TO you and me, the tastes of Gurpreet Bassi may appear a trifle expensive and outlandish. But, for the 32-year-old Ludhianvi whose business interests range from weapons, driving school and taxi service, his hobbies are an intrinsic part of his being.

To start with, he loves cars. It is evident from his swanky garage that houses five cars which include the latest models such as a gleaming red Mazda Miata, shipped from Dubai, and antiques like the 1937 model Baby Austin, which belonged to the Maharaja of Dehradun.

The pedigree of his vehicles is very important to him. ``I try to trace the owners of the cars with the same zeal with which people inspect the family tree for the purpose of marriage,'' he grins sheepishly.

Antiques have a special place in his heart. No sooner does he hear about one, than he sets about making a deal for it. When buying them, the only thing he looks for is genuine parts. For instance, the Baby Austin he owns has 100 per cent genuine parts and a clean body line. ``Seats, tyres, upholstery, one can tinker with, but nothing can be done if the parts are not original,'' he explains.

Bassi is still nostalgic about his first Austin which he purchased in 1986. He had its entire roof lined up with a mirror-studded phulkari. The car caught the fancy of an old Muslim family from Delhi who insisted on buying it. Bassi made up for it by bagging an Austin owned by Maharaja of Patiala. Many others have followed, but he is yet to get his dream car. Ask him about it and he sighs. ``Well, I would love to own a Porsche. It's the ultimate in luxury,'' he gushes. Right now, his eyes are trained on a bugghi lying in Jaipur and another old jalopy with a Himachali family. ``God willing, I will get them soon,'' he says.

But it's not cars alone that Bassi covets. He also has a fetish for guns. The imported beauties in his collection of weapons include Bascue (Spain), Arminius (USA), Webley Scott, Colt Cobra, Rugger (Germany) and Mouser.

Coins too make his heart beat faster. Bassi claims he has coins dating back to 1800. In fact, this young man is fascinated with all things ancient. Step into his house and you will be greeted with old telephones-the with separate mouth pieces and dialling stands. An ancient HMV gramophone dating back to 1928 also occupies a pride of place in his house in Ghumar Mandi. And to play on it, he has bought stone records, the kinds not seen anywhere today.

Bassi also has a passion for pets. His menagerie includes four dogs, including a Pug, Dalmatian, Boxer and Labrador, and hundreds of fish. ``But it's my three-year-old son, Dhruv, who likes them more than me,'' he smiles. The papa's boy is also equally fascinated with cars. ``At this age, he knows the names of all the cars in the market,'' Bassi glows with pride. Ask him what fires his several different passions and he looks you in the eye. ``I have always wanted to have something different, something unique. A class apart.'' Well as long as he has the moolah to take care of his passion, who is complaining?