Soon after the Saturday
sunrise, these rare & beautiful vintages were flagged-off by Dr. Mahesh
Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (Independent Charge)
from the historic India Gate. When the entourage rolled out on Feb 17, it
marked the beginning of one of the largest vintage car rallies in Asia. The
guests who were in attendance at the flag off ceremony included K.T.S. Tulsi,
President, Heritage Motoring Club of India (HMCI), Luigi Estero, Charge'd'
Affairs, Embassy of Italy and Suman Billa (IAS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of
Tourism.
“Every year, as a tribute to
the golden era of the automotive industry, we organise this International
Vintage Car Rally & Concours Show and this year we have special entries and
esteemed guests from the global motoring brotherhood and have received immense
support from the Ministry of Tourism. The 8th edition also witnessed entries
from the USA, UK, Australia, Seychelles and Italy that created an international
array of what is most refined and most elegant in the field of exceptional
motor cars,” said Madan Mohan - Founder & Managing Trustee - 21 Gun Salute
Heritage & Cultural Trust.
This year the show showcased a
wider representation of different makes and marques; the oldest participant
being the 1903 Humberette owned by Abbas Jasdanwalla from Mumbai. The event
also showcased an array of Rolls Royce cars including the 1908 Silver Ghost,
the 1930 Phantom II, the 1938 Phantom III and the 1965 Silver Cloud III, to
name a few.
The event also showcased a few
last surviving editions, such as the legendary 1939 Delage D-8 from the USA and
the 1965 Silver Cloud from the UK. The 1942 Packard 180 Limo the sole survivor
of the pre-world war Packard’s along with the restored 1938 Armstrong Sidley,
previously owned by Maharaja of Kapurthala was also among the head
turners.
21 Gun Salute Concours Show
has a long and very strong relationship with Royal Families of India, which is
evident from the presence of cars at the show field that were once owned by the
ex- maharajas of princely India. The 1935 Chrysler Airstream C 6, owned by
Yuvraj Sri Yograj Singh ji Chavda, the 1937 Steyr Daimler 220 owned by Yuvraj
Shri Harshvardhan Singh, 1929 341 B Cadillac and 1931 370 A Cadillac, owned by
Dhananjai Singh Khimsar are a part of
the event this year. Other Vintage cars were participated from Delhi, Kanpur,
Jaipur, Udaipur, Chennai, Ahemdabad, Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
A 1922, three litre Bentley
(Le Mans) and the 1937 4 ½ ltr Bentley 2 door tourer were also the highlights
of the event.
Source: 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally