Exhibit at Baridhara: Old cars as rolling art

Petrolheads gathered to celebrate 50 years of independence at Baridhara Diplomatic Zone featuring cars from 1920-90s.

Organised by Durjoy Rahman, a well-known collector in the classic car community, the event brought together all the people young and old who collect, support, and simply enjoy all things on wheels.

The event ran under the banner of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation and Old Car Club Community Bangladesh.

The event included a display of a mixed bag of cars and bikes, some lovingly restored, others bearing the rusty peeling patina of yesteryear.

A glistening classic BMW 2000ti looked like it rolled off the factory floor a few years ago. In reality, it was once so badly rusted out, it resembled cheese. But now, it is a piece of art lovingly restored, completely functional.

Other exhibits included a 70 Dodge Charger, a lovely blue RT40 Corona, and a few Beetles because you cannot have a show of classics without bugs. There were several one-off classic motorbikes as well.  

Amidst the glistening paintwork under the glaring sun, the event also honoured the enthusiasts in the community.

The award ceremony was presided over by Chief Guest, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Md Atiqul Islam, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Robert Miller, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson, and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito.

President of Baridhara Society Abdur Rauf was also present at the event.

Habibur Rahman Sanni was awarded as the pioneer of this collector's community. He is known for having one of the largest collections of classic cars in Bangladesh and for being a pioneer in this community.

The late Afsar Moyeen was also awarded for his part in shaping the community by bringing together the collectors of the rarest of the rare cars.

Tributes were also handed out to the younger crowd comprising of "Sniper" Shadman Al Samee whose hobby was to stand on top of a foot over bridge and shoot cars on weekends for years. He built a photographic database of the coolest rides in the city.

Other awardees included classic car nut and archivist Marzan Hossain Ucchash, VW/Vespa specialist and collector Sujan VW, and many more.

Durjoy Rahman runs a personal workshop that restores the old cars in his collection while being treated as fragile works of art. Those mechanics were given due tribute because without them, these cars would rot away into the ground.

The ongoing pandemic limited the size of the event by keeping it invite only.

Organisers hope the government see these old vehicles need to be treated as history. They need to make it easier to restore and maintain by making special exemptions to road taxes and advance income tax (AIT).

The classic car community is a source of employment, recreation, and education for young petrolheads as they preserve and showcase rolling art.