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Photos: Gaza man wheels and deals to restore classic cars

Munir al-Shindi could not get parts for his classic cars in the blockaded Gaza Strip, so he decided to fashion his own solution. The 40-year-old is known in the Palestinian enclave for his obsession with old-fashioned cars, fixing them up in his workshop northeast of Gaza City. Shindi repurposes bits from other classic cars, often getting them from Israel. His aim is to make driving the car feel as close to the original as possible.

Updated on: Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM IST

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Munir al-Shindi, a 40-year-old Palestinian who restores old cars as a hobby, works on a 1946 Armstrong Siddeley at his workshop in Gaza City. The 40-year-old is known in the Palestinian enclave for his obsession with old-fashioned cars, fixing them up in his workshop northeast of Gaza City. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

Munir al-Shindi, a 40-year-old Palestinian who restores old cars as a hobby, works on a 1946 Armstrong Siddeley at his workshop in Gaza City. The 40-year-old is known in the Palestinian enclave for his obsession with old-fashioned cars, fixing them up in his workshop northeast of Gaza City. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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Munir al-Shindy works on vintage cars at his workshop. Parts for such models are hard enough to find in the countries where they were originally built, but in Gaza, cut off by an Israeli blockade, they are near impossible to obtain. “My hobby is vintage cars but it is difficult because of the blockade.” (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

Munir al-Shindy works on vintage cars at his workshop. Parts for such models are hard enough to find in the countries where they were originally built, but in Gaza, cut off by an Israeli blockade, they are near impossible to obtain. “My hobby is vintage cars but it is difficult because of the blockade.” (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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Shindy stands behind a 1946 Armstrong Siddeley at his workshop. He recently completed a Mercedes Gazelle from the 1920s and is currently fixing this Armstrong Hurricane. The Armstrong, he explained, was a British luxury car well loved by car enthusiasts. But even during its peak in the 1940s it was not that popular, so original parts are not available. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

Shindy stands behind a 1946 Armstrong Siddeley at his workshop. He recently completed a Mercedes Gazelle from the 1920s and is currently fixing this Armstrong Hurricane. The Armstrong, he explained, was a British luxury car well loved by car enthusiasts. But even during its peak in the 1940s it was not that popular, so original parts are not available. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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“I tried to search the internet for car parts but I couldn’t find them. So I managed locally,” said Shindi. He worked in car renovation in the United Arab Emirates for 12 years and has got used to improvising. As such Shindi repurposes bits from other classic cars, often getting them from Israel. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

“I tried to search the internet for car parts but I couldn’t find them. So I managed locally,” said Shindi. He worked in car renovation in the United Arab Emirates for 12 years and has got used to improvising. As such Shindi repurposes bits from other classic cars, often getting them from Israel. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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His aim is to make driving the car feel as close to the original as possible. He bought the Armstrong for around $3,000 from a man who had owned it for more than 20 years. He estimates it will cost at least another $10,000 to transform it into a working automobile. “The car was empty. Slowly I am working to complete it.” (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

His aim is to make driving the car feel as close to the original as possible. He bought the Armstrong for around $3,000 from a man who had owned it for more than 20 years. He estimates it will cost at least another $10,000 to transform it into a working automobile. “The car was empty. Slowly I am working to complete it.” (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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Shindi dreams of travelling outside the strip to show off his cars but knows it is nearly impossible. Israel has imposed a decade-long blockade on Gaza, which it says is necessary to isolate the strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas -- with whom the Jewish state has fought three wars. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

Shindi dreams of travelling outside the strip to show off his cars but knows it is nearly impossible. Israel has imposed a decade-long blockade on Gaza, which it says is necessary to isolate the strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas -- with whom the Jewish state has fought three wars. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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Munir Shindy at work on his Armstrong Siddeley. Even when the car is eventually purring, which Shindi estimates will take another couple of months, it will not be able to go far. Gaza is only 365 square kilometres, 40 kilometres north to south. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

Munir Shindy at work on his Armstrong Siddeley. Even when the car is eventually purring, which Shindi estimates will take another couple of months, it will not be able to go far. Gaza is only 365 square kilometres, 40 kilometres north to south. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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Munir Shindy at work. Hossam Ayoub, a neighbour, came to stare at the car. “It’s amazing. Vintage cars like this are part of history,” he said. “No one knows this kind of car here. It’s something unusual.” (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Updated on Oct 31, 2019 1:46 PM

Munir Shindy at work. Hossam Ayoub, a neighbour, came to stare at the car. “It’s amazing. Vintage cars like this are part of history,” he said. “No one knows this kind of car here. It’s something unusual.” (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

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