quite interesting how Lama became the proud owner of the vehicles. It was one cold December Lama saw this Mini Traveller at Baidhya Auto Works. “I was bowled over when I saw the vehicle at Mr Babloo’s workshop. This was on December 8 and in another four days I was getting married to Phillipa.

I wanted to own this car that very moment. So after a few bargains I finally got Mr Babloo to sell it for 50,000 rupees. These days people would love to own a BMW but I guess I wanted to be different,” says Lama. He spent about 35,000 renovating the car. “Today it looks like what I always wanted it to look like. I have plans to keep a small minibar in my car and add curtains to the windows. It has a good pick up and is easy to park,” adds Lama.

There was always something quaint about the Bobby Rajdoot bike. The bike remained a hit

even after the movie ‘Bobby.’ This surely reminds us of polka dotted shirts and oversized goggles. So next time you someone flaunting a polka dotted shirt on the bobby bike don’t get nostalgic and think it’s Rishi Kapoor. It is only our very own Jigme Lama. “I have been in love with this bike for a long time. My father had bought it then for about 2,600 Indian rupees. I grew up riding it. I got very nostalgic when one day I saw it again in the roads of Kathmandu. I made an about turn and chased the bike till I got hold of its owner. It belonged to Mr Sunil Das who was then working with the Indian Embassy. He refused to part with it in the beginning but somehow I convinced his wife to sell it to me for Rs 20,000,” says Lama.

The story did not end there. Lama bought in the DVD and watched the movie to get the same look on his bike. He then painted it yellow and black. “Many people have come and asked me to sell the bike. But it is very dear to me and I will not sell it for a dime,” says Lama. The spare parts of the bike are rare so Lama had to go all the way to Jaipur to get them. “Even in Jaipur only one small shop had its spare parts,” adds Lama. During times like today, where people are running along to grab the latest and most expensive technologies, it is quite unthinkable of a person to possess such a passion for antiquities. Keep it up Jigme!

Mini-Travelers Guide

The original Mini (1959-2000) was a revolutionary and characterful small car designed for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Alec Issigonis (later Sir) (1906-1988) and made in Birmingham. The car used a conventional four-cylinder water-cooled engine but mounted transversely and driving the front wheels. This innovation allowed much increased passenger space in a small body. The result was nimble, economical, and inexpensive. Almost all small cars built since the 1970s have followed this mechanical layout. Another innovation was the use of exterior welded seams, which permitted the car to be built more cheaply using manual labour. The early Minis had an unusual suspension system, which used rubber cones instead of conventional shock absorbers, leading to a rather raw and bumpy ride. This was briefly replaced by the hydrolastic suspension in the 1970’s.

Designed as project ADO15 (ADO indicating Austin Design Office), the Mini was originally called both the Austin Seven (also known as Se7en) and Morris Mini Minor, but later Mini became a brand in its own right. The car owed some of its success to its “classlessness”, it was designed for the masses, yet members of the Beatles and even HM Queen Elizabeth II owned one. Between 1961 and 1969 there was also a version of the Mini produced with a more substantial boot (trunk). This was badged as both the Wolseley Hornet (reviving a sports car name from the 1930s) and the Riley Elf. The Mini itself could be bought in a variety of body styles: the standard two-door; two versions of estate-car (or stationwagon) with double “barn-door” style rear doors, the Traveller (all metal) and the Countryman (a “woodie”

version of the Traveller but with wooden exterior trim similar to that available on the Morris Minor - this “half-timbered” styling is something uniquely, and bizarrely, British) and two commercial derivatives; the van (as the estate-car but without side-windows) and the pick-up. — Agencies