Introduction

Vintage cars, two words that bring about images of people driving senior citizen cars in period costumes and with obvious grease, oil and smoke-laced faces. But this is just one of the downsides of owning such vehicles. What you do get on the positive side, is motoring heritage and in the case of this rally - a car that has seen action during the second world war.

The hill city of Lavasa recently conducted a Vintage Car Rally in association with the Indian Automotive Racing Club. It saw the participation of over 20 vehicles that made a journey of over 150km from suburban Bandra in Mumbai City to the International Convention Centre in Lavasa.

Part 2

While 20 vintage cars may not be a great number, what we did get to see was automobiles spannings over four decades. One of the first to arrive was a LHD 1959 Chevrolet Impala. Majestic and incredibly long, the car is a reminder of the chrome barge era in American motoring.

During the event, this immaculately maintained vehicle was joined by its convertible sibling which despite not being in the best of shape still commanded your attention whenever you set your eyes on it.

Today, a Chevrolet Impala from this first generation era commands a huge premium anywhere in the world and is a much sought-after classic car.

The American ratpack included a Chevrolet Fleetmaster which seems to be a rare car by any global standards as it was produced for only three years (1946-48). A single glance inside this car will give you the impression of a large living room due to its vast size both in terms of length and headroom. This example which was on display is likely to have been custom built for its owner in India.

Also on display was a Packard One Twenty Convertible sedan. Produced by the Michigan-based automaker from 1935 to 1941, it was one of the first American cars to sport hydraulic brakes and an independent front suspension.

Part 3

One of the oldest cars on display was a Volkswagen Kubelwagen. Built by the German army in the intial years of the sceond world war, this vehicle, despite being in RHD configuation is almost certain to have seen action during some phase of the lengthy battle.

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The owner told us that the car is without any modifications and that he is still working on tracing its complete history. It was eventually joined by 60s era Volkswagen Beetle.

Other German entries included a late 1950s Mercedes-Benz 300 coupe as well as an early 1980s 450SEC sportcar.

Part 4

The British were known in the motoring industry during the 1960s and 1970s and one of their best creations was the two-seater compact sportscar. The car which we have used as a cover picture is a Rover MGB convertible which by its appearence was on sale during the mid 1960s. On its right, in the picture below, is the Sunbeam Rapier, which while being bigger than the Rover still embodies the two-door coupe principle.

Joining the British invasion was a two-door Herald coupe but not the standard one as we have come too see on our roads but rather the original Triump Herald.

This model, dubbed the 13/60, appears to be from the late 1960s and seems to have most of its gear and interiors in running order.

However, the owner has added some modern features like seat belts. It is powered by a 1300cc engine that produces 61bhp and 98Nm of torque.

Part 5

Making its customary appearence at the show was a Fiat 1100/Millicentio/Elegant. This model is from the late 1950s and was imported by Premier Automobiles from Italy before it began locally manufacturing the car at its plant in Kurla.

The car that we are all familar with today (by virture of it being a taxi all over the country) was manufactured from the mid 1960s till 2000 and remained virtually unchanged in terms of overall design.

It would seem like a faux-pas to not speak of the location where we got to see these lovely cars in the 'metal'. The sprawling Lavasa township is full of life once again and will hopefully host more vintage car rallies in the coming years and this time from other cities too.