(From right to left) Nitin Dosa, Chairman, Vintage and Classic car club of India with rally organisers at Subhash B Sanas Vintage and Classic car Museum during the press conference to announce a vintage car and classic cars Motorcycles and Scooter rally on 9nth of April. (Express photograph by Arul Horizon) From a Dodge Kingsway used by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his family to a Mercedes Benz used by Hollywood star Al Pacino, vintage car lovers in Pune are in for a treat this Sunday. A rally has been organised for vintage and classic cars, motorcycles, and scooters, where the best vintage car will win a trophy instituted in memory of Pune’s first Mayor, the Late Baburao Sanas.
The rally will start from Turf Club, Race Course at 9am and will pass through Fergusson College Road- Lullanagar, etc to almost cover a stretch of 15 kilometres and finally conclude at Race Course, said Nitin Dosa, Chairman of Vintage and Classic Car Club of India.
Cars participating in the rally include Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes Benz, Chevrolet, Morris Convertible, Austin Ford, and many others of foreign make. Eight cars taking part in the rally are from the Yohan Poonawalla’s collection. Almost all the vehicles participating in the event are from Maharashtra, barring one participant from Ahmedabad, who has a Dodge.
The rally will start from Turf Club, Race Course at 9am and will pass through Fergusson College Road- Lullanagar, etc to almost cover a stretch of 15 kilometres and finally conclude at Race Course, said Nitin Dosa, Chairman of Vintage and Classic Car Club of India. Nitin Dosa said that they have received almost 122 entries including vintage motorcycles. The oldest motorcycle in this collection is a 1938 Norton 500 owned by Baljit Singh. Among cars, the oldest is a 1919 Overland which is owned by one Shekhar Saudekar. Other chief attractions will include an Elvis 1933 owned by the Maharaj of Mayurbanchau and an Austin 7 which will be driven by Prabha Nene, one of the oldest woman drivers from Pune.
Pune’s former Commissioner of Police, Amitabh Gupta, will be the chief invitee at the event.
Asked about the judging criteria, Goregaonkar, who is on the judges’ panel, said: “The originality and maintenance of the vehicle shall be the main pointers to determine the winner. Right from the colour of the car, the monogram to the tyre, each car will be evaluated in detail to decide the best among all.”