Part 1

When one of the oldest vintage and classic car rallies in the country takes place, it does have something special. Of course it has the usual clutchof fans, bevy of lovely old ladies – the 139 cars, and all the fanfare one expects at an event of this nature. But unlike many other vintage and classic car rallies, and they seem to be quite in fashion today, there's always something extra at an event that has been around for almost as long as some of the participating cars! And so it was at the 46th edition of The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally in the national capital recently. So those who took the trouble to visit The Statesman House in Delhi or the Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon saw some rather unique vehicles. The ones that one may not find at some other vintage rallies. A veritable glimpse of automotive history, ranging from 1909 all the way upto 1962. Incidentally, the latter year is just four years before this particular event was first held. Now if that isn't special, what is?

This 1928 Austin Seven convertible with a 700cc engine owned by Prem Sharma, is one of the 2,90,000 units produced between 1922 and 1939.

A 1928 Ford Model A in a unique open body style.

The 1922 Austin 'Chummy" Seven owned by Sarsom Yechury puts out all of 7bhp! Small wonder it was known as a 'Baby Austin'

The 1930 Stutz (right) is one of the first cars to incorporate the 'under-slung chassis', an innovation that improved safety and cornering ability of a car. The invention is still in use today. The US based Stutz made cars till as late as 1995.

Rovers have become a rarity these days (quite literally). The 1936 Rover is owned by Narendra Srivastava in pristine condition and still exudes in its British lineage.

The 1914 John Morris fire truck is one of the first fire trucks that served the Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi during the second and third decades of the 20th century.

World War II jeeps never go out of fashion at a vintage rally. The example here is a 1942 Ford Jeep.

The 1928 Ford Model A sports a convertible tourer body style. Ford eventually produced 4,849,340 units of the Model A.

The Ford Model A from 1930 featured a body style of a station wagon made of wood.

Part 2

Rovers have become a rarity these days (quite literally). The 1936 Rover is owned by Narendra Srivastava in pristine condition and still exudes in its British lineage.

The 1914 John Morris fire truck is one of the first fire trucks that served the Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi during the second and third decades of the 20th century.

World War II jeeps never go out of fashion at a vintage rally. The example here is a 1942 Ford Jeep.

The 1928 Ford Model A sports a convertible tourer body style. Ford eventually produced 4,849,340 units of the Model A.

The Ford Model A from 1930 featured a body style of a station wagon made of wood.