Classic four-wheels of the 20th century

On a usual Saturday, I was heading towards Gulshan through Bir Uttam Mir Shawkat Sarak. As I took a turn ahead of Aarong, I could not resist spotting an American beast – the Crosley Hotshot 1949 resting at the entrance of Millennium Center showing off its elegance.

I decided to make a short stop and drool over its charm for a while and as I closed in, I noticed some more beauties that laid back at Millennium Center. Upon entering the premises, I saw the luxurious yet sporty, 1966 Jaguar S-Type leading the pack of charmers.  

Following through, the remarkable 1989 Ferrari 328, 1995 Nissan President, and 1971 Jaguar E-Type were all right there in one room waiting to be praised by admirers. That was not it, the line of beauties led me to the next room where I got to witness eight more classics making this event the first expo of vintage vehicles to have been hosted in a showroom.

An exposition of vintage four-wheelers could not have been better than this indoor event which set the perfect ambience in accordance with the classic beauties. The crowd turnover was way more than the officials expected. Surprisingly, the majority of the crowd consisted of young car enthusiasts.

"This will be a calendar event - Millennium Companies will be hosting a vintage expo every year," said Imran Khan, general manager, marketing and customer care of Hyundai Motors Bangladesh Ltd. He added, "These vintage cars can contribute to the rich heritage of our country."

The expo consisted of 13 cars that were brought in by eight passionate collectors. Each of the cars has its own unique history-making it timeless and priceless. The collectors were quite surprised by the fact that the officials were successful in executing the event in a time span of three days.

"This event was great! I had never seen such an indoor exhibition being executed this nicely, and that too with such a big crowd! All the classics here are perfect," said Didarul Islam Sujan, one of the collectors present at the expo.

Sujan - the only collector having more than 2 dozen Volkswagen classic in his collection came to the expo with his Volkswagen Type 2.

A total of 13 vintage vehicles were displayed at the Millennium Vintage Expo 2020. Here are pictures of some of them with details.

Jaguar E-Type, 1971

The Jaguar E-Type or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of beauty, high performance and competitive pricing established the model as an icon of the motoring world. The E-Type claimed 150 mph (241 km/h) top speed, sub-7-second 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration, unitary construction, disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and independent front and rear suspension distinguished the car and impelled industry-wide changes.

It was bought by Asif Moyeen in 1971 and nothing has been changed in this car since.

Ferrari 328, 1989

The Ferrari 328 GTB and GTS (Type F106) are mid-engine V8, two-seater sports cars produced by Italian automotive manufacturer - Ferrari. The 328 is still considered by some enthusiasts to be one of the most reliable and functional Ferraris; unlike other models, much of its maintenance can be performed without lowering the engine from the vehicle.

In 1997, the original owner bought this car from the UK. The car was recently handed over to Asif Moyeen. This is the last breed of original Enzo Ferrari with a 3.2L and V8 engine.

Volkswagen, 1965

The Volkswagen Beetle, officially known as the Volkswagen Type 1, and affectionately known as the Bug, was the true "people's car". Being one of the most popular vehicles ever sold, which received widespread commercial success and a cult following, this rear-engine car is the longest-running and the most manufactured car of a single platform. The last Beetle was made in Mexico, after which production stopped in 2003.
Malik Talha Ismail Bari found this "resto-mod" car while he was acquiring another car for his collection. He fell in love with the car as soon as he saw it and the previous owner eventually sold the car to Talha for this reason. It has been his pride and joy ever since.

Morris Minor, 1966

The Morris Minor is a British car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on September 20, 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in three series - the MM (1948 - 1953), the Series II (1952 to 1956), and the 1000 series (1956 to 1971).

The Morris Minor was one of the earlier cars that Malik Talha Ismail Bari acquired. At that time, his main interest was to buy and restore cars from the 60s and earlier. There were hundreds of Minors back in the days and now, only a few remains. This one was restored with brand new parts and it is ready for 60 more years.

Ford Zephyr Mar II, 1956

The Ford Zephyr is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1950 to 1972. Initially, the four-cylinder version was named Ford Consul but from 1962, both, four and six-cylinder versions were named Zephyr, the name Consul having been discontinued for this line of cars. In 1956, the Consul, Zephyr, and Zodiac were restyled.

It was purchased by Abrar Musa in 2017 from collector Mahmudul Faruk. It has been updated with a 2.5L 1jzge Toyota Motor with automatic transmission for daily use.

Volkswagen Type 2, 1976

The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as Kombi or Microbus is a light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model. It got popularity among the young generation as a hippy van as well as a transporter. The van is powered by a powerful 1600cc rear engine.

The last factory in the world that produced the T2 series of Type 2 in Brazil ceased production on December 31, 2013.

Didarul Islam Sujan purchased the van in 2000. He got it from the backyard of a hospital. It was basically a rare VW genuine ambulance. The entire microbus is equipped with stock parts; some parts have been restored to its original state. It still runs on a VW engine. It took Sujan 3 years to complete this bus and his second bus is on the restoration process.