T

span class="caption" style="width: 398px;">The front side of Hauwke’s Auto Gallery in Cipete, South Jakarta. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama Businessman and classic car connoisseur Hartawan “Hauwke” Setjodiningrat cherishes a slice of America’s vintage nostalgia in his own backyard.

He has turned his two-story garage behind his mansion in Cipete, South Jakarta, into a gallery imitating a classic travel plaza on Route 66, complete with a gas station, a diner and flashes of Marilyn Monroe fantasy.

“My father wanted to place his cars in a decent, luxurious place when he built the gallery. He said shoes at home always look ordinary, but the same ones at the display store can look gorgeous,” Hartawan’s youngest son, Laurent Setjodiningrat, told The Jakarta Post.  

Laurent said the décor concept was inspired by the 1930 to 1970 era in which his father’s car collections were produced. The family has also inherited original and replica gas pumps from his grandfather, a fuel station entrepreneur, making it easier to imagine the rest of the frills.

On the first floor, the gallery, Hauwke’s Auto Gallery, houses 25 premium vintage and classic cars from 1908 onward, a half of Hartawan’s collection. The red brick wall displays old pictures of Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, pictures of important occasions, antique number plates and automotive shop signs.

Laurent said he was still studying in the United States during the development process of the gallery back in 2008. He was tasked to hunt for accessories such as antique number plates, which he luckily procured from a memorabilia shop in Orange County, California, before it was closed down.  

The second floor consists of two rooms, connected by two small parallel hallways flaunting a good view of the car collection on the first floor.

The first room is decorated as a classic American diner from the 1950s. It has sporty red and white couches. A pool table sits in the middle of the room, which is decked out by numerous antique accessories that helps build up the atmosphere of that classic time.

Dozens of antique cars parked on the first floor. JP/Wendra AjistyatamaLaurent said most of the accessories, such as a glass water gallon dispenser and a soft drink cooler box, were bought in America or other countries they visited. Some others were made in his father’s workshop in Bekasi, West Java, which also functioned as a place to restore the cars.  

The second room is a recreational room. It has an L-shaped sofa and audio video sets along with a large screen. Hartawan likes to gather with his friends in it.

The room also has a small stage with 1930s décor and musical instruments. The ageless Marilyn Monroe dashes her mannequin-glossy smile from a backdrop poster. Another image of the retro icon is also framed on the gallery’s front terrace.

Hartawan said the gallery is available as a pre-wedding and commercial photo and video location, but it is not a public place. That is why there is no information on the quiet main street heading to the affluent residential area where the gallery located.

“The maintenance costs of the antique cars are high. I want my hobby to be able to feed itself,” he said.