If you are a car lover, your Mecca is Pune. At the upmarket Beverly Hills hotel in Lullanagar to be exact. Here, Subhash Sanas, a hotelier and builder, has finally given shape to his dream project: An antique automobile museum.

Here is where you could pay obeisance to a deep-green 1927 Chevy convertible that once belonged to Dharmendra; Amitabh Bachchan’s glistening-white Mercedes Benz; a flaming red 1963 Chevrolet Impala convertible that was used by the Indian prime ministers; a two-toned green 1934 Austin that was acquired from a jockey in England in 1978; John Travolta’s ravishing red 1977 Mercedes 560 SL; a 1982 Mercedes Limousine 250; Vinod Khanna’s first 1982 two-door silver-grey Mercedes; Shashi Kapoor’s 1957 Mercedes 190 SL; a peach-pink 1976 Mercedes Benz 220 D; and a sky blue 1963 Chevrolet Nova.

Subhash Sanas Classic and Vintage Car Museum opened for public last October. But the passion to collect cars began much earlier for Sanas. For nearly 35 years, he’s been slowly building up his ‘stock’: Today, he’s a proud owner of 44 ageless beauties and two rare two-wheelers.

“I just love cars. My love affair with four wheeled beauties began when I was just 18,” says Sanas. “I was fascinated with the 1951 light green model of Chevrolet that belonged to my father, the first Mayor of Poona.” He recalls how people used to come in droves to look at the car.

The car lover in Sanas, who lives in Koregaon Park near Osho Ashram, was in for further treats. “Osho, who owned a fleet of Rolls Royce cars at his Ashram, used to drive in one from his residence to the Gautama Buddha Hall to deliver his evening discourses.”

Watching the grand dame roll past him was enough to realise that he has fallen irrevocably in love with cars.

Before be began collecting the real thing, Sanas gave vent to his passion by collecting models. “I used to be so fascinated with cars that whenever I came across mini car models I used to buy them.” He has over 200 mini cars at his house. He spent between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 a piece for these mini cars that he gathered from around the world.

When he turned 22, he decided to invest in the real thing. He bought a 1959 convertible Imp­ala with 10-fancy horns from Bollywood actor Dharmendra for Rs 50,000. “In those days, it was big money,” he recalls.

The true lover that he is, he cherishes the moment the cars that he owns came into his possession. For instance, Sanas narrates the tale of how the 1963 red Chevrolet Impala convertible reached his museum. “This was used by late prime ministers Indira Gandhi and VP Singh. In those days open-top cars were preferred as they could wave to the crowds at public events.” But because of security reasons, the use of this car was discontinued and Sanas bought it in New Delhi at a government open auction for Rs 4 lakh. “And I spent quite a bit of money after that to restore it to its former glory,” says Sanas.

Another instance when he had to go all out for restoring was the time when he acquired a yellow Rajdoot, ridden by Rishi Kapoor in the popular film Bobby. “This Rajdoot was lying in an old garage in Mumbai. I picked it up after paying a handsome amount and restored it fully to its original filmy glory,” says Sanas.

The real challenge for a car enthusiast, he points out, is the task of restoring whenever a vintage car or bike is found. “I have visited Mumbai’s Chor Bazaar, London’s junkyard and even Germany’s tiny villages, hunting for all kinds of spare parts to restore my beauties to working condition,” says Sanas.

Sanas’ recent purchase is a cobalt blue London taxi, which he bought in January 2011.