Men with money are the demographic most likely to manifest their deep interest in collecting cars. But not many men of this group choose to collect cars which were made long ago.
Classic cars have a quality that makes people attached to them. It could be memories. It could be a machine which is perceived as being a challenge. And it could be the fact that certain cars in certain conditions can be worth so much money.
Sentimental Value
Robby Djojosaputro, a senior classic car enthusiast living in West Jakarta, is the former chairman of PPMKI (Indonesian Vintage Car Association). His interest towards classic cars started in early childhood when he used to commute from school to home during which he would eyeball American cars on the streets in Thamrin area, Jakarta, and was attracted immediately by their beauty. Robby also remembers how his father’s boss used to have a Chrysler which was built in 1948. He never lost his fascination for these cars so that as he grew older, the obsession to own one of these cars grew stronger still. Instead of buying a new car when he started to make his own money in 1982, he traveled from Jakarta to Bandung after he heard that somebody wanted to let go of a 1948 Chrysler. He got the car.
Classic Car Association
Indonesian classic car enthusiasts are no stranger to the PPMKI as it’s the only classic car association in the country. Since it was first established in 1979, there have been around 1,000 persons listed as members of the association in Java and Bali, although only 200 perform as active members. Out of the 1,000 members, 90 percent own at least one car. You are considered a collector if you have at least ten cars in your possession.
Classic car enthusiasts such as Robby join the association for the activities it offers. Having become a member in 1983, he has since actively participated in countless touring events and exhibitions, among other activities. According to Robby, there are some perks to touring with a group of people who own and understand lots of aspects of classic cars. It allows you to enjoy long, worry-free rides with your beloved car whenever a tour is held, because there are always other car owners in the convoy who are ready to give a hand if your car has a mood swing, as old cars are wont to do.
When car hunting, joining a club or association allows you to connect with other people whose cars might catch your interest, and which may be available to purchase. For instance, Robby bought his red 1966 Honda in 2007 from one of the members of the PPMKI. As not many people understand classic cars, not many are ready to commit to one. This is one of the reasons ownership of certain cars rotates within the PPMKI circle only.
Build the Ride
Within the PPMKI members, originality is the foundation for car restoration work. Each car would be restored following its original design exactly as when it was first manufactured. Among the cars that are in Robby’s possession, there are several Chevrolets that were built in different years including the Chevrolet 1954. There are also Honda 1966, 1950’s Fiat 1100 and Fiat 1300 which was built in 1965. Not all collectors have the time and engineering skills to restore their own cars. Some prefer to ride them and to collect them, leaving the mechanical problems to car workshops.
Types of Collectors
Due to the massive number of cars they collect, some people are considered “serious” collectors and they are more likely to own a small auto-gallery where they display the cars systematically with staff running the place. There are four auto galleries in Jakarta, with Hauwke Gallery in Cipete, South Jakarta being perhaps the largest; showcasing over 50 well-maintained classic cars. Meanwhile, smaller collectors store their collections in their garage.
There are collectors, however, who own from 50 to 100 cars – but from that large number, only a tenth of the cars can be ridden while the rest are just metal corpses idling untouched in the yards. These cars are not fully restored due to the lack of time and materials for the restoration work.
A Hobby that Can Pay Off
As it is with avid collectors, the number of cars in Robby’s collection has increased with time. There was a point where the maintenance costs started to feel like a burden and he had to choose which of his cars to restore and which to leave idle.
Robby’s car collection started to make money when a Chevrolet he bought in 1979 was borrowed for a shooting session in a video clip production. From that day, Robby has been taking requests for car rent for advertisement and wedding purposes. He has also gone into the business of buying and selling classic cars.
Since 1982, Robby has bought 110 classic cars. He takes notes of every specification of every car he has bought and sold. Today he has only eight cars – six in the garage and two in his car workshop. l