27 December, 2007 : Here is great news for car lovers! Heritage Motoring Club, a group of vintage motoring enthusiasts in collaboration with the Indian government and prominent carmakers is setting up India’s first automobile museum in Delhi.

The stone is already laid and the blueprint has been sent to the Ministry of Urban Development for its approval by the Delhi government. K.T.S Tulsi, a leading advocate and president of Heritage Motoring Club of India, says “It has been our ambition to set up an automobile archive in the country”. Automotive heritage, like motoring and aviation, is part of the new global tourism trend. The funding has been taken care of through corporate sponsorships as well as assured support from leading car makers of India.

India is proud to have a rich motoring history. The first car to hit Indian roads was in Mumbai in the year 1898-three years after it was manufactured in the west. At the beginning of the 20th century, three cars were imported to Mumbai, later the number escalated to 1,025. Rolls Royce was the first luxury car to be brought to India in 1910 with its impressive handcrafted Silver Ghost model. 1957 changed India’s motoring history with the arrival of the high-performance Mercedes Benz.

The museum will showcase automobile models from the days when Indian vehicles were fired by crude electrical circuits, did not have fuel tanks, shock absorbers, batteries, and mechanical devices. It will also feature a step-by-step study in terms of advancement of automobile technology, design, and the significant role automobiles in today’s world.