Ashok Shah: The Passing of a Distinguished Collector

Images: Makarand Baokar & Vrutika Doshi

The world of classic automobiles mourns the loss of Ashok Shah, a collector whose passion, vision, and dedication left an indelible mark on the collector car community. Renowned for his discerning eye and commitment to preserving automotive history, Shah’s collection encompassed some of the most significant and celebrated vehicles of the pre-war and post-war eras, each chosen for its provenance, rarity, and historical importance.

For historic vehicle enthusiasts in India, the name of Ashok Shah was more than familiar. A veteran of identifying and acquiring some of the rarer automobiles in India, Shah was featured in magazines such as Indian Auto.

However, for the best part of the last two decades Shah was less ‘visible’ as he preferred retaining a lower profile than usual.

“I was brought up in a household where there were seven cars, as my grandfather was quite an enthusiast,” recalled Lonavala-based Ashok Shah.

“As a child it was usual to play in those cars. My favourite was a Morris 25 from 1938, and when that Morris was sold, I was very disappointed. I decided that I would collect old cars when I grew up.”

A promise made and a promise kept. At one point in time, Ashok Shah had more than 25 cars and over 50 motorcycles, but he then decided to rationalise and bring down the number to a more manageable dozen cars and five bikes.

The first car that Shah acquired was a Dodge Victory Six, for Rs 750, in around 1967, when he was barely 15 years old. In 1979 Shah emigrated to the US, where he drove a Saab 900 Turbo, as well as a De Lorean.

However, Shah returned to India in 1983. The first car purchased after his return to Mumbai was a Chevrolet Master Town Sedan, from 1934. That was in 1986.

Ashok Shah subsequently bought, restored, and traded scores of American beauties, including a '57 Chevrolet Belair (which remained with him), a Cadillac that used to belong to M.S. Oberoi, a '56 Chrysler Windsor Nassau, a '46 Packard Clipper, a '47 Hudson (bought from the car’s first owner in Chandernagore) and a '26 Studebaker, with which Shah participated in an Australian event, the Genevieve 500.

The Studebaker and the Chrysler were still with Shah, with both needing some refurbishing. The Chrysler Windsor Nassau is a rare two-door coupe featuring a powerful V8, mated to a three-speed automatic, operated via push buttons on the dash.

The other cars in Ashok Shah’s noteworthy collection were an impressive Lincoln Cosmopolitan from 1951 and a 1989 Mercury Marquis, both of which were in very good condition.

The Marquis was a car imported by the Oman Consulate, and would have been sold off via the State Trading Corporation (STC) as was the practice then (circa 1990s). Shah acquired it via a dealer, and the car had been his daily driver for years.

The Cosmopolitan – perhaps the only one in India from the 1951 vintage year – was in Mumbai, in a dilapidated state, when Shah acquired the car in the mid-1990s.

Apparently bought new by the Maharaja of Nawanagar, Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Lincoln needed extensive restoration.

No less interesting were the other cars in the process of being restored and will surely be worth featuring when ready.

They include a '61 Ford Thunderbird (from the Tripura princely family), a '38 Buick that belonged to one of the two Cossimbazar princely families, and a Chevrolet Belair, which was a favourite of Bollywood actress Nimmi (Nawab Banoo).

The most unusual of Ashok Shah’s cars was an Auto Red Bug, an electric skateboard-style runabout which was quite a success in the 1920s.

The one owned by Shah once belonged to the Indore princely family of Holkar, and it is easy to imagine that the keen auto enthusiast Yashwantrao Holkar II may have acquired this Red Bug as a runabout for his estate.

Ashok Shah was rightfully proud of the five rare motorcycles that he retained from a collection of 50-plus. Amongst them was a Bismarck, from the 1930s. A German machine, this too deserves a separate and detailed story.

The other four include a '55 Norton, a BMW R50, an Indian from 1918 and a very rare Royal Enfield, from the 1920s.

Our heartfelt condolences to the family of Ashok Shah - may his soul rest in peace.