Dastan Auto World

Dastan Auto World: Ahmedabad's museum of motoring design

Auto World Vintage Car Museum, now presented officially as Dastan Auto World, brings more than 100 historic automobiles together on the Dastan Estate at Kathwada on Ahmedabad's eastern edge. The collection was established by the late Pranlal Bhogilal, whose interest extended beyond famous badges to coachwork, engineering and the social world in which luxury cars were commissioned.

This is a private specialist collection rather than a chronological national transport museum. Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lagonda, Maybach, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Auburn and other marques share the displays with motorcycles and horse-drawn carriages. Many cars were built when a manufacturer supplied the chassis and a separate coachbuilder created a body for an individual client. That history helps explain why apparently similar vehicles differ in roofline, cabin, luggage treatment and ceremonial fittings.

What to look for among the automobiles

The museum's own current highlights include a 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, a 1927 Hispano-Suiza H6C and a Maybach SW38. Its displays also identify vehicles connected with Indian royal households, an important lens on how imported technology was adapted to status, climate and long-distance travel during the princely-state era. Wooden-bodied speedsters, formal limousines and open tourers show that the history of the car is as much about craft as horsepower.

Instead of photographing every bonnet badge, compare three elements: the mechanical package, the body designed around it and the intended passenger. Notice running boards, spare-wheel positions, ventilation, lamps and the division between driver and owner. These details expose changing ideas of privacy, ceremony and speed. Labels may not answer every technical question, so enthusiasts should note chassis and model names for later research.

Hours, tickets and getting there

The official Dastan Auto World website currently lists daily opening from 08:00 to 21:00, with tickets at ₹200 for adults and ₹100 for children. Earlier government museum listings contain older hours and lower prices; use the museum's own current page or contact it directly before departure. Extra charges or separate rules may apply to photography, special rides and events.

The address is Dastan Estate, Service Road, Nikol–Kathwada, near Sardar Patel Ring Road. It lies outside Ahmedabad's central heritage district, so road travel is normally required. Allow for city traffic and agree on the return journey if using a taxi or app-based car. The museum lists parking, a café and visitor facilities, but a government museum directory marks the venue as not wheelchair friendly; travelers with access needs should call for precise advice.

Making the most of the collection

• Confirm opening, ticket and photography charges through the official museum before traveling.

• Allow 90 minutes to three hours depending on technical interest.

• Do not touch vehicles, cross barriers or assume a displayed car is available for rides.

• Photograph labels with each vehicle so images retain their identity.

• Ask staff about accessibility, seating and toilets if these determine the visit.

• Pair Auto World with a separate day in Ahmedabad's historic core rather than forcing distant sites into one rushed circuit.

Dastan Auto World works best when read as a collection of designed objects rather than a parade of wealth. Coachbuilders, engineers, patrons and drivers all shaped the cars on view. That layered interpretation gives even a visitor with little mechanical knowledge a way into the exhibition, while specialists gain the pleasure of comparing rare machines that are seldom assembled in one place.