Vintage Cars & Bikes Rally - 2010

Delicious cars & bikes

descend upon Delhi

fnbworld bureau/New Delhi

Pretty vintages enthrall Nizamuddin East  folks on March 20

In the posh south Delhi locality that  boasts of  a property owned here by none other than Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit , the peaceful colony Nizamuddin East celebrated a unique coming together of vintage automobiles and  its afficianados.

The residents paid a befitting tribute to a truly heritage colony in New Delhi, as an array of vintage cars and motorcycles enthralled the residents of Nizamuddin East on March 20th. The evening was organized by NECA (nizamuddin east colony association). The near-mint condition shapely vintage beauties glided through the green thoroughfare of the colony with elders and children piggybacking them joyously.

Former Indian Cricket Team Captain Mohammad Azharuddin

at the rally interacting with the fnbworld team

Photos Copyright: Right Impact Media Inc.

 If you are one of those car lovers who finds almost all of what is available today off-the-shelf in the cars bazaar  blase - be it Mercedes, Audi, Skoda or BMW, then the just concluded Vintage Car Rally 2010 in New Delhi, sponsored by the Teacher’s Origin premium scotch whiskey in association with the Heritage Motoring Club of India was undoubtedly a  must attend event and a cherished tribute to the glorious decades of car designing.

The Vintage Car Rally had these  veteran beauties glide on Delhi and Gurgaon roads with a round trip from the swanky DLF Emporio Mall at Vasant Kunj to the famous Pataudi Palace and back.

The Vintage cars, almost 50 of them from various world car manufacturers of yore started lining up by 9am in the morning and the proud and enthusiastic owners were available for a chat during the well laid out gratis breakfast by the rally organizers. The rally was flagged off in less than 2 hours by former captain of the Indian cricket team Mohammad Azharuddin and Mr. Harish Moolchandani, the CEO and Managing Director, India and Sub-Continent, Beam Global Spirits and Wines.

The impeccably restored beauties comprised cars from the pre-War era or Vintage, the Post-War period or Classics and Roadsters. There were cult brands such as the Rolls Royce, Bentley, Buick, Jaguar, Chevrolet and Ford, even has the real eye-grabbers included the 1934 Rolls Royce, a 1950  Jaguar XK 120, a 1952 Cardillac Coupe de Ville and a 1937 Mercedez 170V. The 1934 Rolls Royce was ordered from Rolls Royce by the Maharaja of Baroda on July 27, 1934 and it is the only Rolls Royce in India with coachwork by Kellner of France.

Speaking to fnbworld, the owner of a well-chiseled 1930 Ford  Gabrielle , Mr. Deepak Singh said, he acquired the car six years ago with great hardship and wouldn’t exchange it for two brand new Mercedes! So how does it feel to maintain a Vintage like this, he said “It is like taking care of an 80-year-old grandmother and requires constant personal touch. The maintenance entails care with passion and it simply feels great to drive it and be a cynosure of all eyes. I have a special garage for it in my house in Chanakyapuri and most of the maintenance is done by  New Delhi's famous vintage cars restorer Tutu Dhawan in Kalindi Kunj, Maharani Bagh. The mechanical parts are very difficult to source even though I have maintained some contacts overseas who do manage these for me as and when needed.”

The industry’s late 1950s flamboyance was visible with the 1959 Cadillac that incorporated totally new styling. Large tail fins (this car featured the tallest tail fins in world production car history), twin bullet tail lamps, a distinctive roofline, new jewel-like grille patterns and matching deck latch lid beauty panels personified these cars. It was previously owned by the Maharaja Gaj Singh of  Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

A similar Cadillac de ville featured in the Bollywood blockbuster Dostana, starring John Abraham, Ashishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra. Former Indian Captain Mohammad Azharuddin told fnbworld Managing Editor Ravi V.Chhabra “The vintage car rally is a visual treat that transports us to the bygone days and such timeless beauties so lovingly maintained by their owners are a matter of both joy and pride for all.” Some fine tips on restoring and maintaining vintage cars can be found on: http://www.beverlane. com